A shift lock mechanism for a vehicle, the shift lock mechanism comprising:
- a selector lever selecting a transmission gear of an automatic transmission of the vehicle;
- a member to be locked that is provided to the selector lever;
- an engaging part provided to the member to be locked at a position corresponding to the transmission gear selected by using the selector lever;
- a lock member disposed so as to face the member to be locked and engageable with the engaging part;
- a slope part disposed at an end of the lock member and configured to prevent the lock member from being caught when the lock member is being engaged or disengaged;
- a driving device configured to drive the lock member so that the lock member is engaged with the engaging part to lock the selector lever and configured to drive the lock member so that the lock member is disengaged and retracted from the engaging part to enable the selector lever to move;
- a buffer member provided to the driving device and configured to be compressed to urge the lock member toward the member to be locked while the lock member is retracted;
- and
- a control device configured to receive a depression signal from a brake pedal of the vehicle and a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle and comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions for causing the processor to
- control the driving device by energizing or de-energizing the driving device,
- wherein the selector lever is configured to swing around a rotation axis,
- wherein the member to be locked includes a flat surface orthogonal to the rotation axis and swings with the selector lever around the rotation axis,
- wherein the engaging part includes a lock hole opening in the flat surface,
- wherein the driving device is configured to move the lock member along an axis parallel to the rotation axis,
- wherein the end of the lock member:
- a) faces an opening of the lock hole i) when the lock member is retracted and ii) when the transmission gear selected by using the selector lever is a neutral range, and
- b) faces a portion of the flat surface excluding the opening of the lock hole i) when the lock member is retracted, and ii) when the transmission gear selected by using the selector lever is a reverse range or a drive range,
- wherein the processor is configured to:
- energize the driving device to contact the end of the lock member with the portion of the flat surface excluding the opening of the lock hole:
- i) when the transmission gear selected by using the selector lever is the reverse range or the drive range, and
- ii) when a vehicle speed calculated based on the received vehicle speed signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
- and
- de-energize the driving device to retract the lock member:
- i) when the transmission gear selected by using the selector lever is the reverse range or the drive range, and
- ii) when the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value, and
- wherein the buffer member is configured to be compressed when the end of the lock member is in contact with the portion of the flat surface excluding the opening of the lock hole.