JP-2026076061-A - Shift lever device

JP2026076061AJP 2026076061 AJP2026076061 AJP 2026076061AJP-2026076061-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a shift lever device that can be further miniaturized to improve vehicle mountability. [Solution] A shift lever device 1 comprises a lever block 2 forming the base of the shift lever 21, a magnet disposed on the lever block 2 and rotating about a pivot axis 12 in response to the operation of the shift lever 21 in the X-axis direction, a base block 3 that supports the lever block 2 in a rotatable state, and a magnetic sensor 11 disposed on the base block 3. The magnet is disposed such that the magnetic axis passing through the centers of the N pole and S pole is directed toward the pivot axis 12 regardless of the operation position of the shift lever 21 in the X-axis direction, and the magnetic sensor 11 is positioned intermediately between the magnet and the pivot axis 12 when positioned in the direction of the magnetic axis in response to the operation of the shift lever 21, and the magnetic pole surface of the magnet facing the magnetic sensor 11 is convex. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

小林直哉
野口昭仁

Assignees

津田工業株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20241023

Claims (6)

A shift lever device including a shift lever operated to select a vehicle's shift range, A lever block that forms the base of the shift lever and rotates integrally with the operation of the shift lever, A magnetic source disposed on the lever block, comprising a magnetic generating unit that rotates about a first pivot axis in response to the operation of the shift lever in a predetermined first direction, A base block that supports the lever block in a rotatable state, To detect the operating position of the shift lever in the first direction, the system includes a magnetic sensor disposed on the base block, The magnetic generating unit is configured such that, regardless of the operating position of the shift lever in the first direction, the magnetic axis passing through the centers of the N pole and S pole is directed toward the first rotation axis. The magnetic sensor is capable of detecting the direction of action of at least the magnetic field in the first plane along the first direction among the magnetic fields generated by the magnetic field generating unit, and is positioned intermediately between the magnetic field generating unit and the first pivot axis when the shift lever is positioned in the direction of the magnetic axis in response to operation in the first direction. A shift lever device characterized in that the magnetic pole surface of the magnetic generating unit facing the magnetic sensor has a convex cross-sectional shape along the first plane, at least.
In claim 1, the shift lever is operable not only in the first direction but also in a second direction intersecting the first direction, The magnetic generating unit rotates about a second pivot axis in response to the operation of the shift lever in the second direction, and is configured such that the magnetic axis faces the second pivot axis regardless of the operating position of the shift lever in the second direction. The magnetic sensor is capable of detecting at least the direction of action of the magnetism in the first plane and the direction of action of the magnetism in the second plane along the second direction, and is positioned intermediately between the magnetic sensor and the second pivot axis when the shift lever is operated in the second direction and positioned along the magnetic axis. A shift lever device characterized in that the magnetic pole surface facing the magnetic sensor side has a convex cross-sectional shape along at least the first plane and the cross-sectional shape along the second plane.
The shift lever device according to claim 2, characterized in that the magnetic sensor is capable of measuring magnetic components in three mutually orthogonal directions.
A shift lever device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the magnetic pole surface facing the magnetic sensor is a convex spherical surface.
In claim 1, the magnetic generating unit includes a permanent magnet and a magnetic member made of a soft magnetic material that is magnetically connected to one of the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet. A shift lever device characterized in that the outer surface of the magnetic member forms a magnetic pole surface facing the magnetic sensor side.
In claim 2, the magnetic generating unit includes a permanent magnet and a magnetic member made of a soft magnetic material that is magnetically connected to one of the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet. A shift lever device characterized in that the outer surface of the magnetic member forms a magnetic pole surface facing the magnetic sensor side.

Description

This invention relates to a shift lever device, which is installed in a vehicle to select a vehicle's shift range, and which outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the operation of the shift lever. Traditionally, vehicle shift lever systems have employed mechanical linkage mechanisms for shifting gears. In recent years, to meet the demands of increasing electronic in-vehicle equipment, shift lever systems that electrically detect shift lever operation have been proposed. These systems convert the detected shift lever operation into an electrical signal and output it. This type of shift lever device, which enables gear changes by driving an actuator in response to its output signal, is known as a by-wire shift lever device. With a by-wire shift lever device, there is no need to install complex linkage mechanisms between the driver's seat and the engine compartment; only electrical wiring needs to be laid. Adopting a by-wire shift lever device significantly improves the design and installation flexibility of the vehicle's shift operation mechanism. A shift lever device that includes a guide rod extending beyond the pivot axis of the shift lever, a magnetic member disposed at the tip of the guide rod, and a magnetic sensor positioned facing the magnetic member has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). This shift lever device detects the operating position of the shift lever by detecting the displacement of the guide rod. In this shift lever device, the magnetic sensor is positioned beyond the pivot axis of the shift lever. Therefore, the device dimensions become large in the axial direction of the shift lever, posing a challenge in miniaturization design. To address these challenges, a shift lever device with an ingenious arrangement of magnets and magnetic sensors has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below). In this shift lever device, a magnet is mounted on a lever block that rotates integrally with the shift lever. A magnetic sensor is positioned at an intermediate location between the pivot axis that rotatably supports the lever block and the rotational trajectory of the magnet. With this shift lever device, there is no need to place magnets or magnetic sensors on the opposite side of the shift lever beyond its pivot axis, thus enabling a more compact design. Furthermore, the shift lever device described in Patent Document 2 below is characterized by the change in the direction of magnetic force acting on the magnetic sensor when the magnet rotates, with the magnet's position relative to the magnetic axis passing through the centers of the north and south poles. When the magnet is in the above-mentioned reference position, linear magnetic field lines along the magnetic axis act on the magnetic sensor. At this time, the direction of magnetic force acting on the magnetic sensor coincides with the direction of the magnet's magnetic axis. When the magnet rotates, magnetic field lines that curve outward to wrap around to the opposite magnetic pole begin to act on the magnetic sensor. At this time, the direction of magnetic force acting on the magnetic sensor becomes tilted relative to the direction of the magnet's magnetic axis. As a result, the sensor detection angle, which is the detection angle of the direction of magnetic force by the magnetic sensor, becomes larger than the rotation angle of the magnet. As described above, in the shift lever device of Patent Document 2, the magnetic sensor outputs a detection angle larger than the rotation angle of the magnet, making it easy to distinguish between adjacent operating positions. This shift lever device allows for closer proximity of adjacent operating positions, enabling a miniaturized design. However, even with the shift lever device described in Patent Document 2, which is significantly smaller than the shift lever device described in Patent Document 1, it is still necessary to maintain a certain distance between the magnet and the magnetic sensor. This necessity is a constraint on further miniaturization. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-223384Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-230581 A perspective view showing the shift lever device in Example 1.Cross-sectional view 1 showing the structure of the shift lever device in Example 1.Cross-sectional view 2 showing the structure of the shift lever device in Example 1.Cross-sectional view 3 showing the structure of the shift lever device in Example 1.An explanatory diagram illustrating the detection principle of the magnetic sensor in Example 1.This diagram illustrates how the magnetic component in the X-axis (Y-axis) direction acts on the magnetic sensor in Example 1.An explanatory diagram illustrating the sensor detection angle θsh in the XZ plane in Example 1.An explanatory diagram illustrating the sensor detection angle θsl in the YZ plane in Example 1.Figure 1 illustrates the advantages of the magnetic sensor arrangement in Example 1.Figure 2 illustrates t