Noise reduction apparatus for shift cable

A noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable, may include a mounting socket that is fixed to a shift lever mounting bracket, with an inner cable of the shift cable therethrough, a cable connection pipe that has one side connected to a shift lever-sided end of an outer cable of the shift cable, and a housing connection pipe that has one end elastically-coupled to a shift lever-sided end of the cable connection pipe with a predetermined distance therebetween by a first antivibration member in a damper housing and the other end thereof elastically-connected to the shift lever mounting bracket by a second antivibration member in the mounting socket.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application Number 10-2009-0083934 filed Sep. 7, 2009, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable, in more detail, a technology that can be used to prevent gear whine noise of an automatic transmission vehicle from traveling into the passenger compartment through a shift cable.

2. Description of Related Art

A transmission equipped in vehicles has a basic structure that has a shift lever, which is an internal operator, regardless of whether it is a manual transmission or an automatic transmission, and transmits the operational force of the shift lever to the transmission through a shift cable.

Therefore, gear whine noise generated from the transmission having the structure can travel into the passenger compartment through the shift cable, and accordingly, a method of attaching a mass damper to the shift cable is commonly used in the related art to exclude the noise.

The method of attaching a mass damper to the shift cable described above, however, has a problem that the weight is necessarily increased by the mass damper and the cost is considerable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to provide a noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable which can improve silence and ride comfort of the vehicle by effectively absorbing and preventing noise from traveling into the passenger compartment from the transmission through the shift cable, without using an excessive weight, such as a mass damper.

In an aspect, the present invention may provide a noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable having a mounting socket that is fixed to a shift lever mounting bracket, with an inner cable of the shift cable therethrough, a cable connection pipe that has one side connected to a shift lever-sided end of an outer cable of the shift cable, and a housing connection pipe that has one end elastically-coupled to a shift lever-sided end of the cable connection pipe with a predetermined distance therebetween by a first antivibration member in a damper housing and the other end thereof elastically-connected to the shift lever mounting bracket by a second antivibration member in the mounting socket.

The shift lever-sided end of the cable connection pipe may have a flange having an increased diameter, the housing connection pipe has first and second flanges having an increased diameter at both the end one and the other end thereof respectively, the damper housing is formed to cover the flange of the cable connection pipe and the first flange of the housing connection pipe to prevent the flange of the cable connection pipe and the first flange of the housing connection pipe from opening, and the first antivibration member prevents direct contact among the damper housing, the flange of the cable connection pipe and the first flange of the housing connection pipe, and the second antivibration member prevents direct contact between the mounting bracket and the second flange of the housing connection pipe.

The mounting socket may be formed to cover the second flange of the housing connection pipe to restrict relative motion of the second flange in a longitudinal direction of the shift cable with respect to the mounting socket.

The flange of the cable connection pipe and the first flange of the housing connection pipe in the damper housing may be positioned to correspond to each other in the same shape, and the one end and the other end of the housing connection pipe are formed in the same shape in symmetry.

The cable connection pipe may further include a spacer formed along an inner circumference thereof to receive the inner cable therein.

The housing connection pipe may further include a spacer formed along an inner circumference thereof to receive the inner cable therein.

In another aspect of the present invention, the noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable, may include a mounting socket that is fixed to a shift lever mounting bracket, with an inner cable of the shift cable therethrough, a cable connection pipe that has one side connected to a shift lever-sided end of an outer cable of the shift cable, and a damper housing that has one side elastically coupled to a shift lever-sided end of the cable connection pipe by a first antivibration member therein and the other side thereof elastically coupled to the shift lever mounting bracket in the mounting socket by a second antivibration member.

The damper housing may have an integral flange having an increased diameter at the other end thereof which is disposed in the mounting socket while the one side thereof covers a flange formed in the shift lever-sided end of the cable connection pipe and elastically coupled thereto by the first antivibration in the damper housing, wherein the first antivibration member prevents direct contact between the flange of the cable connecting pipe and the damper housing, and the mounting socket is formed to cover the integral flange of the damper housing and elastically coupled thereto by the second antivibration to restrict relative motion of the integral flange in a longitudinal direction of the shift cable with respect to the mounting socket, wherein the second antivibration member prevents direct contact between the integral flange of the damper housing and the mounting socket.

The cable connection pipe may further include a spacer formed along an inner circumference thereof to receive the inner cable therein.

In further another aspect of the present invention, the noise reduction apparatus for a shift cable, may include at least two cable connection pipes that have one side connected to an end of an outer cable of the shift cable and the other side thereof having a flange having an increased diameter respectively, a damper housing that is formed to cover the flanges formed in the other side of the respective cable connection pipe to prevent the flanges from opening, wherein the flanges are spaced with a predetermined distance therebetween in the damper housing, and an antivibration member elastically coupling the flanges in the damper housing to prevent direct contact between the flanges of the respective cable connection pipe and between the flanges and the damper housing.

An inner diameter of the cable connection pipe may be set such that an inner cable of the shift cable passes the cable connection pipe without contacting, wherein the cable connection pipe and the outer cable are connected by swaging.

The respective cable connection pipe may further include a spacer formed along an inner circumference thereof to receive the inner cable therein.

The respective cable connection pipe may have a T-formed cross section with the flange, and the damper housing may have a U-formed cross section that covers the flanges having a T-formed cross section while rotating about the respective cable connection pipe.

The present invention makes it possible to improve silence and ride comfort of a vehicle by effectively absorbing and intercepting noise traveling into the vehicle from the transmission through a shift cable, without using an excessive weight, such as a mass damper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 4, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes, a mounting socket5that is fixed to a shift lever mounting bracket3, with an inner cable1of a shift cable15therethrough, a cable connection pipe7that has one side connected to the shift lever-sided end of an outer cable20of shift cable15, a damper housing11that is connected to the shift lever-sided end of cable connection pipe7by an antivibration member M, and a housing connection pipe13that has one end connected to damper housing11by an antivibration member M and the other end connected to mounting socket5by an antivibration member M.

That is, vibration transmitted through the outer cable20of shift cable15is intercepted by a double antivibration structure that intercepts the vibration primarily at damper housing11and secondarily at mounting socket5.

The shift lever-sided end of cable connection pipe7has a flange F having an increased diameter, housing connection pipe13also has a flange F having an increased diameter at both ends, damper housing11is shaped to cover flange F of cable connection pipe7and flange F of housing connection pipe13and prevents the flanges from opening, and antivibration member M prevents direct contact between damper housing11, flange F of cable connection pipe7, and flange F of housing connection pipe13.

That is, cable connection pipe7has a T-shaped cross section with flange F, housing connection pipe13also has a T-shaped cross section at one side, similar to flange F of cable connection pipe7, while facing flange F of cable connection pipe7, and damper housing11has a U-shaped cross section that covers two flanges F having a T-shaped cross section while rotating about cable connection pipe7.

Mounting socket5is shaped to cover flange F of housing connection pipe13to restrict relative motion of flange F in the longitudinal direction of shift cable15with respect to mounting socket5, and antivibration member M prevents direct contact between flange F of housing connection pipe13and mounting socket5.

Flange F of cable connection pipe7and flange F of housing connection pipe13in damper housing11are positioned to correspond to each other in the same shape, and both ends of housing connection pipe13are formed in the same shape in symmetry.

That is, housing connection pipe13and cable connection pipe7basically have the same shape, but cable connection pipe7has only at one side the same shape as housing connection pipe13.

Cable connection pipe7and the outer cable20are connected by swaging and the inner diameter of cable connection pipe7is set such that inner cable1of shift cable15pass the cable connection pipe without contacting.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cable connection pipe7and the housing connection pipe13may include a spacer25along inner circumference thereof such that the contact between the inner cable1and the cable and housing connection pipes7and13may be minimized.

Therefore, noise traveling from the transmission to the shift lever through the outer cable20of shift cable15is primarily absorbed and intercepted by the antivibration member M in damper housing11and the secondarily absorbed and intercepted by antivibration member M in mounting socket5, such that the noise does not substantially travels into the interior. Accordingly, it is possible to improve silence and ride comfort of the vehicle.

For reference, mounting socket5is fixed to shift lever mounting bracket3equipped with the rotatable shift lever, as shown inFIG. 4, such that shift cable15is fixed to shift lever mounting bracket3.

FIG. 2shows another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which includes a mounting socket5that is fixed to a shift lever mounting bracket3, with an inner cable1of a shift cable15therethrough, a cable connection pipe7that has one side connected to the shift lever-sided end of an outer cable20of shift cable15.

The present exemplary embodiment may further includes a damper housing11-2which is formed by integrally fixing the housing connection pipe13to the damper housing11such that the damper housing11-2has one side connected to the shift lever-sided end of cable connection pipe7by an antivibration member M and the other side connected to mounting socket5by an antivibration member M.

The shift lever-sided end of cable connection pipe7has a flange F having an increased diameter, damper housing11-2has an integral flange F having an increased diameter at the end in mounting socket5while covering flange F of cable connection pipe7, mounting socket5is shaped to cover flange F of damper housing11-2to restrict relative motion of flange F in the longitudinal direction of shift cable15with respect to mounting socket5, antivibration member M prevents direct contact between flange F of damper housing11-2and mounting socket5, and antivibration member M prevents direct contact between damper housing11and flanges F of cable connection pipe7.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cable connection pipe7may include a spacer25along inner circumference thereof such that the contact between the inner cable1and the cable connection pipe7may be minimized.

That is, as compared with the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 1, the present exemplary embodiment reduces the number of parts, the weight, and the assembly process, by removing housing connection pipe13and making damper housing11-2itself function as housing connection pipe13.

FIG. 3shows another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which includes a cable connection pipe7that has one side connected to the end of an outer cable20of a shift cable15and the other side with a flange F having an increased diameter, a damper housing11that is shaped to cover two opposite flanges F of cable connection pipe7to prevent the flanges from opening, and an antivibration member M that prevents direct contact between two flanges F of cable connection pipe7and between two flanges F and damper housing11.

In the present exemplary embodiment, two cable connection pipe7and damper housing11are disposed at the middle portion of shift cable15, such that this configuration makes it possible to freely select an optimum mounting position because the entire noise-traveling characteristics of shift cable15change in accordance with the position of damper housing11, and can be used to replace when it is hard to install shift lever mounting bracket3, and mounting socket5and damper housing11around the shift lever mounting bracket.

Cable connection pipe7and the outer cable20are connected by swaging and the inner diameter of cable connection pipe7is set such that inner cable1of shift cable15pass the cable connection pipe without contacting.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cable connection pipe7may include a spacer25along inner circumference thereof such that the contact between the inner cable1and the cable connection pipe7may be minimized.

Cable connection pipe7has a T-shape cross section with flange F and damper housing11has a U-shaped cross section that covers two T-shaped flanges F while rotating about cable connection pipe7.

Antivibration members M may be made of rubber in the exemplary embodiments, and any other materials may be used as long as they can effectively absorb and intercept vibration and maintain mechanical stable positional relationships among damper housing11, cable connection pipe7, and housing connection pipe13.