Shift lever apparatus

• US 6,487,883 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kenji, Syamoto, Noriyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Gall, Lloyd A.
• Application Number:
  US09/497,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 702/47, 702/52, 704/29, 702/37, 703/89, 702/48, 702/45, 702/46, 702/51, 702/56, 702/57, 477/99, 744/732.5, 192/220.4
• US Class Current: 70/247
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 20/06 mounted on steering column or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/02144 interlocked with gear box or gear lever
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/0282 Lever handles with lock mechanisms, e.g. for allowing selection of reverse gear or releasing lever from park position
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/10 comprising levers
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/22 Locking of the control input devices constructional features of locking or disabling mechanisms F16H63/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5934 Selective-type shift rod, fork or block
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5956 Steering mechanism with switch

Abstract

The present invention provides a shift lever apparatus which shifts a shift lever connected to a transmission of a vehicle, and thereby, changes a shift range to a specific shift range from among a plurality of shift ranges preset in the transmission corresponding to the position to which the shift lever has been shifted, comprising: a key device which is provided at a side the shift lever and adjacent to the shift lever, and which holds an ignition key inserted therein so that the ignition key is rotatable, and restricts the removal of the ignition key at a rotation position other than a predetermined removal position; and a lock link which restricts the rotation of the ignition key to the removal position in the key device, and is displaced by a predetermined operation of the shift lever at a specific shift position corresponding to a specific shift range from among the plurality of shift ranges so as to release the restriction of the rotation of the ignition key.

Claims

1. A shift lever apparatus for shifting a shift lever connected to a vehicle transmission into a shift range from among a plurality of set shift ranges in the vehicle transmission which corresponds to a position to which the shift lever has been moved by a manual shift operation comprising:

a base member onto which one end of a shift lever is pivotally connected;

a key device which is mounted on said base member adjacent to a side of the shift lever for holding an ignition key which has been inserted inside the key device and which can be operated by being rotated, said key device restricting removal of the ignition key other than at a predetermined removal position; and

a lock link which restricts rotation of the ignition key to a removal position inside the key device, as well as releases the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key when displaced by a predetermined operation of the shift lever occurring at a specific shift position corresponding to a specific shift range from among the plurality of shift ranges, said lock link being a one-piece member extending between the key device and shift lever,

wherein said lock link is directly engaged by a portion of said shift lever to displace said lock link to a restricting or releasing position with respect to said rotation of said ignition key.

2. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a detent pin connectable to the shift lever so as to protrude therefrom towards the key device side, which detent pin is able to move integrally with the shift lever in the manual shift operation direction, and which detent pin moves in a direction orthogonal to the manual shift operation direction when a predetermined release operation is carried out; and

a detent section formed in a wall interposed between the shift lever and the key device, in which is provided a detent hole into which the distal end of the detent pin is inserted, with a restricting section formed inside the detent hole for restricting movement of the detent pin by abutting the detent pin on the locus of the movement of the detent pin which accompanies a manual shift operation of the shift lever to the specific shift position and restricts movement of the detent pin, and which restricting section is able to be avoided by the detent pin via a specific release operation, wherein

when the shift lever is positioned in a specific shift position;

the detent pin, having avoided the restricting section, engages with the lock link when the detent pin returns to a state before the release operation was performed, and displaces the lock link to a position at which the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key is released.

3. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base member includes a supporting portion for said shift lever and the lock link includes an end extending proximate the supporting portion, and bends in a direction so as to abut an end of a detent pin of said lever.

4. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift lever is supported by a substantially box-shaped supporting portion provided in said base member having a pair of supporting walls disposed facing each other and a bottom portion.

5. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the shift lever is rotatably supported around a shaft penetrating the shift lever supporting portion, and comprises a mounting portion for being mounted to the shaft, an operating mechanism for operating the shift lever, and a shift lever main body.

6. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a shift lock device mountable to a part of the supporting portion and a fastening means for mounting the shift lock device to said part.

7. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 2, in which the detent section is formed in a wall of the base member.

8. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shift lever includes a supporting portion and the detent section constitutes a part of the supporting portion of the shift lever.

9. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the key device includes a key cylinder having an outer peripheral portion, and the lock link is interposed between the key cylinder and a part of the supporting portion, and is supported by a supporting member formed on the outer peripheral portion of the key cylinder so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range around an axis generally along a longitudinal direction of a vehicle.

10. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a shift lock device mountable to a part of the supporting portion of the shift lever, and a fastening means for mounting the shift lock device to said part.

11. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lock link includes an end extending proximate a supporting portion, and bends in a direction so as to but an end of the detent pin.

12. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a shift lock device mountable to a part of the supporting portion of the shift lever, and a fastening means for mounting the shift lock device to said part.

13. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a detent pin connectable to the shift lever so as to protrude therefrom towards the key device side, which detent pin is able to move integrally with the shift lever in the manual shift operation direction, and which detent pin moves in a direction orthogonal to the manual shift operation direction when a predetermined release operation is carried out; and

a detent section interposed between the shift lever and the key device, in which is formed a detent hole into which the distal end of the detent pin is inserted, with a restricting section formed inside the detent hole for restricting movement of the detent pin by abutting the detent pin on the locus of the movement of the detent pin which accompanies a manual shift operation of the shift lever to the specific shift position and restricts movement of the detent pin, and which restricting section is able to be avoided by the detent pin via a specific release operation, wherein

when the shift lever is positioned in a specific shift position, the detent pin, having avoided the restricting section, engages with the lock link when the detent pin returns to a state before the release operation was performed, and displaces the lock link to a position at which the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key is released.

14. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a shift lock device mountable to a part of the supporting portion, and a fastening means for mounting the shift lock device to said part.

15. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a detent pin connectable to the shift lever so as to protrude therefrom towards the key device side, which detent pin is able to move integrally with the shift lever in the manual shift operation direction, and which detent pin moves in a direction orthogonal to the manual shift operation direction when a predetermined release operation is carried out; and

a detent section interposed between the shift lever and the key device, in which is formed a detent hole into which the distal end of the detent pin is inserted, with a restricting section formed inside the detent hole for restricting movement of the detent pin by abutting the detent pin on the locus of the movement of the detent pin which accompanies a manual shift operation of the shift lever to the specific shift position and restricts movement of the detent pin, and which restricting section is able to be avoided by the detent pin via a specific release operation, wherein

when the shift lever is positioned in a specific shift position, the detent pin, having avoided the restricting section, engages with the lock link when the detent pin returns to a state before the release operation was performed, and displaces the lock link to a position at which the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key is released.

16. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the detent section is formed in said base member.

17. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a detent pin connectable to the shift lever so as to protrude therefrom towards the key device side, which detent pin is able to move integrally with the shift lever in the manual shift operation direction, and which detent pin moves in a direction orthogonal to the manual shift operation direction when a predetermined release operation is carried out; and

a detent section interposed between the shift lever and the key device, in which is formed a detent hole into which the distal end of the detent pin is inserted, with a restricting section formed inside the detent hole for restricting movement of the detent pin by abutting the detent pin on the locus of the movement of the detent pin which accompanies a manual shift operation of the shift lever to the specific shift position and restricts movement of the detent pin, and which restricting section is able to be avoided by the detent pin via a specific release operation, wherein

when the shift lever is positioned in a specific shift position, the detent pin, having avoided the restricting section, engages with the lock link when the detent pin returns to a state before the release operation was performed, and displaces the lock link to a position at which the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key is released.

18. The shift lever apparatus according to claim 17 in which the detent section is formed in a wall of said base member.

19. A shift lever apparatus for shifting a shift lever connected to a vehicle transmission into a shift range from among a plurality of set shift ranges in the vehicle transmission which corresponds to a position to which the shift lever has been moved by a manual shift operation comprising:

a base member having a supporting portion formed from first and second supporting walls onto which one end of a shift lever is pivotally connected; and

a key device which is mounted on said first supporting wall of said supporting portion of said base member adjacent to a side of the shift lever for holding an ignition key which has been inserted inside the key device and which can be operated by being rotated, said key device restricting removal of the ignition key other than at a predetermined removal position; and

a lock link which restricts rotation of the ignition key to a removal position inside the key device, as well as releases the restriction on the rotation of the ignition key when displaced by a predetermined operation of the shift lever occurring at a specific shift position corresponding to a specific shift range from among the plurality of shift ranges,

wherein said lock link is directly engaged by a portion of said shift lever to displace said lock link to a restricting or releasing position with respect to said rotation of said ignition key.