Shift device panel structure

Abstract

To suppress occurrence of appearance failure.SOLUTION: A panel assembly 40 of a shift device 10 is configured so that a cover holding hook 76 is provided on a lower holder 70, the cover holding hook 76 holds a cover 80 which oscillates from an initial position to a holding position. In a holding position of the cover 80, an insertion part 82 is separated from an edge part of the panel opening part 50A. Therefore, in an element of the panel assembly 40, by oscillating the cover 80 to the holding position, by the cover holding hook 76, relative oscillation of the cover 80 to the upper holder 60, the lower holder 70, the panel 50, can be restricted. Therefore, in transport of the panel assembly 40, collision of the insertion part 82 to the edge part of the panel opening part 50A can be suppressed. Therefore, damage to the insertion part 82 can be suppressed, and occurrence of appearance failure of the panel assembly 40 can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a panel structure of a shift device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the shift device described in Patent Document 1 below, the shaft of the shift lever passes through an insertion portion of a cover, and the cover is movably disposed between an upper holder and a lower holder. A panel covers the upper holder from above, and the shaft and insertion portion are disposed within a panel opening of the panel, with the cover closing the panel opening. This prevents the interior of the shift device from being seen through the panel opening. When the shift lever is operated, the cover swings together with the shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-98487 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, a shift device may be installed on a vehicle's instrument panel. In this case, the shift device is separated into a main body having a shift lever and a panel assembly having a panel, a cover, an upper holder, and a lower holder, and the main body and the panel assembly are separately attached to the vehicle. Specifically, the main body is attached to the vehicle body, and then the panel assembly, which is assembled to an instrument panel or the like, is attached to the vehicle above the main body. For this reason, the main body and the panel assembly of the shift device are transported and delivered separately.

[0005] When the main body and panel assembly are assembled, the pivot range of the cover is limited to the operable range of the shift lever (shaft). On the other hand, when the panel assembly is used alone, the shift lever is not attached to the cover, so the pivot range of the cover cannot be limited by the shift lever. Therefore, during transportation of the panel assembly, the cover may move due to vibrations or other factors, causing the insertion portion of the cover to hit the panel opening of the panel, potentially damaging the insertion portion. This could result in poor appearance of the panel assembly of the shift device.

[0006] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a panel structure for a shift device that can suppress the occurrence of poor appearance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a panel structure for a shift device comprising: an upper holder portion having an upper opening through which a shaft extending in the vertical direction in a shift device is inserted; a lower holder portion disposed below the upper holder portion and having a lower opening through which the shaft is inserted; a panel covering the upper holder portion from above, being disposed inside the upper opening in a plan view, and having a panel opening through which the shaft is inserted; a cover disposed between the upper holder portion and the lower holder portion to close the panel opening and configured to be swingable from an initial position in a direction intersecting the vertical direction; a cylindrical insertion portion provided on the cover, protruding upward from the cover, and disposed inside the panel opening, through which the shaft is inserted; and a holding portion provided on the lower holder portion to hold the cover when it is swung from the initial position to a holding position, wherein the insertion portion is spaced apart from an edge of the panel opening in the holding position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the occurrence of poor appearance can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the shift lever device of the present embodiment as viewed from above; [Figure 2] 2 is a side view of the shift lever device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the right side. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1) of the shift lever device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the right side (cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1). [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a panel assembly of the shift lever device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] (A) is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship between the lower holder and the cover shown in Figure 5, and (B) is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship between the lower holder and the cover when the cover in (A) is placed in the holding position. [Figure 7] (A) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the cover retaining hook and the cover in the state shown in Figure 6(A) in the panel assembly (cross-sectional view taken along line 7A-7A in Figure 6(A)), and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the cover retaining hook and the cover in the state shown in Figure 6(B) in the panel assembly (cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-7B in Figure 6(B)). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A shift device 10 to which the panel structure S of the shift device according to this embodiment is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, arrows UP, FR, and RH, as appropriate, indicate the upper side, front side, and right side of the shift device 10, respectively. In the following description, when the up / down, front / rear, and left / right directions are used, they will be described as the up / down, front / rear, and left / right directions of the shift device 10 unless otherwise specified.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shift device 10 includes a shift body 20 and a panel assembly 40. The shift device 10 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (automobile), with the panel assembly 40 assembled to an instrument panel 90 (see FIG. 1) of the vehicle, and the shift body 20 assembled to the vehicle body. In the shift device 10, the shift lever 22 of the shift body 20 is disposed in an initial position (the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) extending in the vertical direction and configured to be pivotable in a direction intersecting the vertical direction. Specifically, the shift lever 22 is configured to be pivotable in the front-rear direction (also referred to as the shift direction, which is broadly understood as the first direction) and the left-right direction (also referred to as the select direction, which is broadly understood as the second direction), and configured to be positioned from the initial position to a predetermined shift position. Hereinafter, the shift body 20 will be described first, followed by the panel assembly 40.

[0012] (About the shifter body 20) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the shift body 20 has a shift lever 22 that is operated by an operator. The shift lever 22 is configured to include a shaft holder 24 and a shaft 26. The shaft holder 24 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with its axial direction extending vertically as a whole. The shaft 26 is also formed in a generally columnar shape with its axial direction extending vertically. The shaft 26 is inserted into the shaft holder 24, and the shaft holder 24 and the shaft 26 are connected so as to be able to swing together.

[0013] The lower part of the shift lever 22 is housed in a case 30 that forms the outer shell of the shift body 20, and is connected to the case 30 by a lever holder (not shown) so as to be swingable in the front-rear and left-right directions. Specifically, the shift lever 22 is configured to be swingable in the left-right direction about an axis L1 (see FIG. 4) that passes through the center line of the shaft 26 in the front-rear direction. The shift lever 22 is also configured to be swingable in the front-rear direction about an axis L2 (see FIG. 3) that passes through the axis L1 in the left-right direction. The intersection of the axis L1 and the axis L2 is defined as a virtual center point CP (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0014] The upper end of shaft holder 24 is inserted through insertion hole 30A formed in the upper wall of case 30, and the upper end of shaft 26 protrudes upward from case 30. Insertion hole 30A is formed in a generally rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the up-down direction. A knob 32 is provided at the upper end of shaft 26, and is configured to be gripped by the operator when operating shift lever 22.

[0015] In the initial position of the shift lever 22, the shaft 26 is positioned to the left of approximately the center of the insertion hole 30A (see FIG. 1). When the shift lever 22 is operated, it is moved from the initial position in the shift direction or the select direction to place the shift lever 22 in a predetermined shift position. Specifically, the shift lever 22 is placed in one of the following shift positions: a + position when pivoted forward from the initial position; a - position when pivoted rearward from the initial position; an N position when pivoted rightward from the initial position; an R position when pivoted forward from the N position; or a D position when pivoted rearward from the N position. The lower end of the shaft 26 is inserted into a shift groove (not shown) formed in the bottom wall of the case 30, and when the shift lever 22 is pivoted, the lower end of the shaft 26 moves along the shift groove.

[0016] (Regarding panel assembly 40) 1 to 5, the panel assembly 40 is disposed on the upper side of the case 30. The panel assembly 40 includes a panel 50, an upper holder 60, a lower holder 70, and a cover 80.

[0017] (Regarding Panel 50) The panel 50 is formed in the shape of a generally rectangular box with a relatively shallow bottom that is open downward. The panel 50 is disposed within an exposure hole 90A in an instrument panel 90 of a vehicle (see FIG. 1 ). The outer periphery of the panel 50 is disposed below (on the back side of) the instrument panel 90 and is attached to the instrument panel 90. A generally rectangular panel opening 50A, with its longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-rear direction, is formed through the center of the front of the panel 50 in the left-to-right direction. The shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 is inserted through the panel opening 50A, and the knob 32 is disposed above the panel 50 so as to be operable. The panel opening 50A is disposed one step below the top surface of the panel 50. When the shift lever 22 is in its initial position, the shaft 26 is disposed to the left of the center of the panel opening 50A.

[0018] (Regarding the upper holder 60) 3 to 5, the upper holder 60 has an upper holder portion 62, which is formed in a substantially hemispherical bowl shape that is open downward, and is disposed below the panel opening 50A of the panel 50. The upper and lower surfaces of the upper holder portion 62 are formed in a spherical shape centered on the imaginary center point CP.

[0019] The upper holder 60 has a right plate portion 64 extending rightward from the outer periphery of the upper holder portion 62, and a left plate portion 66 extending leftward from the outer periphery of the upper holder portion 62. A pair of front and rear mounting pieces 64A are integrally formed with the tip of the right plate portion 64. The mounting pieces 64A extend downward from the front and rear ends of the tip of the right plate portion 64, with the left-right direction being the plate thickness direction. A pair of front and rear mounting pieces 66A are integrally formed with the tip of the left plate portion 66. The mounting pieces 66A extend downward from the front and rear ends of the tip of the left plate portion 66, with the left-right direction being the plate thickness direction. The mounting pieces 64A and 66A are attached to the lower holder 70, described below, by claw engagement.

[0020] A substantially rectangular upper opening 62A is formed through the upper holder portion 62 at a substantially central portion thereof. The upper opening 62A is formed to have a shape similar to that of the panel opening 50A of the panel 50 in a plan view, and the shape of the upper opening 62A is set to be larger than that of the panel opening 50A (see FIG. 1). That is, in a plan view, the panel opening 50A is disposed inside the upper opening 62A. The shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 passes through the upper opening 62A. A plurality of upper rib portions 62B (see FIGS. 3 and 4) are formed on the lower surface of the upper holder portion 62. The plurality of upper rib portions 62B extend radially of the upper holder portion 62 and are disposed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the upper holder portion 62.

[0021] (Regarding the lower holder 70) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the lower holder 70 is made of a resin material. The lower holder 70 includes a lower holder portion 72 and a base portion 74. Like the upper holder portion 62, the lower holder portion 72 is formed in a generally hemispherical bowl shape that is open downward, and is disposed below the upper holder portion 62. The upper and lower surfaces of the lower holder portion 72 are formed in a spherical shape centered on a virtual center point CP. That is, in a plan view seen from above, the lower holder portion 72 is disposed coaxially with the upper holder portion 62, and the distance from the virtual center point CP to the lower holder portion 72 is set to be smaller than the distance from the virtual center point CP to the upper holder portion 62. As a result, a gap G (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is formed between the upper holder portion 62 and the lower holder portion 72.

[0022] The base portion 74 is formed in a generally U-shape that is open to the rear in a plan view. The lower holder portion 72 is disposed between the left and right sides of the base portion 74 and connected to the base portion 74. Four base mounting holes 74A are formed on the left and right sides of the base portion 74 at positions corresponding to the mounting pieces 64A and 66A of the upper holder 60. The mounting pieces 64A and 66A are inserted into the base mounting holes 74A and attached to the base portion 74 by claw engagement. Three base mounting portions 74B are integrally formed on the base portion 74, and the base mounting portions 74B are disposed on the left and right sides and the front end of the base portion 74. The base mounting portions 74B are inserted into mounting holes 50B formed on the outer periphery of the panel 50 and attached to the panel 50 by claw engagement.

[0023] A circular lower opening 72A is formed through the approximate center of the lower holder portion 72. The lower opening 72A is positioned so that, in a plan view, the panel opening 50A of the panel 50 is substantially entirely overlapped with the lower opening 72A. The shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 passes through the interior of the lower opening 72A. A lower first rib 72B is formed on the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72 at the edge of the lower opening 72A, protruding upward. The lower first rib 72B extends around the entire circumferential circumference of the lower opening 72A. A plurality of lower second ribs 72C are formed on the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72, protruding upward. The lower second ribs 72C extend radially of the lower holder portion 72 and are spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the lower holder portion 72. The protruding amounts of the lower first rib 72B and the lower second rib 72C from the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72 are set to be the same.

[0024] The lower holder portion 72 is provided with a plurality of (two in this embodiment) cover holding hooks 76 as holding portions for holding a cover 80, which will be described later. The configuration of the cover holding hooks 76 will be described later.

[0025] (About Cover 80) The cover 80 is formed in a generally hemispherical bowl shape that is open downward, similar to the upper holder portion 62 of the upper holder 60 and the lower holder portion 72 of the lower holder 70. The upper and lower surfaces of the cover 80 are formed in a spherical shape centered on an imaginary center point CP, and the cover 80 is disposed in the gap G between the upper holder portion 62 and the lower holder portion 72, and is supported by the lower first rib 72B and the lower second rib 72C of the lower holder 70.

[0026] Furthermore, the outer shape of the cover 80 in plan view is set to be larger than the panel opening 50A of the panel 50, the upper opening 62A of the upper holder 60, and the lower opening 72A of the lower holder 70, so that the cover 80 blocks the panel opening 50A, the upper opening 62A, and the lower opening 72A, while a portion of the cover 80 is exposed from the panel opening 50A (see Figure 1).

[0027] A generally cylindrical insertion portion 82 that protrudes upward is formed in the center of the cover 80, and the insertion portion 82 is disposed within the panel opening 50A of the panel 50. The shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 is inserted within the insertion portion 82. That is, when the shift lever 22 is not being operated, the cover 80 is disposed in the initial position together with the shift lever 22. The cover 80 is also configured to swing in the front-to-rear or left-to-right direction in conjunction with the swing operation of the shift lever 22. That is, when the shaft 26 is inserted within the insertion portion 82, a swingable range of the insertion portion 82 (cover 80) is set, and the insertion portion 82 swings within this swingable range inside the panel opening 50A.

[0028] (Regarding cover retaining hook 76) As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , the two cover retaining hooks 76 are integrally formed with the lower holder portion 72 of the lower holder 70. The two cover retaining hooks 76 are respectively formed in the front portion of the lower holder portion 72 and are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the lower holder portion 72 in a plan view. A groove portion 72D for forming the cover retaining hook 76 is formed through the lower holder portion 72, and the groove portion 72D is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens radially outward of the lower holder 70 in a plan view. The inner portion of the groove portion 72D in the lower holder portion 72 constitutes the cover retaining hook 76. That is, the radially outer portion of the cover retaining hook 76 of the lower holder portion 72 constitutes the base end of the cover retaining hook 76, and the base end of the cover retaining hook 76 is connected to the lower holder portion 72. The cover retaining hook 76 is configured to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction starting from the base end. That is, the cover holding hook 76 is configured as a so-called leaf spring, and is formed integrally with the lower holder portion 72 .

[0029] A hook portion 76A protruding upward is formed at the tip of the cover retaining hook 76, and the hook portion 76A protrudes upward beyond the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72. The amount by which the hook portion 76A protrudes from the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72 is greater than the amount by which the lower first rib 72B and the lower second rib 72C protrude from the upper surface of the lower holder portion 72. The cover retaining hook 76 holds the outer periphery of the cover 80 that has moved from its initial position (the position shown in FIG. 6(B), this position of the cover 80 is referred to as the retaining position). Specifically, at the retaining position, the outer periphery of the cover 80 elastically deforms the cover retaining hook 76 downward, urging the cover 80 upward, thereby vertically clamping the outer periphery of the cover 80 between the cover retaining hook 76 and (the upper rib portion 62B of) the upper holder 60 (see FIG. 7(B)).

[0030] Furthermore, when the cover 80 is in the holding position, at least a portion of the insertion portion 82 of the cover 80 is positioned outside the swingable range. In other words, the cover 80 is not held by the cover holding hook 76 when the shift lever 22 is swung. On the other hand, when the panel assembly 40 is in a standalone state, the cover 80 can be moved to the holding position, and therefore, when the panel assembly 40 is in a standalone state, the cover 80 positioned in the holding position is held by the cover holding hook 76. Furthermore, when the cover 80 is in the holding position, the insertion portion 82 of the cover 80 is positioned at a position spaced apart from the edge of the panel opening 50A of the panel 50. In other words, the insertion portion 82 is not in contact with the edge of the panel opening 50A.

[0031] (Action and effect) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0032] In the shift device 10 configured as described above, the shift lever 22 is placed in a predetermined shift position by pivoting the shift lever 22 in the front-rear or left-right direction from the initial position. At this time, the cover 80 pivots from the initial position together with the shaft 26 of the shift lever 22, but the cover 80 keeps closing the panel opening 50A of the panel 50. Therefore, the cover 80 can prevent the interior of the shift device 10 from being seen.

[0033] In the shift device 10, the panel assembly 40 is assembled to the instrument panel 90 of the vehicle, and the shift body 20 is assembled to the vehicle body. Therefore, in the shift device 10, the shift body 20 and the panel assembly 40 are transported separately and assembled to the vehicle. When the panel assembly 40 is in a standalone state, the shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 does not pass through the insertion portion 82 of the cover 80, so the swing range of the cover 80 is not limited. Therefore, during transportation of the panel assembly 40, the cover 80 may swing relative to the upper holder 60 and the lower holder 70, causing the insertion portion 82 to hit the edge of the panel opening 50A of the panel 50, potentially damaging the insertion portion 82. In other words, the shift device 10 may suffer from poor appearance.

[0034] Here, the lower holder 70 is provided with a cover retaining hook 76, which retains the cover 80 after it has been swung from its initial position to its retaining position (see FIGS. 7A and 7B). When the cover 80 is in its retaining position, the insertion portion 82 is spaced apart from the edge of the panel opening 50A. Therefore, when the panel assembly 40 is swung to the retaining position, the cover retaining hook 76 can limit the relative swing of the cover 80 with respect to the upper holder 60, the lower holder 70, and the panel 50. This can prevent the insertion portion 82 from colliding with the edge of the panel opening 50A during transportation of the panel assembly 40. As a result, damage to the insertion portion 82 can be prevented, and the appearance of the panel assembly 40 can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0035] Furthermore, the cover retaining hook 76 is formed integrally with the lower holder 70 and is configured as a leaf spring that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. When the cover retaining hook 76 holds the cover 80, the cover 80 is clamped in the vertical direction by the upper holder 60 and the cover retaining hook 76 that is elastically deformed downward by the cover 80. This makes it possible to hold the cover 80 in the retaining position with a simple configuration. Furthermore, because the cover retaining hook 76 is formed integrally with the lower holder 70, this contributes to reducing the number of parts and costs of the panel assembly 40.

[0036] Furthermore, the lower holder 70 is provided with a plurality of (two) cover holding hooks 76, which are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the insertion portion 82 in a plan view. This allows a plurality of holding positions for the cover 80 to be set, thereby improving the workability when swinging the cover 80 to the holding position.

[0037] Furthermore, when the shaft 26 of the shift lever 22 is inserted into the insertion portion 82, the cover 80 moves within a swingable range of the insertion portion 82 in conjunction with the swing of the shaft 26. When the cover 80 is in the holding position, at least a portion of the insertion portion 82 is located outside the swingable range. In other words, swinging the shift lever 22 in the shift device 10 does not position the cover 80 in the holding position. Therefore, the cover holding hook 76 can be provided on the lower holder 70 without affecting the operability of the shift lever 22. This prevents a decrease in the operability of the shift lever 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Shifting device 26 shaft 50 panels 50A panel opening 62 Upper holder part 62A Upper opening 72 Lower holder part 72A Lower opening 76 Cover retention hook (retention part) 80 Cover 82 Insertion part S Shifter Panel Structure

Claims

1. an upper holder portion having an upper opening through which a shaft extending in the vertical direction of the shift device is inserted; a lower holder portion disposed below the upper holder portion and having a lower opening through which the shaft is inserted; a panel that covers the upper holder portion from above, is disposed inside the upper opening in a plan view, and has a panel opening through which the shaft is inserted; a cover disposed between the upper holder portion and the lower holder portion to close the panel opening, and configured to be swingable from an initial position in a direction intersecting the up-down direction; a cylindrical insertion portion provided on the cover, protruding upward from the cover, and positioned inside the panel opening, through which the shaft is inserted; a holding portion provided on the lower holder portion and holding the cover that has swung from the initial position to a holding position; Equipped with A panel structure of a shift device in which, in the holding position, the insertion portion is spaced apart from the edge of the panel opening.

2. The holding portion is configured to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction, The panel structure of a shift device as described in claim 1, wherein when the cover is held by the holding portion, the cover is clamped in the vertical direction by the holding portion, which is elastically deformed downward by the cover, and the upper holder portion.

3. 3. The panel structure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower holder portion is provided with a plurality of the retaining portions, and the plurality of the retaining portions are arranged spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the insertion portion in a plan view.

4. When the shaft is inserted into the insertion portion, a swingable range of the insertion portion is set in association with the swinging of the shaft, The panel structure of a shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least a portion of the insertion portion is positioned outside a swingable range in the holding position.

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