阅读说明：本技术 换挡装置以及换挡装置的控制方法 (Gear shift device and control method for gear shift device ) 是由 木村大毅 河野悟司 三泽正志 于 2021-03-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供换挡装置以及换挡装置的控制方法,在转动操作部件来切换车辆的挡位的结构中,对操作部件的转动操作实现适当的限制。换挡装置进行车辆的挡位的切换,具备：操作部件,其以能够转动的方式安装于所述车辆；换挡控制部,其在操作部件移动至第1位置的情况下选择第1挡,在操作部件移动至第2位置的情况下选择第2挡,使换挡机构执行向所选择的挡位的切换；和限制机构,其限制操作部件的转动,在被限制机构限制之前操作部件已从第1位置移动至第2位置的情况下,换挡控制部选择第2挡,在换挡机构处于换挡限制状态、且被限制机构限制之前操作部件已从第1位置移动至第2位置的情况下,换挡控制部选择第1挡,操作控制部使限制机构执行限制。(The invention provides a gear shift device and a control method of the gear shift device, which can realize appropriate limitation on the rotation operation of an operating component in a structure that the operating component is rotated to switch the gear of a vehicle. The shift device switches a shift position of a vehicle, and is provided with: an operating member rotatably attached to the vehicle; a shift control unit that selects the 1 st gear when the operating member is moved to the 1 st position, selects the 2 nd gear when the operating member is moved to the 2 nd position, and causes the shift mechanism to perform a shift to the selected gear; and a restriction mechanism that restricts rotation of the operating member, wherein the shift control unit selects the 2 nd gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restriction mechanism, and the shift control unit selects the 1 st gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restriction mechanism while the shift mechanism is in the shift restriction state, and the operation control unit causes the restriction mechanism to restrict.)

1. A shifting device that is connected to a shift mechanism of a vehicle having a plurality of gears including 1 st gear and 2 nd gear to shift the gears, wherein the shifting device comprises:

an operating member rotatably attached to the vehicle;

a position detection unit that detects a position of the operation member;

a shift control unit that selects the 1 st gear when the operating member is moved to a 1 st position, selects the 2 nd gear when the operating member is moved to a 2 nd position, and causes the shift mechanism to perform switching to the selected gear;

a restricting mechanism that restricts rotation of the operating member;

an operation control unit that causes the restricting mechanism to restrict rotation of the operating member; and

a shift state determination unit that determines a shift restriction state of the shift mechanism,

the shift control portion selects the 2 nd gear in a case where the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restricting mechanism,

the shift control unit selects the 1 st gear and the operation control unit causes the limiting mechanism to execute the limiting when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being determined to be in the shift limiting state by the shift state determination unit and being limited by the limiting mechanism.

2. The shifting apparatus of claim 1,

the shift mechanism includes a shift lock portion that locks the shift position in the 1 st gear,

the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when the lock release of the shift lock portion is obstructed.

3. The shifting apparatus of claim 2,

the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when the temperature of the shift lock unit exceeds a set temperature range.

4. The shifting apparatus of claim 2,

the shift control portion performs control of releasing the lock of the shift lock portion,

the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when the lock of the shift lock portion is not released within a set time after the shift control unit performs the control of releasing the lock.

5. The shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

the shift device includes a display control unit that causes a display unit mounted on the vehicle to display the shift position selected by the shift control unit,

the display control unit causes the display unit to display the 1 st gear after the shift control unit selects the 1 st gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position.

6. The shifting apparatus of claim 5,

the 1 st position and the 2 nd position are adjacent positions within a rotational range of the operating member,

the operation control unit causes the restriction mechanism to restrict the rotation of the operation member from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position when the display control unit causes the display unit to display the 1 st gear.

7. A control method of a shifting apparatus that is connected to a shift mechanism of a vehicle having a plurality of gears including a 1 st gear and a 2 nd gear to perform shifting of the gears, the control method of the shifting apparatus comprising the steps of:

detecting a position of an operating member rotatably attached to the vehicle;

selecting the 1 st gear when the operating member is moved to the 1 st position, selecting the 2 nd gear when the operating member is moved to the 2 nd position, and causing the shift mechanism to perform a shift to the selected gear;

restricting rotation of the operating member by a restricting mechanism that restricts rotation of the operating member;

selecting the 2 nd gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restricting mechanism;

when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state and restricted by the restricting mechanism, the 1 st gear is selected, causing the restricting mechanism to perform restriction.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a shift device and a control method of the shift device.

Background

Conventionally, as a vehicle shift device, a device provided with a dial-type operation member or the like has been known. Such a shift device has a plurality of shift positions including a P (parking) range, an R (reverse), an N (neutral), a D (drive) range, and the like selected when the vehicle is parked, and the shift position is selected by rotating an operation member. Specifically, P, R, N, D, S are arranged in a row, and a shift position corresponding to the position of the operating member is selected in accordance with the operation of the rotational operating member.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-47074

In a configuration in which a shift operation is performed by rotating an operation member as in the configuration described in patent document 1, it is considered to restrict the rotation of the operation member in order to restrict excessive rotation of the operation member and to change the shift in which the behavior of the vehicle is abruptly changed. However, since the dial-type operation member can be operated quickly, the rotation of the operation member may not be restricted in time. For example, it is possible that the operating member is moved before the rotation of the operating member is actually restricted.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to appropriately restrict the rotational operation of an operating member in a configuration in which the operating member is rotated to switch the shift position of a vehicle.

One aspect of the present invention is a shift device that is connected to a shift mechanism of a vehicle having a plurality of shift positions including a 1 st gear and a 2 nd gear to shift the shift positions, the shift device including: an operating member rotatably attached to the vehicle; a position detection unit that detects a position of the operation member; a shift control unit that selects the 1 st gear when the operating member is moved to a 1 st position, selects the 2 nd gear when the operating member is moved to a 2 nd position, and causes the shift mechanism to perform switching to the selected gear; a restricting mechanism that restricts rotation of the operating member; an operation control unit that causes the restricting mechanism to restrict rotation of the operating member; and a shift state determination unit that determines a shift restriction state of the shift mechanism, wherein the shift control unit selects the 2 nd gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restriction mechanism, and the shift control unit selects the 1 st gear when the shift state determination unit determines the shift restriction state and the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restriction mechanism, and the operation control unit causes the restriction mechanism to perform the restriction. .

According to another aspect of the present invention, the shift mechanism includes a shift lock portion that locks the shift position in the 1 st gear, and the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when an obstacle is generated in releasing the lock by the shift lock portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when the temperature of the shift lock unit exceeds a set temperature range.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the shift control unit performs control for releasing the lock of the shift lock portion, and the shift state determination unit determines that the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state when the lock of the shift lock portion is not released within a set time after the shift control unit performs the control for releasing the lock.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the shift device includes a display control unit that causes a display unit mounted on the vehicle to display the shift position selected by the shift control unit, and the display control unit causes the display unit to display the 1 st shift position after the shift control unit selects the 1 st shift position when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the 1 st position and the 2 nd position are adjacent to each other in a rotation range of the operation member, and the operation control unit causes the restriction mechanism to restrict the rotation of the operation member from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position when the display control unit causes the display unit to display the 1 st gear.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a shifting apparatus that is connected to a shift mechanism of a vehicle having a plurality of shift stages including a 1 st stage and a 2 nd stage and that shifts the shift stages, the method comprising: detecting a position of an operating member rotatably attached to the vehicle; selecting the 1 st gear when the operating member is moved to the 1 st position, selecting the 2 nd gear when the operating member is moved to the 2 nd position, and causing the shift mechanism to perform a shift to the selected gear; restricting rotation of the operating member by a restricting mechanism that restricts rotation of the operating member; selecting the 2 nd gear when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the restricting mechanism; when the operating member has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before the shift mechanism is in the shift restricted state and restricted by the restricting mechanism, the 1 st gear is selected, causing the restricting mechanism to perform restriction.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, when the operation member is quickly operated in a short time, the shift position can be switched in accordance with the operation, and if the shift mechanism is in the shift restriction state, the shift position is not switched. Therefore, in the configuration in which the shift position of the vehicle is switched by rotating the operating member, the rotating operation of the operating member can be appropriately restricted.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drive system of an automobile according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the vicinity of the driver's seat of the automobile.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operation unit.

Fig. 4 is a main part sectional view of the operation unit.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of the operation position.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the display.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of an automobile.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the action of the shifting device.

Fig. 9 is a timing chart showing an operation example of the shift device.

Description of the reference symbols

1: automobiles (vehicles);

2: an engine;

3: a motor generator;

4: a transmission (gear shift mechanism);

5: a drive shaft;

6: a wheel;

7: a battery;

8: an inverter;

10: a shifting device;

11: a control unit;

12: an instrument panel;

13: a steering wheel;

14: a shift operation member (operation member);

14 a: a shaft;

15: a display (display unit);

17: an accelerator pedal;

18: a brake pedal;

19: an instrument panel;

21: a display panel;

25: an operation unit;

31: an angle detector (position detector);

32: a vehicle speed sensor;

33: an accelerator pedal sensor;

34: a brake pedal sensor;

50: an electromagnetic brake mechanism (restricting mechanism);

63: a gear position display part;

64: a shift indicator light;

70: a parking lock (shift lock);

71: a drive circuit;

72: an actuator;

101: a travel control unit;

103: a shift control unit;

105: an interface;

110: a shift operation determination unit;

111: an accelerator operation detection unit;

112: a brake operation detection unit;

113: a shift state determination unit;

114: and an operation control unit.

Detailed Description

[1. summary of Transmission control for automobile ]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drive system of an automobile 1 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the periphery of the driver's seat of the automobile 1.

The automobile 1 described in the present embodiment is equipped with an engine 2 as a drive source, and transmits the output of the engine 2 to drive wheels via a transmission 4 and a drive shaft 5. In the illustrated example, the automobile 1 is a front-wheel drive vehicle in which the front wheels 6f are drive wheels, but the automobile 1 may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle in which the rear wheels 6r are drive wheels or a four-wheel drive vehicle in which the front and rear wheels 6 are drive wheels. In fig. 1, the traveling direction of the automobile 1 when it is traveling is denoted by reference character F.

The transmission 4 mounted on the automobile 1 is an Automatic Transmission (AT) that automatically shifts gears under the control of a control unit 11 described later. In the present embodiment, a stepped AT of forward 4-speed and reverse 1-speed is described as an example of the transmission 4, but an AT of a higher speed or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) may be used. The mechanical structure of the transmission 4 is not limited, and may be a structure having a torque converter or a DCT (double clutch automatic transmission). The transmission case 4 corresponds to an example of a shift mechanism.

The vehicle 1 may be an Electric Vehicle (EV) equipped with a motor generator 3 as a drive source in place of the engine 2. The vehicle 1 may be a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) equipped with the engine 2 and the motor generator 3 as drive sources. The motor generator 3 can function as a generator for regeneration in addition to a motor for running the vehicle. The inverter 8 functions as a regenerative braking unit that controls the supply of electric power from the battery 7 as a secondary battery and the supply (charging) of electric power to the battery 7, and converts deceleration energy into electric power to generate regenerative braking at the time of deceleration. The automobile 1 may be equipped with a plurality of motor generators 3. For example, a 1 st motor generator 3 and a 2 nd motor generator 3 for running the vehicle may be provided, in which the 1 st motor generator 3 functions as a starter motor for starting the engine 2 and as a generator for generating electric power by the power of the engine 2.

The automobile 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls a drive system of the automobile 1. The control unit 11 includes a processor such as a microcomputer, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a peripheral circuit, an input/output interface, and various drivers.

The automobile 1 includes an accelerator pedal 17 as an accelerator operation portion for accelerating the automobile 1, and a brake pedal 18 as an operation portion for braking operation for decelerating the automobile 1. The control unit 11 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 32 that detects the vehicle speed of the automobile 1, an accelerator pedal sensor 33 that detects the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 17, and a brake pedal sensor 34 that detects the operation of the brake pedal 18.

The automobile 1 may be configured such that the accelerator pedal 17 is mechanically coupled to a throttle device of the engine 2, or may be a vehicle that employs drive by wire (drive by wire) in which the control unit 11 controls the throttle device based on a detection result of the accelerator pedal sensor 33. The automobile 1 may be configured such that the brake pedal 18 is mechanically coupled to a brake mechanism of the automobile 1, or may be a vehicle that uses brake-by-wire (brake by wire) in which the control unit 11 controls the brake mechanism based on the detection result of the brake pedal sensor 34. In addition, a lever-shaped or other-shaped accelerator operation unit may be used instead of the accelerator pedal 17, and the same applies to the brake pedal 18.

The automobile 1 includes a shift device 10 including a control unit 11 as a structure for controlling the speed change of the transmission 4. The shift device 10 includes a shift operation member 14 and an angle detector 31, in addition to the control unit 11, the shift operation member 14 being used for changing the shift position of the transmission 4, and the angle detector 31 detecting the operation of the shift operation member 14. The shift device 10 further includes an electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 that restricts the operation of the shift operating member 14. The shifting apparatus 10 may also include a vehicle speed sensor 32, an accelerator pedal sensor 33, and a brake pedal sensor 34.

The automobile 1 is provided with an obstacle sensor 36. The obstacle sensor 36 is a sensor for detecting an obstacle around the automobile 1, and for example, a sonar sensor for detecting an object within a predetermined distance from the body of the automobile 1 by using ultrasonic waves. The obstacle sensor 36 may be an optical sensor for detecting an obstacle using laser light and a device for detecting an obstacle using a camera-captured image. The obstacle sensor 36 is connected to the control unit 11 via a control line, not shown, and outputs a detection result to the control unit 11. The shifting apparatus 10 may also include an obstacle sensor 36.

The control unit 11 performs the following shift control in addition to the drive control of the engine 2: a gear of the transmission case 4 is selected according to the operation of the shift operating member 14, and a gear stage of the transmission case 4 is changed according to the selected gear. The gear stage is changed by opening and closing a shift solenoid valve, not shown, provided in a hydraulic circuit connected to the transmission 4. Further, in the case where the automobile 1 is an electric automobile or a hybrid automobile, the control unit 11 also controls driving/regeneration of the motor generator 3. The control unit 11 may have a function of controlling a lamp or the like mounted on the automobile 1 and another function of the automobile 1. In the following, functions related to the control of the transmission 4 will be explained.

The shift operation member 14 is a dial-type knob having a cylindrical shape, and the shift operation member 14 is operated to be rotated by a hand of a driver of the automobile 1. The driver can operate the shift operating member 14 to switch the shift mode, i.e., the shift position, of the transmission 4 of the automobile 1. The shift operation member 14 corresponds to an example of an operation member.

The shift range of the automobile 1 includes a P (parking) range selected when the automobile 1 is parked, an R (reverse) range for reversing the automobile 1, an N (neutral) range in which a driving force is not transmitted from the transmission 4 to the drive shaft 5, and a D (drive) range for advancing the automobile 1. The gearbox 4 may also be of the following construction: in the P range, rotation of the drive shaft 5 is restricted, and in the N range, neither driving force nor braking force is applied to the drive shaft 5. The motor vehicle 1 also has one or more forward gears, which are different from the D-gear. Such gears are referred to as an S-gear, an L-gear, a D2-gear, a B-gear, and the like, and the transmission 4 of the present embodiment includes the S-gear, as an example. The reduction gear ratio of the drive shaft 5 to the drive shaft of the engine 2 or the motor generator 3 of these gears is larger than that of the D gear. For example, the selection is made for the purpose of applying a driving torque larger than the D range to the drive shaft 5 and for the purpose of generating a stronger braking force than the D range to the drive shaft 5 by engine braking and regeneration.

The transmission case 4 includes a parking lock unit 70. The parking lock unit 70 includes a parking lock mechanism that operates when the shift position is the P range, and locks the output shaft connected to the drive shaft 5. The parking lock unit 70 switches between a state of locking the transmission case 4 and a state of releasing the lock by operating an actuator 72, which will be described later, in accordance with the control of the control unit 11. The parking lock unit 70 corresponds to an example of a shift lock unit.

The shift operating member 14 is disposed on the dashboard 19 of the automobile 1 below the left side of the steering wheel 13. The instrument panel 19 may be formed such that a portion where the shift operation member 14 is provided protrudes from other portions, so that the driver can easily operate the shift operation member 14. The position of the shift operating member 14 is not limited to the example of fig. 2, and may be provided on the center console or at another position.

The shift operation member 14 is unitized with the display panel 21 for displaying the selected shift position in the automobile 1, and constitutes an operation unit 25.

Further, a display 15 is disposed on the instrument panel 12. The gear being selected in the gearbox 4 is shown on the display 15. The display 15 corresponds to an example of a display unit.

[2. Structure of operation Unit ]

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operation unit 25.

As seen in fig. 3, the shift operating member 14 is rotatable in a clockwise direction (CW in the drawing) as well as a counterclockwise direction (CCW in the drawing). In the operation unit 25, the display panel 21 is disposed above the shift operation member 14. On the display panel 21, P, R, N, D, S, which is the gear position of the transmission 4, is displayed in order along the direction CW, which is the rotational direction of the shift operating member 14.

The driver operates the shift operating member 14 to rotate in the CW direction or the CCW direction to select a gear of the transmission 4.

On the display panel 21, indicator lamps 23 are disposed at positions corresponding to the display of P, R, N, D, S of the shift position display unit 22. The indicator lamps 23 include indicator lamps 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, and 23e corresponding to the respective positions P, R, N, D, S of the shift position display unit 22. The indicator lamp 23a includes a light source such as an LED, and emits light in a state where the P range is selected as the shift range of the transmission case 4. Similarly, the indicator lamps 23b, 23c, 23d, and 23e each include a light source such as an LED. The indicator lamp 23b emits light in a state where the R range is selected as the range of the transmission 4. The indicator lamp 23c emits light when the N range is selected, the indicator lamp 23D emits light when the D range is selected, and the indicator lamp 23e emits light when the S range is selected. Fig. 3 shows, as an example, a state in which the P range is selected and the indicator lamp 23a is turned on.

The selection positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 corresponding to the number of gears of the gearbox 4 are set in the rotational direction of the shift operating member 14. The shift operating member 14 can be rotated infinitely in the CW direction and the CCW direction, and a click feeling (click feeling) can be obtained at every fixed angle as described later. In detail, the click feeling can be obtained at each angle corresponding to the selected positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5. For example, when the shift operating member 14 is rotated in the CW direction in a state where the shift position P is selected, a click feeling can be obtained at the selected positions P2, P3, P4, and P5. Further, when the shift operating member 14 is rotated in the CCW direction in the state where the shift position S is selected, a click feeling can be obtained at the selected positions P4, P3, P2, and P1. This makes it easy to rotate the shift operation member 14 in stages in accordance with the display P, R, N, D, S of the shift position display unit 22, and improves the operability of the operation for selecting a shift position.

The relative positions of the shift operating member 14 and the select positions P1-P5 are not fixed. The shift operating member 14 can be operated to rotate in the CCW direction from the selected position P1 and can be operated to rotate in the CW direction from the selected position P5, and in this case, the selected shift position is the P range or the S range and is not changed.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a configuration, and the vehicle 1 may be configured to select the 6 stages P, R, N, D, S, L as the gears of the transmission 4. Further, the S-range and the L-range may not be provided. In these cases, the number of the indicator lamps 23 and the number of the selected positions may be appropriately changed according to the number of the gears selected by the operation of the shift operating member 14. The arrangement of the shift positions in the shift position display unit 22 is not limited to the example shown in fig. 3, and for example, an arrangement in which the display of each shift position is not arranged counterclockwise but arranged clockwise, or an arrangement in which a B-range is present instead of an L-range may be used.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part of the operation unit 25, showing an essential part of the section a-a' of fig. 3.

The shift operating member 14 is disposed on an upper surface of the housing 41 of the operating unit 25. The housing 41 houses the operation load generator 44, the speed increasing mechanism 46, the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, and the angle detector 31.

The shift operating member 14 has a shaft 14a as a rotation center, and the shaft 14a is supported by the operating load generator 44. The operation load generator 44 includes, for example, a cam formed at a predetermined angle in the rotational direction of the shift operation member 14, and a roller that slides on the cam. The operation load generator 44 rotatably supports the shaft 14a, and causes resistance to rotation of the shaft 14a at each angle corresponding to the cam position in the rotational direction of the shaft 14 a. This produces a clicking feeling in the operation of rotating the shift operating member 14.

The operation load generator 44 has the following effects: in the case where the amount of rotation of the shift operating member 14 is less than the minimum operating angle, the roller moves in the opposite direction along the cam, thus returning the shift operating member 14 to the pre-rotation position. Therefore, when the amount of rotation by which the driver rotates the shift operating member 14 is small, the shift operating member 14 is returned to the position before rotation, and therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent the driver from unintentionally switching the shift position. The minimum operating angle is, for example, half of the prescribed angle.

A gear 43 is fixed to the shift operating member 14. The gear 43 rotates together with the shift operating member 14 about the shaft 14 a.

The speed increasing mechanism 46 has a small-diameter gear 46a engaged with the gear 43, and is connected to the shaft 54. The speed increasing mechanism 46 increases the rotation of the gear 43 at a speed increasing ratio corresponding to the ratio of the number of teeth of the gear 43 and the gear 46a and transmits the increased speed to the shaft 54.

The electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is an example of a restricting mechanism that restricts the rotation of the shift operating member 14, and constitutes a restricting portion together with an operation control portion 114 described later. The electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 includes a cylindrical yoke 51, a coil 52 disposed inside the yoke 51, and an armature 53. The coil 52 is connected to the control unit 11, and the energization of the coil 52 is switched on and off by the control of the control unit 11.

The armature 53 is coupled to a lower portion of the shaft 54 and is rotatable together with the shaft 54.

In a state where the coil 52 is not energized, the armature 53 is rotatably supported together with the shaft 54. In this state, the armature 53 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the shift operating member 14.

When the coil 52 is energized, the yoke 51 is magnetized, and the rotation of the armature 53 is restricted by the magnetic force of the yoke 51. Thus, rotation of the shaft 54 is limited and rotation of the shift operating member 14 is prevented. I.e., to lock the shift operating member 14 against rotation. When the energization of the coil 52 is turned off, the lock of the shift operating member 14 is released.

The lower end of the shaft 54 is coupled to the object 56. The detection object 56 is positioned inside the angle detector 31, and rotates together with the speed increasing mechanism 46 and the shaft 54. The angle detector 31 is a sensor that detects the amount of rotation of the detected body 56, and corresponds to an example of a position detection unit. The angle detector 31 outputs the detection result of the rotation amount of the detection object 56 to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 can detect the rotation angle of the shift operation member 14 by performing calculation based on the detection result of the angle detector 31 and the speed increasing ratio of the speed increasing mechanism 46.

The electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 electromagnetically limits the rotation of the armature 53. Therefore, by adjusting the current flowing through the coil 52, the armature 53 can be allowed to slightly rotate while the coil 52 is energized. In this case, when the driver applies an operating force in the CW direction or the CCW direction to the shift operating member 14 while the coil 52 is energized, the shift operating member 14 is slightly rotated by the operating force. When the operating force is released, the shift operating member 14 is returned to the pre-rotational position by the operation of the operating load generator 44.

The movement of the shift operating member 14 when the operating force is applied to the shift operating member 14 during energization of the coil 52 and when the operating force is released can be detected by the angle detector 31. Therefore, the control unit 11 can detect the application of the operating force to the shift operating member 14 and the release of the operating force while the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is restricting the rotation, from the detection result of the angle detector 31.

The configuration shown in fig. 4 is an example, and for example, a known stopper mechanism or the like may be used as the operation load generator 44. The angle detector 31 may magnetically detect the amount of rotation of the object 56, may detect the amount of rotation using an optical sensor, or may detect the amount of rotation using another detection method. Further, the structure for detecting the operating force applied to the shift operating member 14 while the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is restricting the rotation of the shift operating member 14 may be implemented by, for example, a piezoelectric element or other sensor.

[3. operating position of Shift operating Member ]

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the movement of the operation position.

In fig. 5, a range in which the shift operating member 14 can be operated is indicated by an operating range RA, and an operating position moved in response to the operation of the shift operating member 14 is indicated by a reference numeral SP. The operating range RA represents a rotational range in which the shift operating member 14 can be rotationally operated as a moving range of the operating position SP.

The operating position SP is a virtual position set by the control unit 11 in correspondence with the shift operating member 14. The control unit 11 moves the operating position SP according to the direction and the operation amount in which the shift operating member 14 is operated. That is, the operating position SP moves in the CW direction and the CCW direction in the operating range RA along with the rotation of the shift operating member 14 in the CW direction and the rotation of the shift operating member 14 in the CCW direction. Fig. 5 shows the shift operating member 14 rotated by an angle replaced with a horizontal position, where the CW direction corresponds to the right direction in the drawing and the CCW direction corresponds to the left direction.

The selection positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 are arranged to lie in the operating range RA. A range S1 including the selected position P1, a range S2 including the selected position P2, a range S3 including the selected position P3, a range S4 including the selected position P4, and a range S5 including the selected position P5 are set in the operation range RA. When the position of the operating position SP is included in the ranges S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5, the control unit 11 sets the shift positions to the P-range, R-range, N-range, D-range, and S-range, respectively. For example, when the operating position SP moves from the selection position P1 in the CW direction to reach the range S2, the control unit 11 changes the shift range being selected from the P range to the R range.

The control unit 11 is capable of changing settings relating to the correspondence between the shift operating member 14 and the operating position SP.

In the case where the rotation of the shift operating member 14 has stopped, the control unit 11 resets the position of the operating position SP to be at the center of the range S to which the operating position SP at the time of the stop belongs. For example, in a case where the operation position SP stops in the range S1, the control unit 11 moves the operation position SP to the selected position P1 that is the center of the range S1. Thereafter, when the shift operating member 14 is operated, the operating position SP is moved starting from the selected position P1.

The intermediate ranges G1, G2, G3, and G4 are ranges in which the control unit 11 does not determine the shift position. When the operating position SP has moved beyond the intermediate ranges G1, G2, G3, and G4, the control unit 11 switches the shift position. The selected positions P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 correspond to a predetermined angle at which the operating load generator 44 changes the operating load of the shift operating member 14. Therefore, the operation position SP is easily stopped at a position included in any of the ranges S1 to S5, and is difficult to stop at the intermediate ranges G1, G2, G3, G4.

The shift operation member 14 is freely rotatable, and is operable to move the operation position SP in the CCW direction with respect to the left end LE or operable to move the operation position SP in the CW direction with respect to the right end RE. When the shift operating member 14 is rotated in the CCW direction after the operating position SP reaches the left end LE of the operating range RA, the control unit 11 stops the operating position SP at the left end LE. Similarly, when the shift operating member 14 is rotated in the CW direction after the operating position SP reaches the right end RE of the operating range RA, the control unit 11 stops the operating position SP at the right end RE. After that, when the shift operating member 14 is stopped, the control unit 11 resets the operating position SP to the selected position P1, the selected position P5. The control unit 11 may operate the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict the rotation of the shift operating member 14 so that the operating position SP does not exceed the range corresponding to the left end LE and the right end RE.

In the present embodiment, the operations of the driver to shift the shift position by the shift operation member 14 are the shift operations M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, and M8, which are indicated by arrows in fig. 5. The shift operations M1-M4 are CW-directional shift operations, for example, the shift operation M1 is an operation from P range to R range, and the shift operation M2 is an operation from R range to N range. The shift operations M5-M8 are CCW directional shift operations, for example, the shift operation M7 is an operation from N to R, and the shift operation M8 is an operation from R to D.

The control unit 11 can prevent or restrict the shift position from being switched by operating the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to generate a reaction force in the shift operations M1-M8. In the present embodiment, when the shift operation M1 is performed in a state where the brake pedal 18 is not operated, the control unit 11 restricts the rotation of the shift operating member 14 by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50. In this case, when the brake pedal 18 is operated in a state where the shift operating member 14 is not operated, the control unit 11 releases the restriction by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50. Likewise, the control unit 11 may also impose restrictions on the shift operations M2, M7.

[4. display of Instrument Panel ]

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display of the display 15 provided on the instrument panel 12.

The display 15 performs, for example, display of the analog operation unit 25 under the control of the control unit 11.

The dial image 61, the shift position display section 63, and the shift indicator lamp 64 are displayed on the display 15. The dial image 61 is an image simulating the shift operating member 14. The shift position display 63 is an image in which shift positions selectable by the shift operation member 14 are arranged. The shift indicator lamp 64 is an image indicating a currently selected shift position among the shift positions displayed on the shift position display portion 63. The shift indicator 64 may be an LED indicator mounted to the display or may be an image simulating an LED indicator.

The driver can confirm the selected shift position based on the display of the display 15 provided on the instrument panel 12. Therefore, when the driver operates the shift operation member 14, the result of the operation can be visually recognized through the display 15.

The manner in which the gear position is displayed on the display 15 is not limited to the example of fig. 6. For example, instead of the shift position display unit 63 and the shift indicator lamp 64, only the character indicating the shift position being selected may be displayed in the center of the display 15.

[5. Structure of control Unit ]

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of the automobile 1.

The Control Unit 11 has a function of a so-called ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and controls each part of the automobile 1. The control Unit 11 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microcomputer, and controls each part of the automobile 1 by executing a program on the processor. The control unit 11 may include control hardware such as an FPGA (Field-programmable Gate Array) and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

The control unit 11 includes a travel control unit 101, a shift control unit 103, and an interface 105 as functional units configured by the above-described programs and hardware. The control unit 11 further includes an accelerator operation detection unit 111, a brake operation detection unit 112, a shift state determination unit 113, an operation control unit 114, and a display control unit 116.

The travel control unit 101 controls the engine 2 and the inverter 8 based on the detection results of the accelerator pedal sensor 33 and the brake pedal sensor 34, and causes the automobile 1 to travel.

The shift control unit 103 detects the operation of the shift operation member 14, and selects a shift position of the transmission 4 corresponding to the operation by the driver. The shift control unit 103 outputs a control signal instructing the transmission 4 to switch to the selected gear, and switches the gear of the transmission 4.

Specifically, the shift control unit 103 determines which of the ranges S1 to S5 the position of the shift operation member 14 corresponds to based on the detection result of the angle detector 31, and switches the shift position in accordance with the determined range. In this case, the shift control unit 103 causes the shift position of the transmission 4 to be switched, and switches the indicator lamp 23 to be turned on among the indicator lamps 23.

The interface 105 is a circuit that exchanges various signals and data with devices outside the control unit 11, and is connected at least to the display 15, the brake pedal sensor 34, the transmission 4, and the operation unit 25. The interface 105 may be connected to the accelerator pedal sensor 33, the obstacle sensor 36, and the like. As shown in fig. 1, the control unit 11 is connected to the engine 2 and the inverter 8, but for convenience of explanation, illustration thereof is omitted in fig. 7.

The parking lock unit 70 of the transmission case 4 includes a drive circuit 71 and an actuator 72. As described above, the parking lock unit 70 includes the parking lock mechanism for locking the output shaft connected to the drive shaft 5. The actuator 72 moves the parking lock mechanism and switches between a state of being fitted to the output shaft of the transmission case 4 and a state of being separated from the output shaft.

The drive circuit 71 has a circuit for supplying a drive current to the actuator 72 and a circuit for switching on/off of the drive current. The drive circuit 71 drives the actuator 72 in accordance with the control of the control unit 11, and switches between a state in which the output shaft is locked and a state in which the lock is released. Further, the drive circuit 71 detects the temperature of the actuator 72 and/or the parking lock mechanism. For example, the drive circuit 71 includes a temperature sensor, not shown, disposed near the actuator 72, and monitors the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

The temperature of the actuator 72 rises in accordance with the operating state of the actuator 72. When the actuator 72 performs the operation a plurality of times in a short time, the temperature of the actuator 72 may exceed a set temperature range and rise. In such a case, the drive circuit 71 performs protection control for protecting the actuator 72. The protection control is, for example, an operation in which the drive circuit 71 temporarily stops the operation of the actuator 72. In this case, the drive circuit 71 causes the actuator 72 to complete the operation being executed, and does not cause the actuator 72 to operate until the temperature reaches the temperature within the set temperature range after the completion of the operation.

When the protection control of the actuator 72 is executed, the drive circuit 71 outputs a control signal indicating the execution of the protection control to the control unit 11. The drive circuit 71 may not output the detection value of the temperature sensor to the control unit 11. The drive circuit 71 may output a control signal to the control unit 11 when detecting that the detection value of the temperature sensor exceeds the set temperature range.

The drive circuit 71 is not limited to a configuration in which the temperature is directly detected by a temperature sensor. For example, the drive circuit 71 or the shift state determination unit 113 may estimate whether or not the temperature of the actuator 72 exceeds the set temperature range based on the operating state of the actuator 72. In this case, the drive circuit 71 may start the protection control when it is estimated that the temperature is beyond the set temperature range.

The accelerator operation detection unit 111 detects the presence or absence of operation of the accelerator pedal 17 and/or the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 17 based on the detection result of the accelerator pedal sensor 33.

The brake operation detection unit 112 detects the presence or absence of operation of the brake pedal 18 and/or the operation amount of the brake pedal 18 based on the detection result of the brake pedal sensor 34. The brake operation detection unit 112 corresponds to an example of the brake operation detection unit.

The shift state determination unit 113 determines whether the parking lock unit 70 is in the shift restricted state. The shift restricted state is a state in which there is an obstacle to the execution and release of the parking lock by the parking lock unit 70. Specifically, a state in which the drive circuit 71 is executing protection control of the actuator 72 may be given.

Further, after the shift state determination unit 113 instructs the drive circuit 71 to enable the parking lock, the shift state determination unit 113 may determine that the shift restricted state is established when the parking lock is not enabled within a set time. In this case, the shift state determination unit 113 may detect the operating position and the operating state of the actuator 72 by the drive circuit 71, and determine whether or not the parking lock is enabled in the transmission 4.

The shift restriction state may include, for example, a state in which the power supply voltage supplied to the parking lock unit 70 is low and the operation of the parking lock unit 70 is obstructed. Specifically, there are cases where the output voltage of the battery 7 is lower than a voltage sufficient to drive the actuator 72, and cases where there is a possibility that an operation of the control unit 11 is impaired due to an insufficient output voltage of the battery 7. Shift state determination unit 113 may have a function of monitoring the output voltage of battery 7, for example. Further, the shift state determination unit 113 may have a function of monitoring the state of a signal output from the operation unit 25 to the control unit 11. In this case, the shift restriction state includes a case where the state of the output signal of the operation unit 25 is inappropriate.

The operation control portion 114 controls the restriction of the shift operating member 14 by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50. Specifically, the operation control unit 114 performs control for switching the energization of the coil 52 to on or off, and switches between a state in which the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 locks the shift operation member 14 and a state in which the lock is released. For example, when the shift control unit 103 notifies that the shift position is switched to the P range, the operation control unit 114 locks the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 and restricts the rotation of the shift operation member 14.

A restriction is placed on an operation of changing from some gears to other gears in the switching operation of the gears of the automobile 1. For example, in order to change the shift range from the P range to the shift range other than the P range, the brake pedal 18 needs to be operated. This is a restriction for preventing the driver from unintentionally operating the automobile 1, and is a restriction generally set in automobiles.

In the shift device 10 of the present embodiment, even in the state where the P range is selected, the shift operation member 14 can be operated on the condition that the brake pedal 18 is operated in the state where the shift operation member 14 is not operated. If the shift operating member 14 is rotated in the CW direction in a state where the shift position being selected by the shift control unit 103 is the P range and the brake pedal 18 is not operated, the operation control unit 114 operates the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to lock the shift operating member 14. In this case, when the brake pedal 18 is operated after the shift operating member 14 is set to the non-operated state, the operation control unit 114 releases the lock.

Display control unit 116 drives display 15 to cause display 15 to display the shift position selected by shift control unit 103.

In the automobile 1 employing the shift operation member 14, the driver can perform the shift operation quickly. Therefore, while the control unit 11 is controlling the transmission 4 and the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to operate, the shift operating member 14 may be operated.

As an example, assume a case where the operation position SP shown in fig. 5 is moved from the selection position P2 to the range S1, and the control unit 11 controls the transmission 4 and the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 in accordance with the operation. The shift control unit 103 controls the transmission case 4 to shift the shift position to the P range, triggered by the operating position SP reaching the range S1. The shift control unit 103 controls the drive circuit 71 to operate the actuator 72 to lock the output shaft of the transmission case 4. Further, the operation control portion 114 locks the shift operation member 14 by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, triggered by the shift control portion 103 selecting the P range. Thus, the shift operating member 14 cannot be rotated any more in a state where the brake pedal 18 is not operated.

In this example, if the driver quickly rotates the shift operating member 14 in the CW direction after the shift operating member 14 reaches the range S1, the shift operating member 14 may be rotated in time before the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is locked. This is a phenomenon caused by a signal transmission delay between the control unit 11, the angle detector 31, the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, and the like, and a processing speed of the control unit 11. The following possibilities cannot be denied: this phenomenon occurs even when the driver quickly operates the shift operation member 14 in a very short time in a range where there is no practical problem in signal transmission delay and processing speed.

When the operation position SP reaches the range S2, the shift control portion 103 selects the R range as the shift position. In response to this, the operation control unit 114 releases the lock of the shift operation member 14 by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, and shifts to a state corresponding to the R range. Further, the shift control unit 103 controls the drive circuit 71 to release the parking lock of the parking lock unit 70. Therefore, control for switching the operation of the actuator 72 in a short time is required. It cannot be said that it is appropriate to perform such control with the parking lock portion 70 in the shift restricted state.

On the other hand, when the driver performs an operation of switching to the R range in a short time after selecting the P range, it is considered that the driver intends to switch to the R range. Therefore, it is useful to switch the shift range according to a quick operation according to the intention of the driver.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the shift control portion 103 permits the operation of the shift operating member 14 when the operation to the range S2 is performed in a short time after the operating position SP reaches the range S1. The shift operation from the P range to the R range is not permitted unless the brake pedal 18 is operated, but is permitted if the control for locking the shift operation member 14 may be too late. Therefore, the shift control unit 103 switches the shift position to the R range in accordance with the rotation of the shift operation member 14. The operation control unit 114 is not limited by the electromagnetic braking mechanism 50.

Further, when shift state determining unit 113 detects the shift restricted state, shift control unit 103 does not permit quick operation of shift operating member 14. In this case, the shift control unit 103 resets the position of the operating position SP corresponding to the shift operating member 14 without switching to the R range. The operation control unit 114 causes the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to perform locking. As a result, the vehicle 1 is in a state in which the P range is selected, and the operation of rapidly rotating the shift operation member 14 in the CW direction is cancelled. According to this operation, the parking lock unit 70 and the like are not operated in the shift restricted state, and thus the respective parts of the automobile 1 can be protected. Further, since the P range is maintained, there is no safety concern.

The details of the above operation will be described with reference to a flowchart and a timing chart.

[6. operation of the gearshift device ]

The operation of the shift device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shift device 10. The actions of fig. 8 are performed by the control unit 11. Specifically, shift control unit 103 executes the operations of steps ST1-ST6, ST10-ST14, and ST16, operation control unit 114 executes step ST7, and display control unit 116 executes steps ST8 and ST 17.

When detecting that the shift operating member 14 has reached the range S1 (step ST1), the shift control unit 103 starts counting the time of the timer (step ST 2). The shift control unit 103 outputs a control signal to the transmission 4 to switch the shift position to the P range (step ST 5). Further, the shift control unit 103 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 71 to enable the parking lock by the parking lock unit 70 (step ST 4). The execution sequence of steps ST2, ST3, and ST4 may be changed as appropriate, or may be executed in parallel.

Shift control unit 103 determines whether or not the elapsed time during the time measurement is equal to or less than a preset time TS (step ST 5). When the elapsed time exceeds the time TS in step ST5 (step ST 5; n), shift control unit 103 determines the shift position as the P range (step ST 6). In step ST6, the shift control unit 103 determines that the shift position selected by the operation of the shift operation member 14 is the P range, and notifies the operation control unit 114 and the display control unit 116 that the P range is selected. Until the elapsed time reaches the time TS, in the case where the operation position SP stays in the range S1, step ST6 is executed.

The operation control unit 114 enables the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict the operation of the shift operating member 14 (step ST 7). The display control unit 116 causes the display 15 to display that the shift position being selected is the P range (step ST 8). Before the process of step ST8, the display controller 116 may maintain the display on the display 15 at the display of the gear selected immediately before, or may temporarily stop the display in step ST 1.

In step ST5, if the elapsed time does not exceed time TS (step ST 5; y), shift control portion 103 determines whether or not operating position SP has reached range S2 (step ST 10). Here, if the operating position SP does not reach the range S2 (step ST 10; n), the shift control portion 103 returns to step ST 5.

When the operation position SP has reached the range S2 (step ST 10; y), it is determined that the R range is selected (step ST 11). The shift control unit 103 outputs a control signal to the transmission 4 to switch the shift position to the R range (step ST 12).

Here, shift control unit 103 refers to the determination result of shift state determination unit 113 and determines whether or not the shift state is in the shift restricted state (step ST 13).

When the shift control state is established (step ST 13; y), the shift control unit 103 outputs a control signal for instructing the transmission 4 to shift to the P range, and cancels the shift to the R range (step ST 14). Further, the shift control unit 103 resets the operating position SP to the selected position P1 corresponding to the P range (step ST15), and proceeds to step ST 6.

When the shift control unit 103 is not in the shift restricted state (step ST 13; n), it outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 71 to unlock the parking lock of the parking lock unit 70 (step ST 16). Shift control unit 103 notifies operation control unit 114 and display control unit 116 that the R range is selected. The display control unit 116 causes the display 15 to display that the shift position being selected is the R range (step ST 17). Before the process of step ST17, the display controller 116 may maintain the display on the display 15 at the display of the gear selected immediately before, or may temporarily stop the display in step ST 1. The execution sequence of steps ST7 and ST8 may be changed as appropriate, or may be executed in parallel. The execution sequence of steps ST14 and ST15 is also the same. The execution sequence of steps ST16 and ST17 is also the same.

Fig. 9 is a timing chart showing an operation example of the shift device 10. In fig. 9, (a) of fig. 9 shows the gear corresponding to the operation position SP, and (b) of fig. 9 shows the gear instructed to the transmission case 4 by the shift control portion 103. Fig. 9 (c) shows an execution state of the process in which shift control unit 103 resets operation position SP. Fig. 9 (d) shows a state of operation restriction instructed to the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 by the operation control unit 114, and fig. 9 (e) shows an implementation state of operation restriction of the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50. Fig. 9 (f) shows a state of a parking lock instruction from shift control unit 103 to drive circuit 71, and fig. 9 (g) shows a control signal output from drive circuit 71. Fig. 9 (h) shows an operating state of the actuator 72.

The example of fig. 9 shows an operation example after the operating position SP has reached the range S1 from the range S2 by the operation of the shift operating member 14. In this example, as shown in (a) of fig. 9, the operation position SP reaches the range S1 at time T1, and thereafter, the operation position SP reaches the range S2 at time T2. This corresponds to the operation of rotating the shift operating member 14 in the CW direction during the time T1-T2.

As shown in (b) of fig. 9, the shift control unit 103 detects that the operating position SP has reached the range S1 at time T1, and instructs the transmission 4 to shift the shift position to the P range. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 9 (f), shift control unit 103 instructs drive circuit 71 to enable the parking lock. The drive circuit 71 drives the actuator 72, and as shown in fig. 9 (h), the actuator 72 starts operating.

As shown in fig. 9 (d), at times T1 and T2, the operation control unit 114 does not control the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50. Therefore, as shown in (e) of fig. 9, the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is in a state of restricting the operation of the shift operating member 14 during P-S. That is, the operation from the right end RE in the CW direction and the rotation of the shift operating member 14 from the left end LE in the CCW direction are restricted.

Corresponding to the case where the operating position SP reaches the range S2 at time T2, the shift control unit 103 instructs the transmission case 4 to switch the shift position to the R range at time T3.

In the example of fig. 9, at time T4, the drive circuit 71 starts the protection control due to the temperature of the actuator 72 exceeding the set temperature range or the like. In this case, as shown in fig. 9 (g), at time T4, the drive circuit 71 issues a request to the control unit 11 to cancel the control of the parking lock unit 70.

The shift control unit 103 cancels the change to the R range in response to the cancellation request. That is, as shown in fig. 9 (c), the operation position SP is reset to the selection position P1. Therefore, as shown in fig. 9 (a), at time T5, the operating position SP corresponds to the P range. As shown in fig. 9 (b), the shift control unit 103 instructs the transmission 4 to shift to the P range at time T5.

Further, since the shift control unit 103 notifies the operation control unit 114 that the shift position is determined as the P range, as shown in fig. 9 (d), the control is executed to cause the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to perform an operation restriction (P-P restriction) for fixing to the P range. Thereby, as shown in fig. 9 (e), the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 starts the P-P restriction.

On the other hand, in the parking lock unit 70, since a cancel request is issued at time T4, as shown in (f) of fig. 9, an instruction from the shift control unit 103 to the drive circuit 71 is a standby instruction. As a result, as shown in fig. 9 (h), the drive circuit 71 completes the operation of the actuator 72 started at time T3, and the actuator 72 maintains the parking lock state.

[7. summary ]

As described above, the shift device 10 to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied is connected to the transmission case 4 of the automobile 1 having a plurality of shift stages including the 1 st stage and the 2 nd stage to switch the shift stages, and the shift device 10 includes: a shift operation member 14 rotatably attached to the automobile 1; an angle detector 31 that detects a position of the shift operating member 14; a shift control unit 103 that selects the 1 st gear when the shift operation member 14 is moved to the 1 st position, selects the 2 nd gear when the shift operation member 14 is moved to the 2 nd position, and causes the transmission case 4 to perform a shift to the selected gear; an electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 that restricts rotation of the shift operating member 14; an operation control portion 114 that causes the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict rotation of the shift operating member 14 when the shift operating member 14 is moved to the 1 st position; and a shift state determination unit 113 that determines a shift restriction state of the transmission case 4, wherein the shift control unit 103 selects the 2 nd gear when the shift operation member 14 has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, and the shift control unit 103 selects the 1 st gear and the operation control unit 114 causes the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict when the shift operation member 14 has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 and determined as a shift restriction state by the shift state determination unit 113.

In the control method executed by the shifting apparatus 10, the position of the shift operating member 14 is detected, the shift operating member 14 is rotatably mounted to the automobile 1, 1 st gear is selected when the shift operating member 14 is moved to the 1 st position, 2 nd gear is selected when the shift operating member 14 is moved to the 2 nd position, the transmission case 4 is caused to perform switching to the selected gear, the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 that restricts rotation of the shift operating member 14 when the shift operating member 14 is moved to the 1 st position, the 2 nd gear is selected when the shift operating member 14 has been moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before being restricted by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, the shift operating member 14 has been moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position before the transmission case 4 is in the shift restricting state and being restricted by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, the 1 st gear is selected, and the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is restricted.

According to the shift device 10 and the control method executed by the shift device 10, in the case where the shift operation member 14 is quickly operated in a short time, the shift position can be switched in correspondence with the operation, and if the transmission case 4 is in the shift restriction state, the shift position is not switched. Therefore, in the configuration in which the shift operating member 14 is rotated to switch the gear of the automobile 1, the rotational operation of the shift operating member 14 can be appropriately restricted.

Here, the time before the restriction by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 may be, for example, before a predetermined time period corresponding to the time TS shown in fig. 8 elapses. For example, the predetermined time is a time required until the restriction of the rotation by the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 becomes effective. The 1 st position corresponds to the range S1 and the 2 nd position corresponds to the range S2, for example, but may be selected from any of the ranges S3 to S5.

In the above configuration, the transmission 4 includes the parking lock unit 70, the parking lock unit 70 locks the movement or the gear shift of the automobile 1 in the 1 st gear, and the gear shift state determination unit 113 determines that the transmission 4 is in the gear shift restricted state when the release of the lock by the parking lock unit 70 is an obstacle. According to this configuration, when there is a possibility that an obstacle may occur in the operation of the parking lock unit 70, the shift position corresponding to the quick operation of the shift operation member 14 is not switched. Therefore, the shift range can be switched according to the operation of the driver so as not to hinder the operation of the automobile 1, and the operation of the shift operation member 14 can be appropriately restricted.

In the above configuration, the shift device 10 may include the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 that locks the shift, and the shift state determination unit 113 may determine that the shift restricted state is present when the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 is unlocked and an obstacle is generated. According to this configuration, when there is a possibility that an obstacle may occur in the operation of the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, the shift position corresponding to the quick operation of the shift operation member 14 is not switched. Therefore, the shift range can be switched according to the operation of the driver so as not to hinder the operation of the automobile 1, and the operation of the shift operation member 14 can be appropriately restricted.

The shift state determination unit 113 determines that the transmission 4 is in the shift restricted state when the temperature of the actuator 72 of the parking lock unit 70 exceeds the set temperature range. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of an obstacle occurring in the operation of the parking lock unit 70.

The shift control unit 103 performs control for releasing the parking lock of the parking lock unit 70, and the shift state determination unit 113 determines that the transmission 4 is in the shift restricted state if the lock of the parking lock unit 70 is not released within a set time after the shift control unit 103 performs control for releasing the parking lock. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of an obstacle occurring in the operation of the parking lock unit 70.

The gear shift device 10 includes a display control unit 116 that causes a display 15 mounted on the automobile 1 to display the shift position selected by the shift control unit 103, and the display control unit 116 causes the display 15 to display the 1 st shift position after the shift control unit 103 selects the 1 st shift position when the shift operation member 14 has moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position. According to this configuration, when the shift operation member 14 is quickly operated in a short time, it is possible to prevent the display of the display 15 from being frequently switched. Therefore, the driver is not given a sense of incongruity. The shift position can be switched appropriately.

In the shifting device 10, the 1 st position and the 2 nd position are adjacent to each other in the operating range RA, and when the display control unit 116 causes the display 15 to display the 1 st gear, the operation control unit 114 causes the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict the rotation of the shift operating member 14 from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position. For example, when the display 15 displays the P range in accordance with the operation of the shift operation member 14, the shift operation member 14 is restricted from rotating in accordance with the switching from the P range to the R range. According to this configuration, the shift position can be switched in accordance with a quick operation of the shift operation member 14 in a short time, and the rotational operation of the shift operation member 14 can be appropriately restricted.

[8 ] other embodiments ]

The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the shift control unit 103 performs the limitation of the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 after the time TS has elapsed in step ST5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, shift controller 103 may notify operation controller 114 of the shift to P range simultaneously with the operations at steps ST2, ST3, and ST 4. In this case, the operation control unit 114 does not make the determination at step ST5, and enables the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50 to restrict the operation of the P range. In this case, as described in the above embodiment, the operation of the shift operating member 14 can be appropriately restricted.

In the above embodiment, the following example is explained: when the operating position SP is moved from the range S1 to the range S2 within the time TS by the operation of the shift operating member 14, the shift control portion 103 switches the shift position according to the shift restriction state. The present invention is not limited to this, and the above-described operation may be performed when the operating position SP moves from the range S2 to the range S3, or in accordance with the operation of another shift operating member 14, for example.

The display 15 is not limited to the instrument panel 12, and may be provided on the instrument panel 19, for example.

Further, for example, the operation unit 25 is not limited to the structure shown in fig. 3 and 4. The angle detector 31 may be configured by a rotary encoder and an optical sensor that detect the amount of rotation of the gear 43 and the shaft 14a of the shift operating member 14, or may be configured by a detector having a gear that meshes with the gear 43. Alternatively, a magnetic body may be attached to the shift operation member 14, and a detector may magnetically detect the position of the magnetic body. The structure for locking the rotation of the shift operating member 14 is not limited to the electromagnetic brake mechanism 50, and may be, for example, a pin that is fitted to the speed increasing mechanism 46 to prevent the rotation of the speed increasing mechanism 46 and an actuator that moves the pin. Alternatively, the shift operation member 14 may be a motor that applies a rotational force in a direction opposite to the operated direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the dial-shaped shift operation member 14 is exemplified, but the operation member may be a lever-shaped member or the like as long as it is provided to the automobile 1 so as to be rotatable and the operation member is operated by the driver by rotating the operation member.

The present invention is not limited to the automobile 1 shown in fig. 1, and can be applied to all vehicles driven by an automatic transmission, such as a cargo vehicle, a large-sized automobile, and a three-wheeled motor vehicle.

The hardware configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the example of fig. 7. Fig. 8 is an operation example in which processing steps are divided into steps in a flowchart for convenience, and the operation of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the order shown in fig. 8. The timing chart shown in fig. 9 is an example. Fig. 9 schematically shows the action of the control unit 11, so that the actual length may not match the dimensions in fig. 9.