GB2024742A

GB2024742A - Gear box simulator

Info

Publication number: GB2024742A
Application number: GB7924840A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SIMTECH; RFD Systems Engineering Ltd
Current assignee: SIMTECH; RFD Systems Engineering Ltd
Priority date: 1978-04-18
Filing date: 1979-07-17
Publication date: 1980-01-16
Also published as: GB2024742B

Abstract

A device for simulating the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear box is for use in a vehicle simulator in which the operation of vehicle controls such as the gear lever causes movement of a simulated view of a road before the trainee driver. The device includes a rod 11 which is connected to the gear lever and which is moved axially by gear engaging and disengaging movements of the gear lever. Axial movement of the rod is resisted by a spring-loaded ball 16 engaging in a depression 15a, 15b, 15c in a neutral position of the gear lever and in each gear engaged position, the ball retracting from one depression at the commencement of movement of the gear lever and entering the other depression at the end of movement of the gear lever. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gear box simulator The invention relates to the simulation of the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box.

In the training of vehicle drivers, it has previously been proposed to use a vehicle simulator including a driving seat, a steering wheel, a clutch pedal, a brake pedal, a trottle pedal, a handbrake and a gear lever all arranged in a similar juxtaposition to their juxtaposition in a real vehicle. The trainee driver sits in the seat facing a screen on which is projected a simulated view of a road through a vehicle windscreen. Operation of the vehicle controls causes movement of the view before the trainee driver in correspondancewith the operation of the controls.

In order to make the simulation as realistic as possible, the feel of the controls should be made to correspond as closely as possible to the feel of the corresponding controls in a real vehicle.

It has been a problem in the past to simulate realistically the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box.

Indeed, one previously proposed simulator has used an actual gear-box to provide this feel.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device for simulating the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box which is simple in construction yet gives a realistic feel.

According to the invention there is provided a device for simulating to a user of the device the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box and comprising a gear lever movable between one or more neutral positions and one or more gear engaged positions in corresponding gear engaging and disengaging movements, a rod mounted in a support for axial sliding movement relatively to the support and so connected to the gear lever that the or each gear engaging and disengaging movement of the gear lever causes a corresponding axial movement of the rod in the support, the support part of the device and the rod part of the device including a spring-loaded projection on one part and a plurality of depressions so positioned on the other part that the spring loaded projection engages in a depression in the or each neutral position and in the or each gear engaged position, so that, in use, commencement of axial movement of the rod in accordance with the or each gear engaging movement of the gear lever is resisted by said engagement of the spring-loaded projection in said depression but the projection retracting against said spring loading to allow said axial movement and entering a further depression at the end of said gear engaging movement, the or each gear disengaging movement of the gear lever reversing the action, thereby to simulate to a user of the gear lever the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box.

The following is a more detailed description of one embodiment of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure lisa longitudinal vertical cross-section of a gear box simulator, Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gear box simulator on the line ll-ll of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a partial plan view of the gear box simulator on the arrow A of Figure 1.

The gear box simulator comprises a sleeve 10 within which a rod 11 is supported and is axially slidable and rotatable relatively to the sleeve. The sleeve 10 is fixed to a mounting 12 (see Figure 1) and is not movable. One end of the rod 11 carries a crank 13 whose free end bears a pivotal mounting 14 for a gear lever (not shown). The other end of the gear lever is manually movable by a user of the device and the gear lever is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends.

The rod 11 has three circumferential axially spaced grooves 1 spa, 1 sub, 1 sic (see Figure 1) and, in the position of the rod 11 shown in Figure 1,the middle groove 1 5b is engaged by a spring-loaded ball 16 carried by and projecting from the sleeve 10.

A pin 17 extends from the rod 11 in a radial direction and engages in and is guided by slots cut in a guide plate 18. The slots are ph -shaped, that is to say in the shape of an H with an extended cross-bar and an extra half limb. The limbs and half limb extend parallel to the rod axis and the cross-bar extends in a plane normal thereto.

The gear lever is therefore correspondingly limited in movement to movement across the bar and into and to the end of any one of the half-limbs. This corresponds to the usual gear engaging movements of a four forward and one reverse geared gear-box, the additional half-limb corresponding to reverse gear, the remaining half-limbs each corresponding to one forward gear and the intersections of crossbar and the half-limbs corresponding to neutral positions of the gear-box.

In use, movement of the gear lever from any one of first, second or third neutral positions when the pin 17 is adjacent one or other of the two pairs of aligned half-limbs and the extra half-limb respectively into one of said half-limbs causes corresponding axial movement of the rod 11. This axial movement is initially resisted by engagement of the springloaded ball 16 in the groove 1 sub but continued movement of the gear lever causes the ball 16 to retract against the spring-loading to allow the axial movement as the ball 16 slides over the outer surface of the rod 11 between the grooves, the ball then enters one of the other two grooves 15a or 1 5c and the movement of the gear lever is aided by the ball 16 being pushed into the groove by the spring loading.The movement of the gear lever is limited by engagement of the pin 17 with the end of one of the half-limbs.

On gear disengaging movement of the gear lever, the spring-loaded ball 16 once again resists initial axial movement of the rod 11 but retracts against the spring-loading to allow the movement as the ball 16 slides over the outer surface of the rod 11 between the grooves. The ball 16 enters the middle groove 1 sub as the gear lever reaches a neutral position defined by entry of the pin 17 into the cross-bar. The movement of the gear lever is aided by the ball being pushed into the groove 15b by the spring-loading.

Movement of the gear lever between neutral positions within the limits defined by movement of the pin 17 in the cross-bar rotation of the rod 11 in the sleeve 10. This rotation is unresisted by the ball 16 because it travels around the middle groove 1 sub.

It has been found that the device described above with reference to the drawing simulates to a user of the gear lever the feel of a gear-box on engagement or disengagement of a gear of the gear-box.

It will be appreciated that by arrangement of the slots in the guide plate 18 only one gear may be simulated. Alternatively two, three, four or six or more gears may be so simulated.

At the end of the rod 11 opposite the crank 13 is an arm 14 which operates a corresponding one of five electrical contacts (not shown) when the gear lever is in one of the five gear engaged positions. Operation of a contact provides an electrical signal signifying that the corresponding gear has been engaged.

The slots may be on the rod 11 and the pin 17 on the sleeve 10. The grooves 15a, 15b, 1 5c may be on the sleeve 10 and the spring-loaded ball 16 on the rod.

Claims

1. A device for simulating to a user of the device the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box and comprising a gear lever movable between one or more neutral positions and one or more gear engaged positions in corresponding gear engaging and disengaging movements, a rod mounted in a support for axial sliding movement relatively to the support and so connected to the gear lever that the or each gear engaging and disengaging movement of the gear lever causes a corresponding axial movement of the rod in the support, the support part of the device and the rod part of the device including a spring-loaded projection on one part and a plurality of depressions so positioned on the other part that the springloaded projection engages in a depression in the or each neutral position and in the or each gear engaged position, so that, in use, commencement of axial movement of the rod in accordance with the or each gear engaging movement of the gear lever is resisted by said engagement of the spring-loaded projection in said depression but the projection retracting against said spring loading to allow said axial movement and entering a further depression at the end of said gear engaging movement, the or each gear disengaging movement of the gear lever reversing the action, thereby to simulate to a user of the gear lever the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a gear of a vehicle gear-box.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the gear lever is movable from the or each neutral position into and out of two gear engaged positions, the two movements being aligned on either side of the or each corresponding neutral position and the depressions engaged by the spring-loaded projection in the or each neutral position and in the or each two associated gear engaged positions being axially aligned.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein there are two or more neutral positions of the gear lever between which the gear lever is movable without resistance from the spring-loaded projection, said gear lever movement between neutral positions causing in use corresponding rotation ofthe rod.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the depressions engaged by the spring-loaded projection in the neutral positions are formed by portions of a continuous circumferential groove on said other part which thus in use allows movement of the gear lever between the neutral positions without resistance from the spring-loaded projection.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the gear lever is movable in a path in the form of a t-t7 the vertical half limbs representing movements into and out of gear engaged positions, the intersections of the cross-bar and the half limbs representing neutral positions and the cross-bar representing movements between neutral positions.

6. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the spring-loaded projection is arranged on the support and the depressions formed on the rod.

7. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein one part is provided with a pin and the other part is provided with a guide plate which is engaged by the pin and which constrians relative movement between the pin and the guide plate to those movements only which correspond to the or each gear engaging and disengaging movement of the gear lever and, where necessary, movement between neutral positions of the gear lever, thereby restraining the gear lever to such movements only.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the pin is on the rod with the guide plate connected to the support.

9. A device according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the depressions engaged by the springloaded projection in gear engaged positions of the gear lever are formed by portions of one or more continuous circumferential grooves on the said other part which is or are axially spaced from the groove engaged by the spring-loaded projection in the neutral positions of the gear lever.

10. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and further including an electrical contact corresponding to the or each gear engaged position which is or are operated by movement of the rod into the or each gear engaged position to provide an electrical signal signifying that the corresponding gear has been engaged.

11. A device for simulating to the user of the device the feel of a gear lever on engagement or disengagement of a vehicle gear-box substantialiy as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.