Short stroke shift lever device

A short stroke shift lever device that is capable of shifting gears within a small space by a ratchet-like mechanism. When a pivotally mounted shift lever is moved from an intermediate portion of a shift groove to a front end or rear end of the shift groove with a pin of a ball shaft coming into a hole of a control plate, the ball shaft rotates via the joint toward the front side or rear side and the control plate rotates around the shaft; subsequently, a protrusion comes into a groove adjacent to the groove into which the protrusion had come until then, and the shift position of an automatic transmission is changed one step. By repeating a pivotal movement of the shift lever, the gear of the automatic transmission may be changed to any position. The device reduces the amount of space required for installation of the shift lever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a shift lever device which operates a 
transmission of a vehicle. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
In a vehicle in which an automatic transmission having a plurality of shift 
ranges is used, usually, a shift lever device is provided which can change 
the shift range of the automatic transmission by swinging a bar-shaped 
shift lever in a longitudinal direction or transverse direction of a 
vehicle, the shift lever being disposed at the side of a driver's seat 
with the longitudinal direction thereof coinciding with a vertical 
direction of the vehicle. 
On the other hand, a conventional shift lever device requires, in a portion 
of the vehicle in which devices are installed, a space which allows a 
shift lever to swing in the longitudinal direction or transverse direction 
of the vehicle. For this reason, the configuration of a vehicle interior 
in the periphery of the portion for installation of devices is restricted. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the above-described circumstances, it is an object of the 
present invention to provide a shift lever device which is installed in a 
small space. 
A shift lever device described in claim 1 of the present invention effects 
a gear-shift operation for a transmission of a vehicle by a shift 
operation of a shift lever, the shift lever device comprising: (a) control 
means connected to the transmission and allowed to reciprocate only in a 
predetermined range, a plurality of moving positions in the predetermined 
range being each set as a gear-shift position of the transmission; and (b) 
driving means for moving said control means one step toward an adjacent 
shift position due to receiving either a forward movement of the shift 
lever or a backward movement of the shift lever after the forward 
movement. 
According to the shift lever device having the above-described structure, 
when the shift lever moves forward from an intermediate portion in a 
predetermined moving range to one end, or when the shift lever moves 
backward toward the intermediate portion after the forward movement, the 
control means is displaced by a predetermined amount and the shift range 
of a vehicle transmission is changed one step. On the other hand, when the 
shift lever moves forward from the intermediate portion of the moving 
range (i.e., the predetermined range) to the other end, or when the shift 
lever moves backward toward the intermediate portion after the forward 
movement, the control means is displaced by a predetermined amount and the 
shift range of the vehicle transmission is changed one step in a direction 
opposite to the aforementioned. Accordingly, by repeating the 
reciprocating movement of the shift lever, the transmission can be changed 
to a desired shift range. 
Here, even when the shift lever device of the present invention is applied 
to a transmission having a plurality of (particularly, four or more) shift 
ranges, it suffices that the range in which the shift lever reciprocates 
includes a stroke for changing the shift range one step and a stoke for 
changing the shift range one step in the opposite direction, i.e., a 
stroke of two steps of shift ranges. For this reason, the stroke of 
movement of the shift lever (i.e., a predetermined moving range) can be 
reduced and the space for installation of the shift lever device at the 
side of a vehicle interior can be made smaller. 
A shift lever device described in claim 2 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 1, the shift lever can reciprocate 
from a neutral position to both one direction and another direction, 
moving the shift position one step by a reciprocating movement in the one 
direction and moving the shift position one step in an opposite direction 
by a reciprocating movement in the other direction. 
A shift lever device described in claim 3 is characterized by, in the shift 
lever device according to claim 1, further comprising connecting means 
which connects the shift lever to the control means when moving said 
control means to a gear shift position and which releases the connected 
state of said control means before and after the movement of said control 
means. 
In the shift lever device having the above-described structure, when the 
control means is displaced to change the shift range, in other words, when 
the shift lever moves forward in the structure in which the control means 
is displaced during the forward movement of the shift lever, or when the 
shift lever moves backward in the structure in which the control means is 
displaced during the backward movement of the shift lever after the 
forward movement thereof, the shift lever is connected to the control 
means by the connecting means and the operation of the shift lever for 
changing the shift range is transmitted to the control means. 
Further, before and after displacement of the control means, namely, before 
and after the forward movement or backward movement of the shift lever for 
displacement of the control means, the state in which the shift lever and 
the control means are connected by the connecting means is released, and 
there is no possibility that the reciprocating movement of the shift lever 
in the connection-released state be transmitted to the control means. For 
this reason, the change of the shift range by an inadvertent operation of 
the shift lever is prevented. 
A shift lever device described in claim 4 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 3, when the shift lever is moved in 
a predetermined direction different from the reciprocating direction of 
the shift lever, said connecting means connects the shift lever to said 
control means. 
In the shift lever device having the above-described structure, when the 
shift lever is moved in a predetermined direction different from that in 
which the shift lever reciprocates at the time of displacement of the 
control means, the shift lever is connected to the control means by the 
connecting means. When the shift lever is allowed to reciprocate in this 
state, the control means is displaced and the shift range of the 
transmission is changed. 
A shift lever device described in claim 5 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 4, said connecting means includes a 
protruding portion, and when the shift lever is moved in a predetermined 
direction different from the reciprocating direction of the shift lever, 
said connecting means connects the shift lever to said control means by 
engaging the protruding portion with a receding portion of said control 
means having the receding portion. 
A shift lever device described in claim 6 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 4, said connecting means is 
connecting members which can each rotate around a different rotating axis. 
A shift lever device described in claim 7 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 6, said connecting means includes a 
ball bearing. 
A shift lever device described in claim 8 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 1, said control means is rotatable 
in a predetermined range, and due to rotating movement of said control 
means to a plurality of moving positions within the predetermined range, 
said control means is displaced to a gear-shift position of the 
transmission. 
A shift lever device described in claim 9 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 1, said control means is controlled 
by a shift-lock control device which engages with and locks said control 
means in a state of being displaced to a predetermined gear-shift position 
and which releases locking through treading of a brake pedal of a vehicle. 
A shift lever device described in claim 10 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 3, operating means is provided in 
the shift lever as a portion of said driving means, said operating means 
being movable along the shift lever with respect to the shift lever such 
that when said operating means moves with respect to the shift lever, said 
connecting means connects the shift lever to said control means. 
In the shift lever device having the above-described structure, when the 
operating means is moved along the shift lever, the shift lever is 
connected by the connecting means to the control means. When the shift 
lever is allowed to reciprocate in this state, the control means is 
displaced and the shift range of the transmission is changed. 
A shift lever device described in claim 11 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 10, said operating means is a 
bar-shaped body accommodated in an interior of the shift lever in such a 
manner as to be slidable along a longitudinal direction of the shift 
lever. 
A shift lever device described in claim 12 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 1, said driving means includes a 
driving mechanism which moves said control means by one shift position at 
the time of movement in one direction within one reciprocating movement of 
the shift lever and which does not move said control means at the time of 
movement in another direction. 
A shift lever device described in claim 13 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 1, said driving means connects the 
shift lever and said control means at the time of movement in the one 
direction, and releases the connection of the shift lever and said control 
means at the time of movement in the other direction. 
A shift lever device described in claim 14 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 13, a cam is provided which engages 
and releases the shift lever and said control means with respect to each 
other. 
A shift lever device described in claim 15 is a shift lever device which 
effects a gear-shift operation for a transmission of a vehicle by a shift 
operation of a shift lever, comprising: (a) control means connected to the 
transmission and allowed to reciprocate only in a predetermined range, a 
plurality of moving positions in the predetermined range being each set as 
a gear-shift position of the transmission; and (b) driving means for 
moving said control means one step toward an adjacent shift position due 
to a reciprocating movement of the shift lever and an additional operation 
applied to the shift lever. 
A shift lever device described in claim 16 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 15, said driving means includes a 
driving mechanism which connects the shift lever to said control means 
through a movement operation of the shift lever in a direction different 
from the reciprocating direction of the shift lever and which moves said 
control means one step toward an adjacent shift position through a 
reciprocating movement operation of the shift lever. 
A shift lever device described in claim 17 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 15, said driving means includes 
operating means which is provided in the shift lever as a portion of said 
driving means, said operating means being movable along the shift lever 
with respect to the shift lever, and also includes a driving mechanism in 
which, when the operating means moves with respect to the shift lever, 
said connecting means connects the shift lever to said control means, and 
due to the reciprocating movement operation of the shift lever, said 
control means is moved one step toward an adjacent shift position. 
A shift lever device described in claim 18 is a shift lever device which 
effects a gear-shift operation for a transmission of a vehicle by a shift 
operation of a shift lever, comprising: (a) control means connected to the 
transmission and allowed to reciprocate only in a predetermined range, a 
plurality of moving positions in the predetermined range being each set as 
a gear-shift position of the transmission; and (b) driving means for 
moving said control means one step toward an adjacent shift position only 
with a reciprocating movement operation of the shift lever. 
A shift lever device described in claim 19 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 18, said driving means includes a 
driving mechanism providing a cam as a portion of said driving means, the 
driving mechanism engaging and releasing the shift lever and said control 
means with respect to each other via the cam and due to the reciprocating 
movement operation of the shift lever and also moving said control means 
one step toward an adjacent shift position. 
A shift lever device described in claim 20 is characterized by that, in the 
shift lever device according to claim 18, said driving means includes a 
driving mechanism in which engagement of the shift lever and said control 
means is released via the cam during a portion of movement within 
reciprocating movement of the shift lever, the shift lever and said 
control means engaged with each other during movement in another 
direction, and said control means moving one step toward an adjacent shift 
position in the engaged state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 6 shows an interior portion of a vehicle 12 to which a shift lever 
device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is 
applied. It should be noted that arrows "X", "Y", and "Z" shown in the 
accompanying drawings, respectively represent: the right-hand direction in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle 12; a forward direction in the 
longitudinal direction of the vehicle 12 ; and the upward direction in the 
vertical direction of the vehicle 12. 
As shown in FIG. 6, the shift lever device 10 includes a housing 16 
provided on a floor at the front side of a center console box 14. As shown 
in FIG. 2, a shift groove 18 whose longitudinal direction coincides with 
the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (i.e., the direction indicated 
by arrow Y in FIG. 2 and the direction opposite thereto) is formed in the 
housing 16. Further, a select groove 20 whose longitudinal direction 
coincides with the transverse direction of the vehicle (i.e., the 
direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 2 and the direction opposite 
thereto) is formed to extend from a longitudinal-direction intermediate 
portion of the shift groove 18 and the transverse dimension of the select 
groove 20 is smaller than that of the shift groove 18. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a round bar-shaped shift lever 24 whose longitudinal 
direction coincides with the vertical direction of the vehicle (i.e., the 
direction indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 1 and the direction opposite 
thereto) passes through the shift groove 18 and the select groove 20. The 
shift lever 24 is allowed to be moved along the shift groove 18 in the 
longitudinal direction of the vehicle and also moved along the select 
groove 20 in the transverse direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, 
the transverse dimension of the select groove 20 is formed to be slightly 
larger than the outside diameter of the shift lever 24, and therefore, the 
shift lever 24 can smoothly move along the select groove 20 in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle. The transverse dimension of the shift 
groove 18 is formed to be sufficiently larger than the outside diameter of 
the shift lever 24, and therefore, the shift lever 24 not only can move 
along the shift groove 18 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, 
but also can move along the transverse direction of the shift groove 18 by 
a small amount. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a male screw 26 is formed in the upper end portion of 
the shift lever 24 and a knob 28 is screwed to the male screw 26. For this 
reason, a occupant of the vehicle 12 can operate the shift lever 24 in the 
longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle by holding the knob 
28. 
Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a joint 30 is provided below the shift 
lever 24. A pair of vertical walls 32 is formed in the joint 30 and holds 
the lower end portion of the knob 28 from the front and rear sides of the 
vehicle. A shaft 34 passes through these vertical walls 32 and the lower 
end portion of the shift lever 24. As a result, the shift lever 24 is 
connected to the joint 30 in such a manner as to be rotatable around the 
shaft 34. Further, a vertical wall 36 is formed to extend from a left-hand 
end portion of the front-side vertical wall 32 in the transverse direction 
of the vehicle to the rear side of the vehicle. As indicated by the 
two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, when the shift lever 24 rotates around the 
shaft 34 toward the left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle, 
the vertical wall 36 is pressed by the shift lever 24 and the joint 30 
thereby inclines. Further, a helical coil spring 38 is provided around the 
vertical wall 32 in such a manner that one end thereof contacts the shift 
lever 24 from the left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle and 
the other end thereof contacts the vertical wall 36 from the left side in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle. The helical coil spring 38 
constantly urges the shift lever 24 against the vertical wall 36 toward 
the right side in the transverse direction of the vehicle. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pair of vertical walls 40 facing each other in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle is formed in the join 30 below the 
vertical walls 32. An oblong hole 42 whose longitudinal direction 
coincides with the vertical direction of the vehicle is formed in each of 
the vertical walls 40 and a shaft 46 whose both ends are supported by a 
vehicle body 44 (see FIG. 3) passes through the oblong holes 42. As a 
result, the joint 30 can rotate around the shaft 46 and the shaft 46 can 
move vertically between one end and the other end of each oblong hole 42 
in the longitudinal direction thereof. Further, a helical coil spring 50 
is provided around the shaft 46 further at the left side than the vertical 
wall 40 disposed at the left side in the transverse direction of the 
vehicle in such a manner that one end thereof is fixed to the vehicle body 
44 and the other end thereof contacts a peripheral end portion of the 
vertical wall 40 from the front side of the vehicle. The helical coil 
spring 50 urges the joint 30 toward the rear side of the vehicle. 
Moreover, a helical coil spring 52 is provided around the shaft 46 further 
at the right side of the vertical wall 40 disposed at the right side in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle in such a manner that one end 
thereof is fixed to the vehicle body 44 and the other end thereof contacts 
a peripheral end portion of the vertical wall 40 from the rear side. The 
helical coil spring 52 urges the joint 30 toward the front side of the 
vehicle. Here, these helical coil springs 50 and 52 are set so that, when 
the shift lever 24 is located at a position where the shift groove 18 and 
the select groove 20 cross each other, each urging force thereof is 
well-balanced. For this reason, when an extra external force (for example, 
force of a vehicle occupant pushing or pulling the shift lever 24) is not 
applied to the shift lever 24, the shift lever 24 is located at the 
position where the shift groove 18 and the select groove 20 cross each 
other, and further abuts against the right-side end portion of the select 
groove 20 due to the urging force of the helical coil spring 38. 
Further, a lever 48 extends downward from the lower end of the vertical 
wall 40 disposed at the right side in the transverse direction of the 
vehicle and is connected to a ball shaft 60 provided below the joint 30 to 
serve as a connecting means. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the ball shaft 60 includes a spherical body 66 held in 
a state of being caught by a pair of concave bearings 68 which are formed 
in the vehicle body 44. The ball shaft 60 can rotate around the spherical 
body 66 in all directions. Further, an engaging portion 70 extends upward 
from an outer peripheral portion of the spherical body 66. The upper end 
portion of the engaging portion 70 is bent toward the left side 
substantially at a right angle. A rectangular through hole 72 is formed in 
the bent portion of the engaging portion 70 and the lever 48 extending 
from the joint 30 passes through the through hole 72. For this reason, 
when the joint 30 rotates around the shaft 34 or around the shaft 46, the 
engaging portion 70 is pressed by the lever 48 and the ball shaft 60 
rotates around the spherical body 66. 
A compression coil spring 74 whose one end is fixed to the vehicle body 44 
is provided at the right side of the engaging portion 70 in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle. The engaging portion 70 is constantly urged by 
the urging force of the compression coil spring 74 toward the left side in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle. 
A lever 76 extends downward from an outer peripheral portion of the 
spherical body 66 at the side opposite to the engaging portion 70 (i.e., 
at the lower side of the spherical body 66). Further, a pin 78 projects 
from the lower end portion of the lever 76 toward the left side in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle. 
A base 86 formed integrally with the vehicle body 44 is provided below the 
ball shaft 60 and a control plate 80 serving as control means is provided 
at the left side of the base 86 in the transverse direction of the 
vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3, the control plate 80 is a plate-like member 
whose intermediate portion in the vertical direction is bent to project 
toward the right side in the transverse direction of the vehicle. A shaft 
84 supported by a bearing 88 of the base 86 passes through the lower end 
of the control plate 80 at the intermediate portion thereof in the 
longitudinal direction of the vehicle, so that the control plate 80 can 
rotate freely around the shaft 84. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a pin 90 is formed so as to project from the lower end 
portion of the control plate 80 toward the right side in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle at the side of the rear end of the control plate 
80. The pin 90 is connected via a wire 92 to an automatic transmission 94 
of the vehicle. When the control plate 80 rotates (is displaced) around 
the shaft 84, the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed 
in accordance with an amount of rotation (displacement) of the control 
plate 80. 
As also shown in FIG. 1, a through hole 96 is formed at the side of the 
longitudinal-direction front end of the control plate 80. A shift-lock 
solenoid 98 is provided at the left side of the control plate 80 in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle and is connected via a cable to 
control means such as a shift-lock computer (not shown). The shift-lock 
solenoid 98 includes a bar-shaped shiftlock stopper 100 whose longitudinal 
direction coincides with the transverse direction of the vehicle. With the 
shift-lock stopper 100 facing the through hole 96 of the control plate 80, 
the shift-lock stopper 100 can pass through the through hole 96 so as to 
prevent rotation of the control plate 80, thereby resulting in a 
shift-lock state. 
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a protrusion 102 having the shape of a 
substantially triangular prism and projecting toward the right side in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle is formed at the vertical-direction 
intermediate portion of the control plate 80 (i.e., the portion bent 
toward the right side in the transverse direction of the vehicle) and also 
at an intermediate portion of the control plate 80 in the longitudinal 
direction of the vehicle. The protrusion 102 can come into any one of a 
plurality of grooves 104 which are formed around the bearing 88 in the 
upper end portion of the base 86 at intervals of a predetermined angle. 
When the control plate 80 is about to be rotated around the shaft 84, the 
protrusion 102 moves with respect to the groove 104 while an inclined 
surface of the protrusion 102 is contacting a corner portion of the groove 
104, and is thereby disengaged from the groove 104. These grooves 104 
correspond to the shift ranges of the automatic transmission 94, and when 
the protrusion 102 comes into any specified groove 104 among the grooves 
104, the control plate 80 is placed in a specified rotating state with the 
shaft 84 as the center and the automatic transmission 94 is thereby set in 
a specified shift range via the wire 92. Accordingly, when the control 
plate 80 rotates around the shaft 84 and the protrusion 102 moves from a 
certain groove 104 to an adjacent groove 104, the shift range of the 
automatic transmission 94 is changed one step. Meanwhile, characters "P", 
"R", . . . , "2", and "L" given to designate the grooves 104 in FIG. 1 
indicate the shift ranges of the automatic transmission 94. For example, 
when the protrusion 102 comes into the groove 104 corresponding to "P", 
the automatic transmission 94 is set in the P range (i.e., parking range), 
and when the protrusion 102 comes into the groove 104 corresponding to 
"L", the automatic transmission 94 is set in the L range (i.e., low 
range). 
A compression coil spring 110 whose one end is fixed to the vehicle body 44 
is provided at the transverse-direction left side of the 
vertical-direction intermediate portion of the control plate 80 (i.e., the 
portion bent toward the right side in the transverse direction of the 
vehicle). The control plate 80 is constantly urged by the urging force of 
the compression coil spring 110 toward the right side in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, when the control plate 80 is 
rotated with the protrusion 102 disengaged from the groove 104 and the 
protrusion 102 faces again the groove 104, the protrusion 102 comes into 
the groove 104 due to the urging force of the compression coil spring 110. 
A plurality of through holes 106 having the same number as that of the 
above-described grooves 104 are formed in the upper end of the control 
plate 80. When the protrusion 102 is fitted into the I-th groove 104 (I is 
a natural number from 1 to 6) from the front side of the vehicle, the I-th 
through hole 106 from the front side and the pin 78 face each other. In 
this state, when the lever 76 rotates around the spherical body 66 toward 
the left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle, the pin 78 comes 
into the through hole 106. 
Further, the upper end side of the front end of the control plate 80 
extends toward the left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle. A 
position detecting switch 112 is provided at the front side of the 
extending portion of the control plate 80 and is connected to the 
shift-lock solenoid 98 via control means such as a shift-lock computer. 
The position detecting switch 112 includes a button 114 projecting toward 
the rear side of the vehicle. When the protrusion 102 comes into the 
groove 104 corresponding to the P range (i.e., the front groove 104), the 
front end portion of the control plate 80 presses the button 114 so that 
the position detecting switch 112 is brought into an ON state, and 
therefore, the shift-lock stopper 100 of the shift-lock solenoid 98 
projects via the shift-lock computer and passes through the through hole 
96, thereby resulting in a shift-lock state. As a result, in this state, 
even if the protrusion 102 is disengaged from the groove 104, the control 
plate 80 cannot rotate. Accordingly, the change of the shift range of the 
automatic transmission 94 can be prevented. 
Next, an operation of the present embodiment will be described. 
In the shift lever device 10 of the present embodiment, usually, the 
protrusion 102 comes into any one of the grooves 104 and the shift lever 
24 comes into the select groove 20 due to each urging force of the helical 
coil springs 50 and 52 and of the helical coil spring 38. 
When the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed from the 
above-described state, first, the shift lever 24 is pressed toward the 
left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle against the urging 
force of the helical coil spring 38 and is moved until it abuts against 
the left-side end portion of the shift groove 18. As indicated by the 
two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the moved shift lever 24 presses the 
vertical wall 36 of the joint 30 and inclines the entire joint 30 so that 
the upper end of the joint 30 faces toward the left in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle and the lower end thereof faces toward the right 
in the transverse direction of the vehicle. As a result, the lever 48 
presses the engaging portion 70 toward the right in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle to rotate the ball shaft 60 around the spherical 
body 66, and the lever 76 moves in close to the control plate 80 so that 
the pin 78 comes into a corresponding through hole 106. 
Subsequently, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, when the 
shift lever 24 is pushed toward the front side up to the front end portion 
of the shift groove 18, the vertical wall 32 at the front side in one pair 
of vertical walls 32 is pressed by the shift lever 24 and the joint 30 
rotates around the shaft 46 against the urging force of the helical coil 
spring 50. When the joint 30 rotates, the lever 48 presses the engaging 
portion 70 toward the rear side of the vehicle to rotate the ball shaft 60 
around the spherical body 66, and the pin 78 of the lever 76 rotates the 
control plate 80 around the shaft 84. In this state, the protrusion 102 
faces a groove 104 adjacent to and at the front side of the groove 104 
into which the protrusion 102 has initially come, and the protrusion 102 
comes into the groove 104, which the protrusion 102 faces, due to the 
urging force of the compression coil spring 110, and the control plate 80 
is thereby fixed. As a result, the shift range of the automatic 
transmission 94 is, for example, changed from the N range to the P range 
via the wire 92. 
Further, in this state, when force for pressing the shift lever 24 toward 
the left in the transverse direction of the vehicle is released, the shift 
lever 24 moves to abut against the end portion of the shift groove 18 at 
the right side in the transverse direction of the vehicle due to the 
urging force of the helical coil spring 38. In this state, force of the 
lever 48 of the joint 30 pressing the engaging portion 70 decreases, and 
therefore, the ball shaft 60 rotates around the spherical body 66 due to 
the urging force of the compression coil spring 74 and the lever 76 
rotates toward the left side in the transverse direction of the vehicle. 
Further, when the lever 76 rotates, the pin 78 is disengaged from the 
through hole 106 due to the urging force of the compression coil spring 
74. In this state, when force for pressing the shift lever 24 toward the 
front side is released, the shift lever 24 moves, due to each urging force 
of the helical coil spring 50 and the helical coil spring 52, to a 
position where each urging force of the helical coil spring 50 and the 
helical coil spring 52 is well-balanced, i.e., a position where the shift 
groove 18 and the select groove 20 cross each other. Subsequently, the 
shift lever 24 comes into the select groove 20 due to the urging force of 
the helical coil spring 38. In this state, even if the shift lever 24 is 
merely pressed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the shift 
lever 24 does not swing. Moreover, the pin 78 is disengaged from the 
through hole 106, and therefore, the control plate 80 does not rotate and 
the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 does not change. 
When the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed jumping an 
intermediate shift range, for example, the shift range of the automatic 
transmission 94 is changed from the L range to the D range, the shift 
lever 24 is moved, due to the urging force of the helical coil spring 50, 
to the position where each urging force of the helical coil springs 50 and 
52 is well-balanced, i.e., the position where the shift groove 18 and the 
select groove 20 cross each other, and thereafter, it suffices that the 
shift lever 24 is further moved to the front end portion of the shift 
groove 18. By repeating this operation, the transmission can be changed to 
a desired shift range. 
Further, for example, when the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 
is changed from the P range to the N range, as indicated by the three-dot 
chain line in FIG. 4, with the shift lever 24 abutting against the end 
portion of the shift groove 18 at the left side in the transverse 
direction of the vehicle in the portion where the shift groove 18 and the 
select groove 20 cross each other, it suffices that the shift lever 24 be 
moved to the rear end portion of the shift groove 18. In this case as 
well, each rotation (displacement) of the shift lever 24, the joint 30, 
the ball shaft 60, and the control plate 80 in the longitudinal direction 
of the vehicle merely becomes reverse of that in the case in which the 
shift lever 24 is moved to the front end portion of the shift groove 18, 
and the basically same operation is effected and the shift range of the 
automatic transmission 94 is changed to a reverse direction. 
As described above, the shift lever device 10 of the present embodiment is 
constructed in such a manner that, by swinging the shift lever 24 from the 
portion where the shift groove 18 and the select groove 20 cross each 
other (i.e., the longitudinal direction intermediate portion of the shift 
groove 18) to the front end portion or rear end portion of the shift 
groove 18, the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed one 
step, and by repeating this operation, the change to a desired shift range 
is made. For this reason, irrespective of the number of shift ranges of 
the automatic transmission 94, it suffices that a stroke of the shift 
lever 24 swinging in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is that for 
two steps of shift ranges. Accordingly, the range in which the shift lever 
24 swings can be made smaller than that of a conventional shift lever and 
a space for installation of the shift lever device 10 at the side of the 
vehicle interior can thereby be decreased. For this reason, the interior 
space of the vehicle can be effectively utilized, for example, a space in 
the periphery of a driver's seat of the vehicle can be widen or can be 
used for installation of other device. 
In the present embodiment, the shift lever device 10 is provided at the 
front side of the center console box 14, but the position where the shift 
lever device 10 is installed is not limited to the position at the front 
side of the center console box 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the 
shift lever device 10 may be provided on an instrument panel 120 of the 
vehicle. In this case, the side space of a driver's seat of the vehicle 12 
is not occupied and this gives a vehicle occupant at the driver's seat a 
feeling of release without increasing the size of the vehicle 12. Further, 
as the front seat of the vehicle 12, a bench seat can be used in place of 
a normal seat. 
Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. 
Meanwhile, the basically same portions as those of the first embodiment 
will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof 
will be omitted. 
FIG. 8 shows a shift lever device 150 according to a second embodiment of 
the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in this shift lever 
device 150, the select groove 20 as provided in the shift lever device 10 
according to the first embodiment is not formed in a housing 152, and only 
the shift groove 18 is formed therein. 
Further, a cylindrical shift lever 154 whose longitudinal direction 
coincides with the vertical direction passes through the shift groove 18 
of the housing 152. A pair of plate springs 176 are provided at both sides 
of the shift lever 154 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and 
below the housing 152. The shift lever 154 is urged by the urging force of 
the plate springs 176 toward a predetermined position at the center in the 
longitudinal direction of the shift groove 18. 
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, a knob 158 having a through hole 156 which is 
open at both ends of the knob 158 in the vertical direction is mounted at 
the upper end portion of the shift lever 154. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, 
the through hole 156 of the knob 158 is formed in such a manner that the 
cross-sectional configuration thereof further at the upper side than the 
vertical-direction intermediate portion is substantially rectangular, and 
a block-shaped button 160 serving as operating means is inserted into the 
through hole 156. Further, the cross-sectional configuration of the 
through hole 156 further at the lower side than the vertical-direction 
intermediate portion is substantially circular, of which inner diameter is 
smaller than that of the upper side of the through hole 156. The lower end 
portion of the through hole 156 communicates with the interior portion of 
the shift lever 154 and a rod 162 serving as operating means to pass 
through the shift lever 154 is fixed to the button 160 via the through 
hole 156. A compression coil spring 164 is provided between the lower end 
of the button 160 and the intermediate portion of the knob 158 so as to 
urge the button 160 and the rod 162 in the upward direction. For this 
reason, in a normal state (the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. 
10), the button 160 is positioned above the intermediate portion of the 
knob 158. 
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical pipe 166 whose 
longitudinal direction coincides with the transverse direction of the 
vehicle and whose inner diameter is sufficiently larger than the outer 
diameter of the rod 162 is fixed to the lower end portion of the shift 
lever 154. A shaft 170 in which a through hole 168 passing therethrough in 
the vertical direction is formed at the longitudinal-direction 
intermediate portion of the outer periphery of the shaft 170 is inserted 
into the pipe 166. As shown in FIG. 10, the shaft 170 is supported by the 
vehicle body 44 at both ends thereof in the axial direction, and 
therefore, the shift lever 154 can rotate around the shaft 170. Further, 
as shown in FIG. 10, an opening portion 172 is formed at the longitudinal 
direction intermediate portion of the pipe 166 and the pipe 166 
communicates with the interior of the shift lever 154 via the opening 
portion 172. Moreover, an opening portion 174 is formed in the pipe 166 in 
such a manner as to face the opening portion 172. The rod 162 is inserted 
into the interior of the shift lever 154 via the opening portion 174, the 
through hole 168 of the shaft 170, and the opening portion 172. 
Further, a ball shaft 180 is provided below the shift lever 154. As shown 
in FIG. 10, the ball shaft 180 includes a spherical body 66 supported 
rotatably by the bearings 68 in the same way as in the ball shaft 60 of 
the shift lever device 10 according to the first embodiment. A lever 182 
extends upward from the outer peripheral portion of the spherical body 66. 
The upper end portion of the lever 182 is bent substantially 
perpendicularly toward the right in the transverse direction of the 
vehicle and a right-hand end portion of the bent portion is formed as an 
inclined surface 184 inclined upward and toward the right in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle. A vertical wall 186 extends from each 
of both ends of the inclined surface 184 in the longitudinal direction of 
the vehicle and the lower end portion of the rod 162 is held by these 
vertical walls 186 from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the 
vehicle. 
Here, in a state in which the button 160 has not been pressed, the lower 
end portion of the rod 162 contacts the side of the upper end of the 
inclined surface 184. When the button 160 is pressed to push down the rod 
162, the lower end of the rod 162 presses the inclined surface 184 to 
rotate the ball shaft 180 around the spherical body 66. As a result, the 
pin 78 comes into the through hole 106 of the control plate 80. In this 
state, when the shift lever 154 is pressed toward the front side of the 
vehicle or is pulled toward the rear side of the vehicle against the 
urging force of the plate springs 176 so as to be moved to the front end 
or rear end of the shift groove 18, the vertical walls 186 of the lever 
182 are pressed by the lower end portion of the rod 162 and the ball shaft 
180 is thereby rotated around the spherical body 66. As a result, the pin 
76 presses to rotate the control plate 80 around the shaft 84, and the 
protrusion 102 comes into a groove 104 adjacent to the groove 104 into 
which the protrusion 102 has initially come, thereby resulting in the 
shift range of the automatic transmission 94 being changed one step. 
Subsequently, in the above-described state, when the press of the button 
160 is released and the rod 162 moves upward due to the urging force of 
the compression coil spring 164, the ball shaft 60 rotates around the 
spherical body 66 due to the urging force of the compression coil spring 
74 and the pin 78 is disengaged from the through hole 106. When, with the 
pin 78 disengaged from the through hole 106, force for pressing or pulling 
the shift lever 154 is released, the shift lever 154 is moved back to the 
intermediate portion of the shift groove 18 due to the urging force of the 
plate springs 176. 
By repeating the above-described operation, the shift range of the 
automatic transmission 94 can be changed to a desired shift range. 
As described above, the shift lever device 150 according to the present 
embodiment is also constructed in such a manner that, by swinging the 
shift lever 154 to the front end or rear end of the shift groove 18, the 
shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed one step, and this 
operation is repeated to allow change to a desired shift range. For this 
reason, irrespective of the number of shift ranges of the automatic 
transmission 94, it suffices that a stroke of the shift lever 24 swinging 
in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is that for two steps of 
shift ranges. Accordingly, the range in which the shift lever 24 swings 
can be made smaller than that of a conventional shift lever and a space 
for installation of the shift lever device 10 at the side of the vehicle 
interior can thereby be decreased. For this reason, the interior space of 
the vehicle can be effectively utilized, for example, a space in the 
periphery of a driver's seat of the vehicle can be widen or can be used 
for installation of other device. 
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
FIG. 11 shows an exploded perspective view of a shift lever device 200 
according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in 
this figure, the shift lever device 200 includes a base 202 formed 
integrally with the vehicle body 44. A groove 204 which is open at an 
upper side is formed in the base 202. The base 202 is supported by a shaft 
170 passing through the base 202, with the lower end side of the shift 
lever 154 coming into the interior of the groove 204, in such a manner as 
to be rotatable around the shaft 170. Although the lower end portion of 
the shift lever 154 in the shift lever device 150 of the second embodiment 
is formed as the pipe 166, in the shift lever device 200 of the third 
embodiment, the lower end portion of the shift lever 154 has a 
substantially U-shaped configuration with an opening thereof being 
oriented downward and the shaft 170 passes through opposed vertical walls 
206. However, in the same way as in the second embodiment, the lower end 
portion of the shift lever 154 may be formed as the pipe 166 in the third 
embodiment as well. 
The lower end portion of the rod 162 in the shift lever device 200 is 
formed as a thin-walled plate having a thickness smaller than the 
diametrical dimension of the rod 162 at the side of the upper end thereof. 
The direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate-like lower end 
portion of the rod 162 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the 
vehicle. A lever 210 serving as connecting means is provided at the lower 
end portion of the rod 162 and is supported by a shaft 208 passing through 
the rod 162 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in such a manner 
as to rotate freely around the shaft 208 at a predetermined angle. The 
longitudinal direction of the lever 210 coincides with the vertical 
direction and the longitudinal-direction intermediate portion of the lever 
210 is bent in the transverse direction of the vehicle to have a 
substantially V-shaped configuration. A pin 214 projects from the lower 
end portion of the lever 210 toward the right in the transverse direction 
of the vehicle. Further, the lever 210 is urged by a helical coil spring 
209 provided around the shaft 208 to rotate in a right-handed direction in 
FIG. 12 (i.e., in a counterclockwise direction) with respect to the rod 
162. In the state in which the button 160 has not been pressed, the lower 
end portion of the lever 210 abuts against the upper end portion of an 
inclined surface 212 formed on the side wall of the groove 204 at the left 
side in the transverse direction of the vehicle due to the urging force of 
the helical coil spring 209. 
The direction perpendicular to the inclined surface 212 is oriented upward 
to the right. When the button 160 is pressed to lower the rod 162, the 
lever 210 moves downward due to reactive force from the inclined surface 
212 while rotating around the shaft 208. For this reason, as indicated by 
the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12, in the state in which the lever 210 has 
been lowered, the lower end portion of the lever 210 is displaced toward 
the right in the transverse direction of the vehicle as compared with the 
state before the lever 210 has been lowered (the state indicated by the 
solid line in FIG. 12). 
In the same way as in the base 86 of each shift lever device 10 and 150 
according to the first and second embodiments, a plurality of grooves 104 
is formed in the side wall at the right side of the groove 204 in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle. The protrusion 102 of the control 
plate 80 supported by the shaft 84 passing through the base 202 can come 
into each groove 104. 
Each of the through holes 106 formed in the control plate 80 corresponds to 
the pin 214 of the lever 210. In the state in which the rod 162 moves 
downward and the lower end portion of the lever 210 is displaced toward 
the right in the transverse direction of the vehicle (i.e., the state 
indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12), the pin 214 comes into 
the through hole 106. For this reason, in this state, when the shift lever 
154 is pressed toward the front side of the vehicle or pulled toward the 
rear side of the vehicle against the urging force of the plate springs 176 
and is thereby moved to the front end portion or rear end portion of the 
shift groove 18, in the same way as in the shift lever device 10 of the 
first embodiment, the control plate 80 rotates around the shaft 84 and the 
protrusion 102 comes into a groove 104 adjacent to the groove 104 into 
which the protrusion 102 has first come, thereby resulting in the shift 
range of the automatic transmission 94 being changed one step. 
Subsequently, in this state, when the press of the button 160 is released 
and the rod 162 moves upward due to the urging force of the compression 
coil spring 164, the lower end portion of the lever 210 is displaced along 
the inclined surface 212 toward the left side and the pin 214 is 
disengaged from the through hole 106. Further, when, with the pin 214 
disengaged from the through hole 106, force for pressing or pulling the 
shift lever 154 is released, the shift lever 154 is moved back to the 
intermediate portion of the shift groove 18 due to the urging force of the 
plate springs 176. 
By repeating the above-described operation, the shift range of the 
automatic transmission 94 can be changed to a desired shift range. 
As described above, the shift lever device 200 according to the present 
embodiment is also constructed in such a manner that, by swinging the 
shift lever 154 to the front end or rear end of the shift groove 18, the 
shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed one step, and this 
operation is repeated to allow change to a desired shift range. For this 
reason, irrespective of the number of shift ranges of the automatic 
transmission 94, it suffices that a stroke of the shift lever 154 swinging 
in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is that for two steps of 
shift ranges. Accordingly, the range in which the shift lever 154 swings 
can be made smaller than that of a conventional shift lever and a space 
for installation of the shift lever device 200 at the side of the vehicle 
interior can thereby be decreased. For this reason, the interior space of 
the vehicle can be effectively utilized, for example, a space in the 
periphery of a driver's seat of the vehicle can be widen or can be used 
for installation of other device. 
The location where each shift lever device 150, 200 is not limited to the 
position at the front side of the console box 14, and in the same way as 
in the first embodiment, each shift lever device 150, 200 may be provided 
on the instrument panel 120. 
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
FIG. 13 shows a side view with a principal portion of a shift lever device 
250 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention being 
enlarged. FIG. 14 shows a plan view of the principal portion of the shift 
lever device 250. 
As shown in these figures, the shift lever device 250 includes a base plate 
252 differently from each shift lever device 10, 150, 200 of the first, 
second, and third embodiments. A pair of vertical walls 254 are provided 
upright on the base plate 252 in such a manner as to be oriented upward 
(i.e., the direction indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 13). These vertical 
walls 254 face each other in the transverse direction of the base plate 
252 and a shift lever 256 is mounted between the vertical walls 254. 
The shift lever 256 includes a shaft 258 whose longitudinal direction 
coincides with the vertical direction of the vehicle (i.e., the direction 
indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 13 and the direction opposite thereto). The 
upper end side of the shaft 258 passes through the shift groove 18 of the 
housing 152 and a male screw 262 is formed at the upper end portion of the 
shaft 258. A knob 264 made of a synthetic resin material is screwed to and 
fixed to the upper end of the shaft 258 by the male screw 262. 
A cylindrical pipe 266 whose longitudinal direction coincides with the 
transverse direction of the base plate 252 is fixed to the lower end 
portion of the shaft 258. A shaft 268 passes through the interior of the 
pipe 266 and is fixed by a nut or the like in a state of passing through 
the vertical walls 254. As a result, the shift lever 256 is swingable 
around an axial line of the pipe 266. 
A helical coil spring 270 is disposed at the side of the pipe 266 near an 
axial-direction one end of the pipe 266. A coil portion of the helical 
coil spring 270 is wound onto a pin 304 of a holding portion 272 formed in 
the base plate 252 further at the front side of the vehicle than the pipe 
266 (i.e., the side of the direction indicated by arrow Y in FIGS. 13 and 
14), and one end of the helical coil spring 270 is fixed to the base plate 
252. Further, the other end of the helical coil spring 270 is fixed to the 
shaft 258 of the shift lever 256 and the helical coil spring 270 urges the 
shift lever 256 toward the rear side of the vehicle (i.e., the side of the 
direction opposite to that indicated by arrow Y in FIGS. 13 and 14). 
On the other hand, a helical coil spring 274 is disposed at the side of the 
pipe 266 near the other axial-direction end of the pipe 266. A coil 
portion of the helical coil spring 274 is wound onto a pin 306 of a 
holding portion 276 formed in the base plate 252 further at the rear side 
of the vehicle than the pipe 266 (i.e., the side of the direction opposite 
to that indicated by arrow Y in FIGS. 13 and 14), and one end of the 
helical coil spring 274 is fixed to the base plate 252. Further, the other 
end of the helical coil spring 274 is fixed to the shaft 258 of the shift 
lever 256 and the helical coil spring 274 urges the shift lever 256 toward 
the front side of the vehicle (i.e., the side of the direction indicated 
by arrow Y in FIGS. 13 and 14). 
Springs each having a substantially equal urging force (spring force) are 
used for the helical coil springs 270 and 274. When no external force 
other than the urging forces of the helical coil springs 270 and 274 acts 
on the shift lever 256, the longitudinal direction of the shift lever 256 
is oriented toward the upper surface of the base plate 252 and the shift 
lever 256 is positioned substantially at the center in a longitudinal 
direction of the shift groove 18. Further, even if the shift lever 256 is 
operated to swing toward the front side or rear side of the vehicle 
against the urging force of the helical coil spring 270 or the helical 
coil spring 274, so long as operating force (external force) for a 
swinging operation is released, the shift lever 256 returns to an initial 
position, i.e., the substantially center in the longitudinal direction of 
the shift groove 18 due to the urging force of the helical coil spring 270 
or the helical coil spring 274. 
Further, as shown in FIG. 14, an opening portion 278 whose longitudinal 
direction generally coincides with the longitudinal direction of the 
vehicle (i.e., the direction indicated by arrow Y in FIG. 14 and the 
direction opposite thereto) is formed on the base plate 252. A pair of 
vertical walls 280 are provided upright at the longitudinal-direction 
intermediate portion of the opening portion 278 and in the vicinities of 
both transverse-direction end portions thereof. A semi-circular 
disk-shaped ratchet plate 282 serving as control means is disposed above 
the opening portion 278 and between these vertical walls 280. A pipe 286 
whose longitudinal direction coincides with the transverse direction of 
the base plate 252 extends from the vicinity of a longitudinal-direction 
intermediate portion of a straight-line portion 284 in the outer 
peripheral portion of the ratchet plate 282. A shaft 288 passes through 
the interior of the pipe 286 in a state of passing through the vertical 
walls 280 and also being fixed to the vertical walls 280 by a nut or the 
like. As a result, the ratchet plate 282 is swingable around an axial line 
of the pipe 286. 
As shown in FIG. 13, a protruding portion 289 extends from a portion of a 
curved portion 292 (of a circular arc) in the outer peripheral portion of 
the ratchet plate 282 outward in the radial direction of the curved 
portion 292. As shown in FIG. 14, an engaging/stopping portion 290 is 
formed at an end of the protruding portion 289 to extend toward the right 
in the transverse direction of the vehicle (in the direction indicated by 
arrow X in FIG. 14) and one end of a wire 92 is retained in the 
engaging/stopping portion 290. Namely, with the ratchet plate 282 swinging 
around an axial line of the pipe 286, the wire 92 is displaced along the 
longitudinal direction thereof so as to allow operation of the automatic 
transmission 94. The shift range is set by a predetermined position of the 
ratchet plate 282 around the pipe 286 (i.e., the inclination of the 
ratchet plate 282 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle). 
A plurality of moderating grooves 294 are formed in a portion of a circular 
arc-shaped curved portion 292 of the ratchet plate 282. A moderating plate 
298 of which basal end portion is screwed on a supporting portion 296 
projecting from the base plate 252 is disposed to face the moderating 
grooves 294. The moderating plate 298 is a so-called plate spring. A pair 
of vertical walls 300 facing each other in the transverse direction of the 
base plate 252 extend from the end portion of the moderating plate 298 
toward the base plate 252. As shown in FIG. 14, a roller 308 whose axial 
direction coincides with the transverse direction of the base plate 252 is 
supported between these vertical walls 300. The outer peripheral portion 
of the roller 308 constantly abuts against the outer peripheral portion of 
the ratchet plate 282 (particularly, the curved portion 292) due to the 
urging force of the moderating plate 298. Further, when the roller 308 
faces any one of the moderating grooves 294 due to the ratchet plate 282 
swinging around the pipe 286, the roller 308 comes into and engages with 
the moderating groove 294 due to the urging force of the moderating plate 
298. In this state, the urging force of the moderating plate 298 becomes 
holding force and the ratchet plate 282 is thereby held at the rotational 
position. The rotational position of the ratchet plate 282 at this time 
corresponds to a predetermined shift range among a plurality of shift 
ranges set in the automatic transmission 94. 
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a plurality of pins 310 are formed to project 
from the end surface of the ratchet plate 282 at the left side in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle (i.e., the side opposite to the 
direction indicated by arrow X in FIGS. 13 and 14). These pins 310 are 
formed substantially at concyclic positions around the pipe 286 and at 
intervals of a predetermined angle. A plate 312 is provided on respective 
end portions of the pins 310 and the respective end portions of the pins 
310 are thereby connected. A hook 320 serving as connecting means is 
disposed at the upper side of these pins 310) in the vertical direction of 
the vehicle. The hook 320 is supported, in a freely rotatable manner, by a 
pin 324 which is formed to project from a bracket 322 fixed to a 
longitudinal-direction intermediate portion of the shaft 258 (more 
specifically, a position slightly above the pipe 266) toward the right in 
the transverse direction of the vehicle (i.e., the side of the direction 
indicated by arrow X in FIG. 14). Due to the rotation of the hook 320 
around the pin 324, the hook 320 moves in close to or apart from the pins 
310. 
An engaging groove 326 is formed at an end portion of the hook 320. In FIG. 
15, there is shown a side view in which the engaging groove 326 is 
enlarged. As shown in this figure, the transverse dimension of the 
engaging groove 326 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the pin 
310 so that the pin 310 can come into the engaging groove 326. Further, an 
internal wall of the engaging groove 326 from the intermediate portion 
thereof in the direction of depth of the engaging groove 326 to an open 
side thereof (the side of the pin 310) is formed as a taper portion 328 
which gradually increases an opening width of the groove toward the open 
side thereof. 
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a protruding portion 330 is formed at a 
longitudinal-direction intermediate portion of the hook 320 to extend 
toward the lower side of the vehicle (i.e., the side of the direction 
opposite to that indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 13). A hook guide 332 formed 
to project from the base plate 252 toward the upper side of the vehicle 
faces the protruding portion 330. The upper end portion of the hook guide 
332 is formed as a taper portion 334 which gradually increases an opening 
width toward the upper side. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, by swinging the 
shift lever 256 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the 
protruding portion 300 is allowed to abut against the taper portion 334 of 
the hook guide 332. When the shift lever 256 is further swung in the same 
direction from the above state, the protruding portion 330 is guided by 
the taper portion 334 to slide upward. As a result, the hook 320 rotates 
around the pin 324 in the upward direction. 
Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a helical coil spring 336 is provided 
in the pin 324 of the bracket 322. One end of the helical coil spring 336 
is fixed to the bracket 332 and the other end thereof is fixed to the hook 
320. The hook 320 is constantly urged, around the pin 324, toward the 
lower side. 
In the shift lever device 250 having the above-described structure, for 
example, when the shift lever 256 is swung around the pipe 266 toward the 
rear side of the vehicle (i.e., the side of the direction opposite to that 
indicated by arrow Y in FIGS. 13 and 14), as shown in FIG. 15, the 
engaging groove 326 of the hook 320 presses the pin 310 of the ratchet 
plate 282, which is engaged with the engaging groove 326, so as to rotate 
the ratchet plate 282 around the pipe 286 in the direction indicated by 
arrow A in FIG. 13. As a result, the wire 92 is pulled to allow operation 
of the automatic transmission 94. Further, at this time, the roller 308 
having come into any one moderating groove 294 is guided along the 
inclined surface of the moderating groove 294 against the urging force 
(spring force) of the moderating plate 298 and is thereby about to come 
out from the moderating groove 294. 
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, when the ratchet plate 282 is rotated at 
an angle corresponding to an amount of one pitch of the plurality of pins 
310 (i.e., an angle .theta. shown in FIG. 13), the automatic transmission 
94 is changed via the wire 92 to another shift range, for example, changed 
from the N range to the D range. Further, the moderating grooves 294 are 
formed at the same pitch as the angle at which the pins 310 are each 
formed, and therefore, when the ratchet plate 282 is rotated at an angle 
corresponding to one pitch of the pins 310, the roller 308 comes into a 
moderating groove 294, which is disposed adjacently, at the side opposite 
to the direction in which the ratchet plate 282 rotates, to the moderating 
groove 294 into which the roller 308 has come, due to the urging force 
(spring force) of the moderating plate 298. The sense of resistance caused 
by the urging force of the moderating plate 298 when the roller 308 is 
disengaged from the moderating groove 294 and the impact caused by the 
urging force of the moderating plate 298 when the roller 308 comes into 
the moderating groove 294 are each transmitted as the sense of moderation 
to the hand or the like of an operator. For this reason, the shift range 
can be changed without an operator visually confirming the shift lever 256 
and the like during the operation. 
Moreover, when the shift lever 256 is swung toward the rear side of the 
vehicle from the above-described state, the protruding portion 330 is 
guided by the taper portion 334 of the hook guide 332 and slides upward, 
and the hook 320 rotates in the direction opposite to that indicated by 
arrow B in FIGS. 13 and 15 against the urging force of the helical coil 
spring 336 (see the state shown in FIG. 16). As a result, the pin 310 
having come into the engaging groove 326 is displaced relatively toward 
the side of an open side of the engaging groove 326 and faces the taper 
portion 328 of the engaging groove 326. When the shift lever 256 is 
further swung toward the rear side of the vehicle from this state, the 
hook 320 further rotates in the direction opposite to that indicated by 
arrow B in FIGS. 13 and 15 due to reactive force applied from the taper 
portion 334 of the hook guide 332 to the protruding portion 330 and 
reactive force applied from the pin 324 to the taper portion 328 of the 
engaging groove 326. At this time, the internal wall of the engaging 
groove 326 by which the pin 310 has been pressed is displaced toward the 
side apart from the pin 310. Accordingly, even when the internal wall of 
the engaging groove 326 presses the pin 310 toward the rear side of the 
vehicle, the pressing force becomes smaller than that at the time of 
rotating the ratchet plate 282 by an amount of the angle corresponding to 
one pitch of the pin 310. In addition, at this time, the roller 308 is 
brought into a state of having come into a moderating groove 294 adjacent 
to the moderating groove 294 into which the roller 308 has come, and 
therefore, reduced pressing force cannot overcome to the holding force by 
which the roller 308 comes into the moderating groove 294 (i.e., the 
pressing force at this time does not allow the roller 308 to be disengaged 
from the moderating groove 294 against the spring force of the moderating 
plate 298). Accordingly, at this time, there is no possibility that the 
ratchet plate 282 rotate by the hook 320. The hook 320 rotates by reactive 
force applied from the pin 310 in the direction opposite to the direction 
indicated by arrow B in FIGS. 13 and 15. 
Subsequently, when the pressing force applied to the shift lever 256 toward 
the rear side of the vehicle is released from the above-described state, 
the shaft 258 is pressed toward the front side of the vehicle due to the 
urging force of the helical coil spring 274 and the shift lever 256 
rotates around the pipe 266 in the direction opposite to the direction 
indicated by arrow A in FIG. 13 until it is located at the position where 
each urging force of the helical coil spring 274 and the helical coil 
spring 270 is well-balanced, i.e., at the center of the shift groove 18 in 
the longitudinal direction thereof. At this time, the hook 320 also 
rotates in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow A in 
FIG. 13 and further rotates around the pin 324 due to the urging force of 
the helical coil spring 336 in the direction indicated by arrow B in FIGS. 
13 and 15. In the state prior to the above operation, the ratchet plate 
282 rotates only by an amount of one pitch of the pin 310. At the position 
where the pin 310 having come into the engaging groove 326 in the state 
before a swinging operation of the shift lever 256 is located, a pin 310 
which is disposed adjacent to the pin 310 having come into the engaging 
groove 326 in the state before the swinging operation of the shift lever 
256 at the side opposite to the direction in which the ratchet plate 282 
rotates during the swinging operation of the shift lever 256 is located. 
Accordingly, due to the shift lever 256 returning to the position where 
each urging force of the helical coil spring 274 and the helical coil 
spring 270 is well-balanced, a pin 310 which subsequently comes to face 
the engaging groove 326, namely, a pin 310 adjacent, at the side opposite 
to the direction in which the ratchet plate 282 rotates during the 
swinging operation of the shift lever 256, to the pin 310 having come into 
the engaging groove 326 before the swinging operation of the shift lever 
256 comes into the engaging groove 326. 
Further, even if the hook 320 rotates around the pin 324 due to the urging 
force of the helical coil spring 336 in the direction opposite to the 
direction indicated by arrow B in FIGS. 13 and 15 during a period from the 
time when the pressing force applied to the shift lever 256 toward the 
rear side of the vehicle is released to the time when the shift lever 256 
returns to the position where each urging force of the helical coil spring 
274 and the helical coil spring 270 is well-balanced, the pin 310 having 
previously come into the engaging groove 326 merely abuts against the 
taper portion 328 at the side in which the ratchet plate 282 rotates 
during the swinging operation of the shift lever 256. Accordingly, the 
taper portion 328 is pressed substantially upward by the pin 310 and the 
pin 310 is relatively disengaged from the engaging groove 326. 
Accordingly, even in this case, the hook 320 can be reliably engaged with 
a newly opposed pin 310. 
By repeating the above-described swinging operation of the shift lever 256 
toward the rear side of the vehicle and release of the swinging operation, 
the shift range can be changed one step for each time. Further, when the 
swinging operation of the shift lever 256 toward the front of the vehicle 
is effected and the swinging operation is released, the ratchet plate 282 
is rotated by one pitch of the pin 310 in the direction opposite to the 
direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 13 in the substantially same way as 
in the case of the swinging operation of the shift lever 256 toward the 
rear side of the vehicle and release of this swinging operation. Due to 
repetition of the swinging operation of the shift lever 256 and the 
release of this swinging operation, the shift range can be changed one 
stage for each time. Namely, by swinging the shift lever 256 in the 
longitudinal direction of the vehicle a proper number of times, the change 
to a desired shift range can be made possible. 
As described above, although the operation of the shift lever device 250 in 
the present embodiment is different from that of each shift lever device 
10, 150, 200 according to the above-described first, second, and third 
embodiments, the shift lever device 250 is the same as those of the other 
embodiments in that the shift range can be changed one step by one 
swinging operation of the shift lever device and the swinging operation is 
repeated to allow the change to a desired shift range. Accordingly, the 
shift lever device 250 of the present embodiment can basically obtain the 
same effect as that of each shift lever device 10, 150, 200 according to 
the first, second, and third embodiments. 
Further, in the shift lever device 250 according to the present embodiment, 
it suffices that the shift lever 256 be merely operated to swing. For 
example, it is not necessary that the shift lever 24 be moved in a select 
direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the shift-operating 
direction) prior to the shift operation of the shift lever 24 in the same 
way as in the shift lever device 10 according to the first embodiment. 
Moreover, it is also unnecessary that the button 160 of the knob 158 be 
pressed prior to the shift operation of the shift lever 154 in the same 
way as in each shift lever device 150, 200 according to the second and 
third embodiments. 
Each of the above-described embodiments has a structure in which the shift 
range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed in such a manner that 
the protrusion 102 (214) is inserted into the through hole 106 of the 
control plate 80 at the intermediate portion of the shift groove 18, and 
in this state, the shift lever 24 (154) is moved toward the front end or 
rear end of the shift groove 18, namely, a structure in which the shift 
range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed during the forward 
movement of the shift lever 24 (154). However, the present invention is 
not limited to the same. For example, there may also be applied a 
structure in which the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is 
changed in such a manner that the shift lever 24 (154) is moved toward the 
front end or rear end of the shift groove 18, and in this state, the 
protrusion 102 (214) is inserted into the through hole 106 of the control 
plate 80, and thereafter, the shift lever 24 (154) is moved back to the 
intermediate portion of the shift groove 18, namely, a structure in which 
the shift range of the automatic transmission 94 is changed during a 
backward movement of the shift lever 24 (154) after the forward movement 
thereof. 
As described above, the shift lever device according to the present 
invention allows installation of the device in a small space, and 
therefore, it is possible to effectively utilize the space of a vehicle 
interior, for example, to widen a space in the periphery of a driver's 
seat or to use the space for installation of other devices.