WO2002078995A1

WO2002078995A1 - Gear shift device

Info

Publication number: WO2002078995A1
Application number: PCT/SE2002/000621
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenneth Skogward
Original assignee: Kongsberg Automotive Ab
Priority date: 2001-03-29
Filing date: 2002-03-27
Publication date: 2002-10-10
Also published as: SE0101123L; SE0101123D0; SE520258C2; EP1373004A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device at gear levers for manoeuvring a gear box for a motor vehicle and consisting of a lever console (3) and a pivoting lever (2) that is applied in the console, which is arranged to be manually shifted between different gear positions for corresponding change of the gear box between different gear conditions. The lever is thus pivotally mounted by means of a ball and socket joint in the form of a joint ball(7) which is pivotally journalled in a joint socket (8) which is applied to the console. Further, the lever is connected with the joint ball and, in at least one gear position, displaceable in its longitudinal direction relative to the lever console. The ball and socket joint is movably suspended in the lever console (3) and arranged to follow the longitudinal displacement movement of the lever between an upper position and a lower position.

Description

Gear shift device

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device at gear lever stands for manoeuvring a gear box for an engine vehicle according to the preamble of the appended claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART One type of gear lever stands for manoeuvring gear boxes for motor vehicles is equipped with a ball and socket joint with a joint ball that is applied on the gear lever for its bearing in a joint socket that is a part of the ball and socket joint which joint socket is applied in a lever console. In order to prevent unintentional shifting to a certain gear position, usually reverse position, a stop is arranged, which has to be overcome with a certain action, usually pressing the gear lever in its longitudinal direction. For a previously known solution, the gear lever is then axially carried in the joint ball in order to enable the longitudinal displacement movement that is required. This previously known solution has proven to provide disadvantageous force relationships and demands that a large number of component are included and also brings that vibrations in the engine and the gear box are transmitted to the gear lever to a great extent.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The purpose with the present invention is to bring about a device at gear lever stands of the type specified above, which is composed by fewer parts, which retains the torsional movement on the gear lever and enables a more efficient reduction of vibrations in the gear lever.

Said purpose is achieved with a device according to the present invention which characterizing features are evident from the appended claim 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will in the following be described more in detail with an embodiment example with reference to the appended drawings where

Fig. 1 is a side view of a device at a gear lever stand according to the invention in a first gear position,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the device with a gear lever in the same position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal view through the device along the line C-

C in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a vertical transversal view through the device along the line B-

B in Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 5 is a side view through the device with the lever in an alternative gear position, for example reverse position,

Fig. 6 is a horizontal view through the device along the line D-D in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section through the device along the line A-A in Fig. 6.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The device according to the invention is a part of a gear lever stand 1 , which outer design is disclosed in Fig. 1 and 2. The gear stand 1 consists of a gear lever 2, which is pivotally mounted carried in a lever console 3, made such as a house, which is firmly mounted in a motor vehicle at the driver's place. As the driver manually gets hold of a gear lever handle 4 (see dot dashed line) in the free end of the lever 2 and pivots the lever either along or transverse the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, different gear positions of the lever may be occupied and thus a gear box for the propelling engine in the engine vehicle may be manoeuvred. The lever movements are transmitted via a manoeuvre rod 5 to the gear box, where the different lever movements provide unique manoeuvre movements which are transmitted to the gear box in a previously known way. A special reaction rod 6 protrudes from the lever stand and is arranged to be coupled to the gear box or the propelling engine of the vehicle in order to reduce vibrations and the gear lever which are transmitted via the manoeuvring rod 5 in a way previously known in itself.

As disclosed in, for instance, Fig. 3 and 4 the gear lever 2 is pivotally mounted in the gear lever console 3, i.e. the house by means of a ball and socket joint. This purpose is achieved as the gear lever extends through a joint ball 7 which is a part of the ball and socket joint, which is pivotally mounted in a joint socket 8, which is carried in the lever console 3. The joint ball 1 and its joint socket 8 determines the joint point or pivoting point of the gear lever 2, around which the gear shift movements of the lever takes place. In the lower end 9 of the lever the manoeuvre rod 5 is coupled via a joint coupling 10, which is arranged to transfer a gear movement of the lever to the manoeuvre rod 5.

The gear lever extends symmetrically through the joint point in the joint ball 7, which is axially undisplaceable applied to the lever 2. In the example shown, the joint ball 7 is made as a ring-shaped element, with a partially spherical, convex bearing surface 11 and a mainly cylindrical pervading cavity 12, which is coaxial with the gear lever 2, which by way of example is made as a tube. The cavity 12 has a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the lever tube, which externally preferably is cylindrical and surrounded by one or two case-shaped coaxial damping means 13, 14, suitably in the form of rubber bushings which are threaded on the lever tube. In the example shown, the ring-shaped joint ball 7 in equipped with a central flange 15, which is facing radially inwards and which intrudes into a corresponding ring-shaped recess at the joint between the two damping means 13, 14. These are kept in place axially by means of two metal washers 16, 17, which in turn are kept axially locked by means of pervading pins or rivets 18, 19 which extend through holes in the lever tube 20. By means of the flange 15, a ring-shaped distance is maintained between the damping means and the joint ball, which absorbs vibrations with small amplitudes.

The joint socket 8 may in principle consist of one single convex ring-shaped spherical joint surface, but is preferably divided into two ring sections, which in a known way are spring loaded towards each other in order to eliminate a play in the joint surfaces. In the example shown two socket parts 21 , 22 are thus arranged and carried together in a ball holder 23, which constitutes a closed tube-shaped casing 24 around the ball socket and the joint ball 7. The joint socket 8 is thus arranged to keep the joint ball 7 axially fixed but also to allow pivoting movements. Thus the ball holder 23 and the lever 2 are connected in such a way that the lever may not be longitudinally displaced relative to the joint ball holder.

According to the invention, the joint ball holder 23 is instead movably suspended in the lever console 3 in order to be admitted to perform a determined and limited shift movement. For this purpose, as disclosed in Fig. 4, the joint ball holder 23 is suspended between two cylinder sector elements 25, 26 which are movably applied in the lever console or the house. The suspension in these elements have in the example shown been achieved by means of an elastic ring-shaped suspension in the form of O-rings 27, 28 made of rubber, which are arranged in fitted recesses on the outside of the joint ball holder and the inside of the sector elements. The damping elements are intended to absorb vibrations in the console in order to reduce vibration movements to the lever together with the damping elements 13, 14 around the lever tube 20. The suspension is not intended to admit any considerable side displacement movement between the ball holder and the sector element. The sector elements 25, 26 are, however, movably suspended towards the inside of the lever console 3, i.e. the house is equipped with inward facing supporting surfaces 45, 46 for the sector elements. These, and thus the joint ball holder 8, are thus vertically movable relative to the house within a predetermined moving area, which is disclosed in Fig. 4. The upper end position is determined by the impact of the sector elements 25, 26 towards the downward facing wall 28 of the lever console or the house on the lower side of the upper side 47 of the house, which is equipped with an opening 48 for through-connection of the lever 2. The lower end position is limited by an impact hm 30, 31 in the house, more closely in a slot 49 into which a protrusion 32 from the sector elements intrude. As disclosed in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 the joint ball holder is spring loaded in a direction upwards, mainly in the longitudinal direction of the gear lever by means of a spring mechanism 33 which in the example shown consists of two draw springs 34, 35 which with an upper attachment 36 on the top are placed in a part of the house, i.e. its upper part 47. With a lower attachment 37 the draw springs 34, 35 are applied in the joint ball holder 23, more closely where the reaction rod 6 is mounted in the joint ball holder 23. Further, the reaction rod 6 transmits the same vibration movement that the manoeuvring rod 5 transmits to the lower joint point 10 to the joint ball holder and thus the joint ball and the lever at its joint point 38. This is achieved by fastening the reaction rod 6 in the gear box or the engine, e.g. by means of a screw in the hole 50, and forms a rigid connection with the joint ball holder 23. The vibration movements appear in phase and eliminates vibration movements on the lever in the form of oscillatory motions.

The gear lever displays a sidewards directed, upwards turned hooking element 40, which is firmly applied to the lower end 9 of the lever. Further, the house 3 or the console displace a downwards, rigid hooking-up part 41 arranged to cooperate with the hooking element. During normal shifting movements, the hooking element 40 is out of engagement with the hooking up part 41 and beside this due to the fact that the gear lever and its joint ball with ball holder is in its upper position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, due to the action of the spring mechanism.

When the gear lever is about to take its special gear position, e.g. reverse position which is blocked or obstructed when the lever is in its upper position, the gear lever is pushed down by the driver who presses the gear lever body 42 with the hand, thus displacing the lever 2 axially downwards a distance along its longitudinal axis 43. As the joint ball 7 is axially locked to the gear lever, the joint ball follows the axial movement downwards, where the joint socket and the ball holder 23 follow this movement and also bring the surrounding sector elements 25, 26. Between the outside of the sector elements and the corresponding insides of the house, means are arranged to create an initial movement resistance against the downwards directed movement, e.g. in the form of grinders 52 in slots. The resistance is overcome, by elastic non-rigidness in the O-rings 27, 28. When this has been overcome, the sector elements may slide towards the inside of the house with their outside against the action of the springs 35. In the example shown, this movement is a pivoting movement around a pivoting point, which is determined by the mounting 50 of the reaction rod 6 in the vehicle. Thus the hooking element 40 is lowered such that it passes the hooking up part 41 when the driver also moves the gear lever and thus pivots this in the plane of the paper according to Fig. 7, where the lever is hooked up and thus retained in a hooked up position by the action of the spring mechanism that strives upwards. The reverse shift is taken and retained by means of the hooking up mechanism.

When the special gear position, normally reverse shift, is about to be changed, in the reverse order the lever handle 42 is pressed downwards and the lever is pressed in its longitudinal direction when the gear lever at the same time is pivoted counterclockwise according to Fig. 7, thus brining the hooking element 40 out of engagement with the hooking up part 41 and the lever is again raised to the position shown in Fig. 4 due to the action of the spring mechanism. As the pivoting point 38 follows in the axial lever movement, the torque arms are retained in the lever, i.e. the distance from the joint point 38 to, on one hand the lever handle 42 and on the other hand the lower end 10. Thus the required manual force on the lever handle 42 is not changed in the different gear positions.

Claims

1. Device at gear gear levers for manoeuvring a gear box for a motor vehicle and consisting of a lever console and a pivoting lever (2) that is applied in the console, which is arranged to be manually shifted between different gear positions for a corresponding change of the gear box between different gear positions, where the lever is pivotally mounted by means of a ball and socket joint in the form of a joint ball (7) which is pivotally joumalled in a joint socket (8) which is applied to the console, where the lever is connected with the joint ball and, in at least one gear position, displaceable in its longitudinal direction relative to the lever console, characterized in that the ball and socket joint is movably suspended in the lever console (3) and arranged to follow the longitudinal displacement movement of the lever between an upper position and a lower position.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the joint socket (8) of the ball and socket joint is spring loaded against the upper position or the lower position.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the ball and socket joint is applied in a joint ball holder (23) and that a spring mechanism strives to retain the holder in the upper position towards the lower side of an upper part (47) of the lever console (3).

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the joint ball holder (23) is equipped with a rod (6) that is mounted to the vehicle.

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the mounting point (50) of the rod (6) constitutes a pivoting point for the movement of the joint ball holder, which is an pivoting motion.

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the joint ball (7) is axially undisplaceable applied to the lever (2) and exclusively pivotally mounted in the joint socket (8), that a joint ball is applied between the handle of the lever (42) and the opposite end (9) where a manoeuvre means is applied in order to transmit the pivoting movements of the lever to the gear box, where a two-armed lever is formed, which torque arms are unchanged at both axial displacement positions of the lever.