CN113217618A

CN113217618A - Shifting device for a transmission

Info

Publication number: CN113217618A
Application number: CN202110072214.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯晓明; 李晓明; 周然
Original assignee: Knorr Bremse Braking Systems For Commercial Vehicles Dalian Co Ltd
Current assignee: Knorr Bremse Braking Systems For Commercial Vehicles Dalian Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-21
Filing date: 2021-01-20
Publication date: 2021-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2041-01-20
Also published as: CN113217618B; WO2021146916A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a shifting device for a transmission, in particular a vehicle transmission, having at least two shifting units (50, 60, 70), comprising: at least two gear shift levers (51, 61, 71) connected to the at least two gear shift units (50, 60, 70) of the transmission mechanism, respectively; a main shaft (10) configured to support the at least two shifting units (50, 60, 70) in an x-direction extending parallel to a longitudinal direction of the main shaft (10); a selection drive block (21) configured to be movable in a y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction and to transmit a force provided by the selection actuator (20) to the adapter (40) in the y-direction; a shift drive block (31) configured to transmit a force provided by the shift actuator (30) to the adapter (40) in the x-direction, wherein the adapter (40) is configured to move in the y-direction into at least two predetermined positions in which the adapter (40) is brought into connection with only one of the shift levers (51, 61, 71) at a time, whereby the respective shift unit (50, 60, 70) is movable in the x-direction for shifting.

Description

Shifting device for a transmission

Technical Field

The invention relates to a shifting device for a transmission. In particular, the invention relates to a shifting device for a vehicle transmission with at least two shifting units.

Background

In the prior art of vehicle transmissions, sliding sleeves are used to form a rotationally fixed connection between a gear wheel pivoted on a shaft and the shaft itself, in order to engage the gear wheel. Typically, the sliding sleeve can be provided in up to three positions on the shaft. In one position the sliding sleeve forms a rotationally fixed connection with one gear wheel on the shaft, in a second position the sliding sleeve forms a rotationally fixed connection with another gear wheel on the shaft, and in yet another position the sliding sleeve does not form any connection at all with the gear wheel. This position is referred to as the neutral position. The movement of the sliding sleeve is usually transmitted by means of a shift fork which serves as a shifting unit and is in form-fitting connection with the sliding sleeve. A shift fork is connected to a sliding sleeve.

Since most transmissions have more than one sliding sleeve to provide more than two gears, more than one fork is also required. Such a shifting device for a transmission having more than one shift fork is disclosed in DE 102006005249 a1 and is shown in fig. 1 of the present application. The gear change device according to fig. 1 comprises three shift rods (51, 61, 71) arranged in parallel, each connected to an associated shift fork (not shown). The shift levers (51, 61, 71) are movable independently of each other along a y-direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shift levers (51, 61, 71). Furthermore, the gear shift device according to fig. 1 comprises a shift shaft 34 which is positioned in the x-direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the three shift levers (51, 61, 71) and thus perpendicular to the y-direction.

In addition, the adapter 40 is fixedly mounted on the shift spindle 34. The adapter 40 comprises a gearshift pawl 41 which can engage by form-coupling with a recess formed in each gearshift lever (51, 61, 71). A shift pawl 41 is mounted in the adapter 40 and rotatable about the shift shaft 34 and projects outwardly of the adapter 40 in a direction towards the shift levers (51, 61, 71) so that it can be coupled with one of the shift levers at a time. In other words, if the shift spindle 34 moves in the x direction, the adaptor 40 and the shift pawl 41 also move in the same direction, but conversely, if the shift spindle 34 rotates, only the shift pawl 41 rotates, while the adaptor 40 does not rotate.

Furthermore, the gear shifting device according to fig. 1 comprises one selection actuator 20 and one shift actuator 30. The shift actuator 30 is at a distance from the shift axle 34 in a direction perpendicular to both the x-direction and the y-direction, and the shift actuator 30 is connected to the shift axle 34 by a rod 39, forming a crank mechanism and allowing the shift actuator 30 to rotate the shift axle 34 about its longitudinal axis. Both

actuators

20, 30 are designed as hydraulic linear actuators.

By operating the selection actuator 20, the adapter 40 and the shift pawl 41 together with the shift shaft 34 on which they are mounted move along an x-direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shift shaft 34 and thus perpendicular to the shift levers 51, 61, 71. By moving the shift pawl 41 in the x direction along the shift shaft 34, the shift pawl can engage with a recess of the shift lever (51, 61, 71), and thus selection of one of the shift levers 51, 61, 71 and its corresponding shift fork can be made.

After the desired

shift lever

51, 61, 71 has been selected, the actual shifting movement of the shift fork can be performed. For this purpose, the shift actuator 30 is activated. The longitudinal movement caused by the shift actuator is converted into a rotational movement of the shift spindle 34 by means of the lever 39 and the crank mechanism. Therefore, the shift pawl 41 also rotates with the shift spindle 34. By this movement, the shift pawl 41 engaged with one of the shift levers 51, 61, 71 is moved in the y direction, whereby the engaged

shift lever

51, 61, 71 and the corresponding shift fork are also moved in the y direction. Thus, the selected shift fork can move the sliding sleeve to a predetermined position, thereby engaging the gear.

A disadvantage of the shifting device according to the prior art described above is that it requires a large space. This is mainly due to the need for a shift shaft arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shift lever. In addition to the shift shaft, the layout width of the gear shift device is large, especially considering that a selection actuator is required in extension of the shift shaft.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present application to provide a gear shift device which exhibits a high level of integration and has less space requirements than the above-mentioned prior art designs.

This object is solved by the subject matter according to claim 1. Advantageous further developments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the shifting device for a transmission having at least two shifting units comprises at least two shift levers which are respectively connected to the at least two shifting units of the transmission or are integrally formed in one piece with the at least two shifting units. This means that each gear lever is connected to exactly one gear shifting unit. The gear shift device according to the invention further comprises a main shaft on which at least two shift forks are supported so as to be still movable in the longitudinal direction of the main shaft (also referred to as x-direction). The gear shift unit and the gear shift lever connected thereto can therefore only be moved along the longitudinal axis of the main shaft. The gear change device according to the invention further comprises a selection drive block which is arranged to be movable in a y-direction extending perpendicularly to the x-direction and which transmits the force provided by the selection actuator to the adapter in the y-direction. Furthermore, a shift drive block is provided, which is configured to transmit a force provided by the shift actuator to the adapter in the x-direction.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the shift drive block and the selection drive block are formed in two distinct parts. Furthermore, also in an advantageous embodiment, the adapter is also formed as a separate part from both the selection drive block and the shift drive block.

According to the invention, the adapter is configured to be moved in the y-direction into the same number of predetermined positions as the gear lever. In the predetermined position, the adapter engages with only one of the shift levers at a time. Once the adapter is in one of these predetermined positions, the selected corresponding shifting unit can be moved in the x-direction to a different predetermined position to shift the selected gear. Each of these predetermined positions results in either engagement of the respective sliding sleeve of the shifted gear shifting unit with a gear or a neutral position in which no gear is engaged.

With the gear shift device according to the invention, long shift shafts which are connected to the two actuators and can be moved along their axes can be avoided. Thus, the level of integration can be increased and smaller embodiments of the shifting device with less space requirements can be realized.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the possible connection between the adapter and the shift lever is formed in a positive-locking manner. Additionally or alternatively, the connection between the shift drive block and the adapter is also formed in a form-locking manner.

This embodiment is particularly advantageous if the adapter can be engaged with the gear shift lever by means of a gear shift pawl which forms part of the adapter and can be engaged with a recess formed in each gear shift lever or gear shift drive block, respectively. In the present application, the term "shift pawl" is understood to mean any protrusion extending toward the exterior of the adapter in a direction perpendicular to both the x-direction and the y-direction. The shift pawls may be provided in various shapes, such as cubes, cuboids, spheres, or other shapes. The recesses in the shift lever or shift drive block are formed in corresponding shapes, respectively.

In another advantageous embodiment of the above-mentioned embodiment, the shifter pawl is configured to be able to be pushed into the adapter in such a way that the shifter pawl does not engage any recess of any shift lever. Thus, the shift pawl is configured to sink into the adapter.

In addition, it is advantageous if the shift pawl is shaped to allow the shift pawl to be pushed out of one of the recesses in the shift lever with which it is engaged while the force in the x-direction is still transmitted to the shift lever when the adapter is moved in the y-direction. For example, such a shape is a shape having a rectangular cross section when viewed in the y direction and a triangular cross section when viewed in the x direction. Due to the triangular shape, the shift pawl is pushed inside the adapter when moving in the y-direction. On the other hand, the rectangular shape provides a form-locking connection in the x-direction.

This embodiment allows the shifting device to engage the gear at a higher speed. Although in other embodiments the adapter together with the selected gear lever will first be put into the neutral position in order to select a new gear lever, the selection of the gear lever may also start from a position other than the neutral position, as long as the gear lever is returned to said neutral position by a different mechanism than the gear shift mechanism. Such a different mechanism provided for bringing the gear lever into its neutral position may be, for example, a spring mechanism or a spring which exerts a pushing restoring force on the gear lever in a direction towards the neutral position when the adapter moves the gear lever out of the neutral position. If the select actuator is activated from a non-neutral position, the force exerted by the select actuator on the adapter and its shift pawl will cause the shift pawl to be pushed into the adapter due to its triangular shaped cross section as viewed in the x-direction and thus to disengage from the selected gear shift lever. This allows both the select actuator and the shift actuator to be activated simultaneously, rather than simply sequentially. Once the connection is broken, the gear lever is returned to its neutral position by a spring mechanism such as described above, and the gears are also disengaged. On the other hand, the adapter is moved in the fastest possible manner to engage the shift pawl with the recesses of different shift levers. Once a different shift lever is selected, it can be moved in the x direction to engage a new gear. By being able to use both actuators simultaneously instead of sequentially when changing gear, the gear shifting process can be performed at a higher speed.

In another advantageous embodiment of this embodiment, the selection drive block comprises at least one protrusion configured to engage with a recess of at least one shift lever when the shift lever is not engaged with the shift pawl of the adapter. This embodiment has the advantage that a gear shift lever which is not engaged with the shift pawl of the adapter and which therefore should not be moved can be fixed in the neutral position. In this way, it is possible to ensure that movements of the gear lever which should not be moved due to a frictional connection between the gear levers are avoided.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the adapter is arranged in a central part of the selection drive block in the y direction. In addition, the select drive block includes two protrusions, one on each side of the adapter, configured to engage with the recesses of the shift lever at least one location of the adapter. Thus, it can be ensured that, in each position of the adapter, the shift lever, which is not intended to move on both sides of the adapter, can be fixed in a neutral position in which the shift lever is not engaged with a gear.

In a different advantageous embodiment of the invention, each of the gear shift levers comprises a shift pawl which is configured to engage with a recess formed in the adapter and which can be pushed into the interior of the respective gear shift lever, in particular by a movement of the adapter in the y-direction, in such a way that the shift pawl does not engage with the recess of the adapter.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the selection drive block transmits the force provided by the selection actuator to the adapter in a form-fitting manner. Additionally or alternatively, the shift drive block also transmits the force provided by the shift actuator to the adapter in a form-fitting manner. The form-locking connection to the adapter is a technically relatively simple way of transmitting force. It does not require complex components and in most cases is easy to design for a given space requirement of the device. Thus, advantages are provided in terms of low-cost production and maintenance of the components involved, in particular compared to other force transmission means (e.g. magnetic or electromagnetic or frictional connections).

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the gear change device further comprises a selection stop configured to lock the selection drive block and thus the adapter in each position in which the adapter moved by the selection drive block engages with only one of the gear shift levers at a time. Additionally or alternatively, the gear shifting device comprises a gear shift stop configured to lock the gear shift drive block in each position in which the respective gear shift lever engaged with the adapter is located in one of the predetermined positions along the x-direction. This embodiment provides the possibility of ensuring that a predetermined position in the y-direction or the x-direction is maintained throughout the joining process. Furthermore, it must be ensured that the force exerted by the stopper to hold the adapter in the x-direction or y-direction, respectively, is chosen to be smaller than the force that the corresponding actuator can exert.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the shifting apparatus further comprises: at least one selection position sensor configured to detect a position of the selection driving block; and/or at least one shift position sensor configured to detect a position of the shift drive block. Thus, the position of the adapter can be detected and transmitted to the control unit, which controls the gear shifting device. Knowing the exact position of the adapter is important to firstly provide a firm and unambiguous connection between the adapter and the gear lever and to ensure a correct end position of the adapter movement and secondly to be able to move the adapter to the correct direction and thus to ensure a correct selection or shifting movement.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the selection actuator and/or the shift actuator is any one of a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator or an electric actuator. All three different actuators provide suitable alternatives in terms of low cost solutions, which may provide sufficient dynamics and motion accuracy.

The invention further comprises a method for shifting gears with a gear shifting device according to claim 5. According to the method, the selection actuator and the shift actuator of the gear shift device may be activated at least partially simultaneously.

Whereas in the method according to the prior art the shift actuator can be activated only after the selection actuator has ensured that the correct shift lever has been selected. Thus, a method that is capable of performing both a shifting motion and a selecting motion at least partially simultaneously may achieve a reduction in selecting and shifting time.

Drawings

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in more detail based on one embodiment using the corresponding drawings. These figures show:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shifting device according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shifter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shifting unit of FIG. 2 in the y-direction.

Fig. 4a, 4b, 4c are top views of the main parts of the gear change device of fig. 2, with the adapter in three different selection positions.

Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c are top views of the main parts of the gear change device of fig. 2, wherein the adapter is in three different gear change positions.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a shifting device of a transmission according to the prior art. A detailed description of this figure can be found above, which is why only the basic functional concept is described here.

The gear shifting device according to fig. 1 has two actuators, namely one selection actuator 20 and one shift actuator 30. The selection actuator is arranged to move the shift axle 34 along its longitudinal axis in the y-direction, while the shift actuator 30 is arranged to rotate the shift axle 34 about its longitudinal axis. An adapter 40 is mounted on the shift spindle 34 and includes a first shift pawl 41. The adapter 40 is mounted on the shift spindle 34 in the following manner: when the shift spindle 34 moves, the adaptor can move in the y direction together with the shift spindle 34, but cannot rotate together with the shift spindle 34. In other words, the adapter is rotatably mounted on the shaft 34. In contrast, the first shift pawl 41 is mounted to be securely attached to the shift axle 34 in both the rotational direction and the y-direction. The shift pawl 41 is engageable with a

shift lever

51, 61, 71, the

shift lever

51, 61, 71 being connected to a

shift fork

50, 60, 70 (not shown) of a gear shift device, which in turn may engage a gear of a transmission. In this embodiment, a shift fork is used as the shifting unit.

For gear shifting, the first shift pawl 41 is moved in the y-direction by the selection actuator 20 via the shift shaft 34 to select the desired

shift lever

51, 61, 71. Once the first shift pawl 41 is in the desired position in the y-direction and engaged with the desired

correct shift lever

51, 61, 71, the shift actuator 30 rotates the shift shaft 34 by means of which the shift pawl is also rotated. Due to the rotation and coupling between the shift pawl and the shift lever, the shift lever is moved in the x-direction and the gears of the transmission mechanism are engaged.

On the other hand, fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the gear shift device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. All reference numerals of corresponding parts in fig. 1 remain the same. The gear change device 1 comprises a main shaft 10 oriented in the x direction of the gear change device 1, which main shaft supports three

shift forks

50, 60, 70, the

shift forks

50, 60, 70 being movable in the x direction. As in the shifting device according to fig. 1, the

shift forks

50, 60, 70 are each connected to a sliding sleeve (not shown) through which the gears of the transmission can be engaged when the sliding sleeve is moved into a predetermined position in the x-direction. This means that the gears of the transmission can be engaged if the

forks

50, 60, 70 are moved to a predetermined position. Each

fork

50, 60, 70 also has a position in which no gear is engaged, which is a neutral position. One of the shift levers 51, 61, 71 is fixedly attached to each of the

shift forks

50, 60, 70, and the shift levers 51, 61, 71 are all arranged in parallel in the x-direction.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the shifting device of fig. 2 in the y-direction. Each of the shift levers 51, 61, 71 has a recess 52, 62, 72, respectively, having a rectangular groove. With all the

forks

50, 60, 70 in their neutral position, the recesses 52, 62, 72 are aligned in the x direction at a height such that the grooves are exactly in the same position in the x direction. The adapter 40 is connected to the shift lever 51 in the x direction in a form-locking manner. As a result, a force applied to the adapter 40 in the x-direction will be transferred to the shift lever 51 and cause it to move in the x-direction.

Further, the select drive block 21 shows two protrusions 211 (fig. 2) on each side of the adapter 40. In the position of the select drive block 21 shown in fig. 2, these projections engage with the recesses 62 of the shift lever 61 on one side of the adapter 40 and with the recesses 72 (not shown) of the shift lever 71 on the other side of the adapter 40. This ensures that if the shift lever 51 is moved by the adaptor 40, the other two

shift levers

61, 71 remain in the neutral position. It has to be noted that the width of the protrusion 211 in the y-direction has to be larger than the width of the gear lever, since in case one of the

external gear levers

61, 71 is selected, one of the protrusions 211 has to be able to hold two adjacent gear levers.

Further, in fig. 2, it can be seen that the adapter 40 is arranged in a central position of the selection drive block 21. Furthermore, the selection actuator 20 is provided as a hydraulic actuator which, once activated, causes a movement of the selection drive block 21 in the y direction via the selection shaft 24. The adapter 40 is clamped in the central recess of the select drive block 21 in such a way that: selecting movement of the drive block 21 in the y direction also causes movement of the adapter 40 in the same direction. Further, a selection position sensor 23 and a selection stopper 22 are disposed on the selection drive block 21. The select position sensor 23 detects the exact position of the select drive mass 21 and the select stop 22 locks the select drive mass 21 in a predetermined position with a predetermined force that is less than the force that the select actuator can exert.

A second shift pawl 42 is provided on the other side of the adapter 40 along the x-direction. The second shift pawl 42 is connected in a form-locking manner to a recess 311, which recess 311 is formed in the shift drive block 31 (see also fig. 3). This means that movement of the shift drive block 31 in the x-direction causes movement of the adapter 40 in the x-direction. Furthermore, the shift actuator 30 is provided as a hydraulic actuator which, when activated, moves the shift driving block 31 in the x-direction via a small shift shaft (not shown). Furthermore, a shift position sensor 33 and a shift stopper 32 are provided. The shift position sensor 33 detects the exact position of the shift drive block 31, and the shift stopper 32 locks the shift drive block 31 in a predetermined position with a predetermined force that is less than the force that the shift actuator 30 can apply.

Both the shift stopper 32 and the select stopper 22 may be implemented by a spring that pushes a ball on the surface of the shift drive block 31 or the select drive block 21, respectively. The stops 22, 32 do not move with the drive blocks 21, 31 but are locked in a fixed position relative to, for example, the housing of the gear shift device. On the surface, small grooves are formed at predetermined positions corresponding to the predetermined positions of the adapter 40. If the drive blocks 21, 31 are moved by the

respective actuators

20, 30, the balls of the

stops

22, 32 are pressed slightly lower against and along the surface by the bias of the springs. Once the balls reach the grooves, they slide into the grooves and thus form a locking mechanism, since the balls cannot be removed from the grooves again until a force is applied. Thus, it is possible to ensure that the selected shift fork is locked in its predetermined position.

The process of engaging the gear with the above described gear shifting device will now be explained in detail with reference to fig. 4a to 4 c. Fig. 4a to 4c each provide a top view of the main parts of the gear change device of fig. 2, wherein the adapter is in three different selection positions in each figure. In all three figures, the shift lever is in a neutral position in the x-direction. In order to visually highlight the different positions of the adapter 40 in each figure, two dashed lines are shown in all three figures 4a to 4 c.

In fig. 4a, the rightmost adapter 40 is positioned above the shift lever 61 in the plane of projection and is connected to said shift lever 61 by its first shift finger 41 and a recess 62 in the shift lever 61. In fig. 4a it can be seen that the selection stop 22 is on the far left of the selection drive block 21 in the projection plane and locks the selection drive block 21 in this position.

Once the selection drive block 21 is moved leftward on the projection plane by the selection actuator 20, the adapter 40 is also moved in the same direction because the adapter is pushed by the selection drive block 21. The force applied by the selection actuator is greater than the locking force of the detent 22. Once the adapter 40 reaches the predetermined position, the selection position sensor 23 sends a signal to the control device, which then stops the selection actuator and the stop locks the position of the selection drive block 21 and thus of the adapter 40. This position is shown in fig. 4b, where the adapter is positioned above the shift lever 51 and connected to the shift lever 51. Comparing fig. 4a and 4b, it can be seen that the select drive block 21 and the adapter 40 have been moved to the left in the projection plane.

The same mechanism applies when the adapter 40 is moved from the position of fig. 4b to the position of fig. 4 c. Of course, it is also possible to move directly from the position shown in fig. 4a to the position shown in fig. 4c without stopping at the position of fig. 4 b. In this case, the control means stops the selection actuator 20 when the selection position sensor 23 indicates that the selection drive block 21 is in the position of fig. 4 c.

Furthermore, with reference to fig. 5a to 5c, the shifting movement of the shifting device is explained below. All three figures show a top view of the main part of the gearshift of fig. 2, with the adapter in three different gearshift positions, but always engaged with the same gearshift lever 51, which means that the adapter is always in the same selection position. As in fig. 4a to 4c, two dashed lines are shown in fig. 5a to 5c to highlight the different positions of the shift lever 51 and the shift fork 50.

The neutral position of the shift lever 51 is shown in fig. 5 b. If the shift actuator 30 is activated and moves the shift drive block 31 in the x-direction, the adapter 40 and the shift lever 51 also move in the same direction, as can be seen by comparing fig. 5b with fig. 5 c. Thus, the shift fork 50 also moves in the positive x-direction and engages the gear. Once the shift fork 50 and thus the adapter 40 and the shift drive block 31 reach the predetermined position, the shift position sensor 33 sends a signal to the control device which stops the shift actuator 30 and the shift fork 32 locks the position of the shift drive block 31 in the manner described above.

The same mechanism applies when the shift fork 50 is moved out of the neutral position against the x-direction. The predetermined position after movement against the x-direction is shown in fig. 5 a. Here, it can be seen that both the shift drive block 21 and the adapter 40 are moved to the right against the x direction in the projection plane together with the shift rod 51 and the shift fork 50. It goes without saying that also in the shifting movement, there is no need to stop in the neutral position when moving from one end position (fig. 4a) to another end position (fig. 4 c).

Similar to the above, the other shift levers (61, 71) can also be shifted in the same manner. In this embodiment, the selection movement to select a new shift lever is only possible in the neutral position of each shift lever. This means that the respective shift lever engaged with the adapter must first be moved into its neutral position before a new shift lever can be selected.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 Shifting device

10 spindle

20 selection actuator

21 select drive block

22 selection stopper

23 selection position sensor

24 selection shaft

30 shift actuator

31 shift driving block

32 shift stopper

33 Shift position sensor

34 Shift shaft

39 rod

40 adapter

41 first pawl

42 second pawl

50 first Shift fork (Shift Unit)

51 Shift Lever of first Shift fork

52 recess of shift lever of first shift fork

60 second Shift fork (Shift Unit)

61 Shift Lever of second Shift fork

62 recess of shift lever of second shift fork

70 third Shift fork (Shift Unit)

71 Shift lever of third Shift fork

72 recess of shift lever of third shift fork

211 selection of protrusions of a drive block

Claims

1. A gear change device (1) for a transmission having at least two gear change units (50, 60, 70), comprising:

at least two shift levers (51, 61, 71) connected to said at least two shift units (50, 60, 70) of said transmission mechanism, respectively;

a main shaft (10) configured to support the at least two gear shifting units (50, 60, 70) movably along an x-direction, the x-direction extending parallel to a longitudinal direction of the main shaft (10);

a selection drive block (21) configured to be movable along a y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction and to transmit a force provided by a selection actuator (20) to an adapter (40) in the y-direction;

a shift drive block (31) configured to transmit a force provided by a shift actuator (30) to the adapter (40) in the x-direction,

wherein the adapter (40) is configured to be moved in the y-direction into at least two predetermined positions in which the adapter (40) is configured to engage with one of the gear shift levers (51, 61, 71) at a time, whereby the respective gear shift unit (50, 60, 70) is movable in the x-direction for gear shifting.

2. The gear shift device (1) according to claim 1, wherein each possible connection between the adapter (40) and the gear shift lever (51, 61, 71) and/or the connection between the adapter (40) and the gear shift drive block (31) is formed in a form-fitting manner.

3. The gear change device (1) according to claim 2, wherein each possible connection between the adapter (40) and the gear shift lever (51, 61, 71) is further formed by a first gearshift pawl (41) forming part of the adapter (40) and a recess (52, 62, 72) formed in the respective gear shift lever (51, 61, 71).

4. A gear change device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the first shift pawl (41) of the adapter (40) is configured to be sunk into the adapter (40) in such a way that the shift pawl (41) does not engage any recess (52, 62, 72) of any shift lever (51, 61, 71).

5. The gear shift device (1) according to claim 4, wherein said shift pawl (41) of said adapter (40) is further configured to be pushed out and into the interior of said adapter (40) from said recess (52, 62, 72) of one of said shift levers (51, 61, 71) engaged therewith when said adapter (40) is moved in said y-direction, and to transmit a force in said x-direction to the shift lever when said adapter (40) is moved in said x-direction, and wherein the shift lever (51, 61, 71) is brought back to a neutral position by a separate mechanism.

6. A gear change device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the separate means for bringing the gear change lever (51, 61, 71) that has been moved out of its neutral position back into its neutral position is formed by a spring.

7. The gearshift device (1) according to one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the selection drive block (21) comprises at least one protrusion (211) configured to engage with a recess (52, 62, 72) of at least one gearshift lever (51, 61, 71) when the recess is not engaged with the first gearshift pawl (41) of the adapter (40).

8. The gear shift device (1) according to claim 7, wherein the adapter (40) is arranged in a central portion of the selection drive block (211) in the y-direction, and the selection drive block (21) comprises two protrusions (211), each protrusion being arranged on each side of the adapter (40) and configured to engage with the recess of the gear shift lever (51, 61, 71) in at least one position of the adapter (40).

9. The gearshift device (1) of claim 2, wherein each of the gearshift levers (51, 61, 71) comprises a first gearshift pawl (41) configured to engage with a recess formed in the adapter (40) and which can be pushed inside the respective gearshift lever (51, 61, 71) in such a way that the first gearshift pawl (41) does not engage with a recess of the adapter (40).

10. The gear shift device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the selection drive block (21) is configured to transmit the force provided by the selection actuator (20) to the adapter (40) in a form-fitting manner, and/or wherein the shift drive block (31) is configured to transmit the force provided by the shift actuator (30) to the adapter (40) in a form-fitting manner.

11. A gear shift device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gear shift device (1) further comprises: a selection detent (22) configured to lock the selection drive block (21) and therefore the adapter (40) in each position in which the adapter (40) moved by the selection drive block (21) is engaged only with one of the gear levers (51, 61, 71) selected at the time; and/or a shift stopper (32) configured to lock the shift drive block (21) in each position in which the respective shift lever (51, 61, 71) engaged with the adapter (40) is located in a predetermined position along the x-direction.

12. A gear shift device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gear shift device (1) further comprises: at least one selection position sensor (23) configured to detect a position of the selection drive block (21); and/or at least one shift position sensor (33) configured to detect a position of the shift drive block (31).

13. A gear change device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the selection drive block (31) and the gear change drive block (21) are formed as separate parts independently of each other.

14. The gear shift device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the adapter (40) is formed as a separate part independently of the selection drive block (31) and the shift drive block (21).

15. A gear change device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the selection actuator (20) and/or the gear change actuator (30) is any of a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator or an electric actuator.

16. Method for shifting in a gear shift device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the selection actuator and the gear shift actuator can be activated simultaneously.