Transmission shifter system

A shifter for the transmission of a vehicle is described. The shifter has a shift lever operatively connected to the transmission. A rotatable shaft is connected to the lever. A lateral movement device is operatively connected to the shaft. A cable pin is positioned on the lateral movement device and connected to the shift mechanism for the transmission.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a shifter that can be used to shift the transmission of a vehicle. In current vehicles, the shifter for the transmission is frequently located adjacent the steering column for the vehicle. The shifters use a linkage system that translates motion of the shift lever into movement of the shift linkage that shifts the transmission of the vehicle. The linkage system takes up space in the area of the steering column and frequently detracts from the appearance of the steering column and dash area of the vehicle. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a shifter that takes up less space while still providing a smooth shifting motion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A shifter for the transmission of a vehicle is described. The shifter has a shift lever operatively connected to the transmission. A rotatable shaft is connected to the lever. A lateral movement device is operatively connected to the shaft. A cable pin is positioned on the lateral movement device and connected to the shift mechanism for the transmission.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a shifter that is used to shift the transmission of a vehicle. The shifter is normally used on vehicles that have automatic transmissions. More particularly, the shifter is designed to take up less space in the area around the steering column of the vehicle. The features of the invention will be more readily understood by referring to the attached drawings in connection with the following description.

Shifter5has a lever9that is rotatably mounted on the first end12of a shaft13. The shaft13is rotatably mounted in a shifter holder19that is secured to the steering column of the vehicle. The shifter holder is designed to fit more compactly in the housing15that extends around the steering column21for the vehicle. The lever9has a first end7that extends away from the housing15and is designed to be engaged by the user of the vehicle to shift the transmission for the vehicle. The lever has a second end8that extends into a selector grid25that is mounted on the shift holder19. The selector grid has a plurality of detents27that correspond to the various shift positions for the automatic transmission. The lever9is spring-loaded by spring10to assist the user of the vehicle in selecting the desired shift position for the transmission in a manner that is well known in the art.

The second end14of the shaft13extends from the shifter holder19in a direction opposite to the first end of the shaft. A support plate31is secured to the shifter holder and the support plate extends in a direction towards the second end14of the shaft13. A lateral movement device17is positioned adjacent the shaft13to translate the rotational movement of the shaft to lateral movement. The device17is designed to move laterally along the longitudinal axis of the shaft13. One example of a lateral movement device is a cam housing35positioned on the portion of the shaft13that extends from the shifter holder19adjacent the support plate. The cam housing defines a cam profile37that defines a spiral path in the cam housing. At least one guide rod41extends from the shifter holder19in a direction towards the second end14of the shaft13. In practice, it has been found desirable to have at least two guide rods that extend from the shifter holder19. The guide rods are disposed to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft13. The guide rods41are positioned in adjacent spaced apart relationship with the shaft13. A slide45is slidably positioned on the guide rods41. The guide rods41extend through apertures43in the slide. A bearing or bushing46can be positioned in the aperture to facilitate the sliding movement of the slide on the guide rods. The slide extends around at least a portion of the shaft13and the slide extends over the cam profile37defined in the cam housing35positioned on the shaft13. A guide pin49is positioned on the slide in a location where the guide pin extends into the cam profile37. The guide pin49can be stationary or it can be rotatably mounted in the slide45. The guide pin49is designed to move along or follow the cam profile37. A cable pin55is positioned on an exterior surface47of the slide45. The cable pin55is connected to a rod and the rod is connected to the shift mechanism on the transmission for the vehicle.

Devices other than a cam housing or cam profile can be utilized to provide the lateral movement of the lateral movement device17. A ball screw with an advancing nut (not shown) could be positioned on the shaft13so that rotation of the shaft would cause the nut to move in response to the rotation of the shaft and the threads on the ball screw. Attaching a cable pin55to the advancing nut would provide a structure that moves laterally along the longitudinal axis of the shaft13and is capable of shifting the transmission of the vehicle. Other devices that provide for lateral movement could also be utilized in the invention.

In operation, the lever9is moved in an angular direction to position the second end8of the lever in different positions in the selector grid25to select the desired operating mode for the transmission for the vehicle. In most applications when the lever9is in the highest angular position the transmission is in the park mode and when the lever9is in the lowest angular position the transmission is in the low/manual drive operational mode. The reverse, neutral and other forward drive positions are located in angular positions between the park and low shift points for the lever9. There are detents27on the selector grid25for each of these operational positions for the transmission. Rotation of the lever9between the various shift modes for the transmission will cause the shaft13to rotate as the lever9is moved to various operational modes for the transmission. The rotational movement of the shaft13will also cause the cam housing35positioned on the shaft to rotate with the shaft. The cam profile37positioned in the cam housing will also rotate as the cam housing is rotated by the movement of the lever9. As the cam37rotates the guide pin49on the slide45will move along the cam profile. The movement of the guide pin49will cause the slide45to move along the guide rods41that support the slide. As the slide45is caused to move by the rotation of the cam profile37the cable pin55positioned on the exterior surface47of the slide will also move. As the cable pin55is connected to the rod that is operatively connected to the shift mechanism for the transmission, this movement of the cable pin will cause the transmission to shift to the desired operating mode defined by the position of the lever9in the detents27of the selector grid25. As shown in the figures the cable pin55is adjacent the second end14of the shaft13when the lever9engages the park detent on the selector grid25. The cable pin is adjacent to the shift holder19when the lever9engages the low forward operating detent27on the selector grid25. The other operating positions for the transmission will be located between the park and low forward detents27on the selector grid25. The shifter mechanism provides a more compact shifting arrangement for an automatic transmission in a vehicle. The compact size of the shifter reduces the space necessary for the shifter mechanism and allows for a more aesthetically pleasing arrangement of the shifter in the housing15that surrounds the steering column for the vehicle.

The above detailed description of the present invention is given for explanatory purposes. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to be construed in an illustrative and not a limitative sense, the scope of the invention being defined solely by the appended claims.