Guide for a selector lever

Abstract: The invention relates to a guide for a selector lever (2) for a gearbox, in which the selector lever is movable in two gear-shift gates (9,11) which are parallel to each other and which are connected by a transverse gate (10). In order to guide the selector lever (2) in such a way as to ensure a reliable positioning of the selector lever on leaving the first gear-shift gate (9) and on re-entering the first gear-shift gate (9), it is proposed according to the invention to design a guide (12) for the selector lever with the aid of a structural member which is arranged immediately adjacent to the selector lever. This structural member has a face which extends in a plane parallel to the plane of movement of the selector lever. A guide member provided directly on the selector lever engages over the structural member and rests against the side of the face remote from the selector lever, so that the selector lever is guided in the plane of movement thereof. For the transverse movement of the selector lever (2), an aperture is provided at that point on the face at which the guide member is present when the selector lever is at the level of the transverse gate.

Description: The invention relates to a guide for a selector lever for a gearbox, in which the selector lever is movable in two gear-shift gates which are parallel to each other and which are connected by a transverse gate. A selector lever of this type is already known from EP 0 331 797 B1. The selection device shown there for an automatic gearbox has a selector lever which is pivotable in two gear-shift gates. When the selector lever is in the first gear-shift gate it acts directly upon the automatic gearbox by means of a transmission device. When the selector lever is shifted into the second gear-shift gate it is detached from the transmission device, and a locking device prevents the transmission device from being moved in an undesired manner out of the intended position. Furthermore, EP 0 575 658 including the features of the preamble of claim 1, discloses a selector lever for a gearbox, wherein the selector lever is movable in two gear-shift gates parallel to each other. The two gear-shift gates a connected by a traverse gate. Adjacent to the selector lever a structural member is arranged having a face extending in a plane parallel to the first gear-shift gate. On top of a rocking retainer a lock plate is provided that has an aperture to receive the selector lever. The lock plate locks the rocking retainer against a stationary member. Other generally known selector-lever guides, such as for example the guidance of the selector lever in a guide slot in a cover, have such large tolerances that a precise guidance of the selector lever is not possible. The object of the invention is to guide a selector lever in such a way as to ensure a reliable positioning of the selector lever on leaving the first gear-shift gate and on re-entering the first gear-shift gate. It is proposed according claim 1 to use a selector lever that has a structural member which is arranged immediately adjacent to the selector lever. This structural member has a face which extends in a plane parallel to the plane of movement of the selector lever and which faces away from the lever. According to the invention a guide member provided directly on the selector lever engages over the structural member and rests against the face remote from the selector lever, so that the selector lever is guided in the plane of movement thereof. For the transverse movement of the selector lever, an aperture is provided at that point on the face at which the guide member is present when the selector lever is at the level of the transverse gate. The width of the aperture corresponds to the width of the guide member, and the length of the aperture should is adapted to the movement requirement of the selector lever for pivoting from the first gear-shift gate into the second gear-shift gate, in such a way that a longitudinal displacement of the selector lever is possible again only when the said selector lever has reached the second gear-shift gate. Since it is now impossible to move the selector lever out of the second gear-shift gate into an undefined position, the precision of the guidance of the selector lever is further improved. A guide formed in this way for a selector lever is simple in design, is simple to assemble without requiring additional adjustment, and can be manufactured in an expedient manner without the precision of the guidance of the selector lever being adversely affected in this case. The Sub-Claims disclose advantageous further embodiments of the invention. The guidance of the selector lever can be further improved by constructing the guide as part of the housing of the selection device. It is therefore unnecessary to adjust the guide. The guide is preferably arranged in such a way that it comes to rest below a cover for the selection device. In this way, it is protected from soiling and damage, and foreign bodies are prevented from penetrating into the guide and obstructing the movement of the selector lever. The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the Figures, in which Fig. 1 is an overall view of a selection device which is connected to an automatic gearbox; Fig. 2 is a gear-shift diagram of a selector lever in the selection device according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the selector lever with a guide according to the invention, and Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3. The overall view given in Fig. 1 shows a selection device 1 which is connected to a control slide 3 of an automatic gearbox 4 by a Bowden cable 5 acting as a transmission means. The selection device 1 comprises a selector lever 5, which has a push button 6, a transmission member 7, which is connected to the Bowden cable 5, and a housing 8. As shown in the gear-shift diagram shown in Fig. 2, the selector lever 2 [sic] is movable. A first gear-shift gate 9 has the positions P = parking, R = reverse, N = neutal and D = drive, as known in a conventional manner for the automatic operation of the automatic gearbox 4. The selector lever can be pivoted by way of a transverse gate 10 into the second gear-shift gate 11 which is arranged parallel to the first gear-shift gate 9. In the second gear-shift gate 11 the selector lever 2 [sic] occupies a neutral position M under the action of a spring and can be moved out of the said position M by longitudinal pivoting inside the second gear-shift gate 11 into a position "+" or in the opposite direction into a position "-". When the selector lever 2 reaches the position "+" a shift up in the automatic gearbox 4 is initiated; when the position "-" is reached, a shift down is initiated. As shown in greater detail in Fig. 3, the selector lever 2 is guided by means of a guide 12 in accordance with the gear-shift diagram given above. In this case the gear-shift gates 9 to 11 are formed in a cover (not shown) which covers the selection device 1 in the fitted state and in this case also covers the guide 12. The guide 12 is formed by a bridge 13 of the selection device 1 which is arranged adjacent to the selector lever 2 in the first gear-shift gate 9, it being possible for the selector lever 2 to rest against the first face 24 of the selection device 1 associated with the said selector lever 2. The bridge 13 is an integral component of the housing 8. Depressions 14, into which a pin 15 of a locking device 16 engages, are provided on the underside of the bridge 13. The selector lever 1 [ sic ] is secured in the pre-set positions in the first gear-shift gate 9 by the cooperation of the locking device 16 with the depressions 14. In this way, as shown in the illustration according to Fig. 1, the selector lever 2 is held in the position N . The bridge 13 has an upper face 17 and a second face 18 which is arranged parallel to the first face 24 and therefore parallel to the pattern of movement of the selector lever 2 in the first gear-shift gate 9. A guide member 19 attached to the selector lever 2 rests against the second face 18. The upper face 17 is formed in such a way that the guide member 19 can move freely. For this purpose it is possible, but not absolutely necessary, for the upper face 17 to extend parallel to the pattern of movement of the guide member 19. At the level of the transverse gate 10 the second face 18 terminates in an aperture 20, the width d of which corresponds to the width e of the guide member 19. The length a of the aperture 20 is defined by the distance c of the first gear-shift gate 9 and the second gear-shift gate 11 minus the thickness b of the guide member 19. The result of this is that in the second gear-shift gate 11 the guide member 19 rests against the first face 24 and the selector lever 2 is guided thereby. For the first gear-shift gate 9 a precise guidance of the selector lever 2 is achieved with the guide 12 by the abutment of the selector lever 2 against the first face 24 on the one hand and by the abutment of the guide member 19 against the second face 18 on the other hand. During the pivoting of the selector lever 2 through the transverse gate 10 the selector lever 2 is guided in a precise manner in the aperture 20 by the guide member 19 connected to the said selector lever, until the second gear-shift gate 11 is reached. In the second gear-shift gate 11 the selector lever 2 is guided at least by the abutment of the guide member 19 on the first face 24. The selector lever 2 is connected mechanically to the gearbox 4 in the first gear-shift gate 9 by the transmission member 7 and the Bowden cable 5. This connexion is discontinued when passing through the transverse gate 10, and in the second gear-shift gate 11 this connexion is broken off completely. The guide 12 illustrated ensures that the selector lever 2 returns to the first gear-shift gate 9 in exactly the same position in which it left the first gear-shift gate 9.

Claims: A selector lever (2) guide unit for a gearbox (4), wherein the selector lever (2) is movable in two gear-shift gates (9, 11) parallel to each other, the gear-shift gates are connected by a transverse gate (10), a structural member (13) arranged adjacent to the selector lever has a face (18) remote from the selector lever (2) extending in a plane parallel to the first gear-shift gate (9) and facing away from the selector lever, a guide member (19) is provided on the selector lever (2), characterized in that the guide member (19) rests against said face (18), and the face (18) has an aperture (20) at that point at which the guide member (19) is present when the selector lever (2) is at the level of the transverse gate (10), wherein the width (d) of the aperture (20) corresponds to the width (e) of the guide member (19), and the length (a) of the aperture (20) is selected to be such that the guide member (19) and therefore the selector lever (2) are released to be moved in the second shift gate (11) only when the second gear-shift gate (11) is reached. A selector lever guide unit according to Claim 1, characterized in that the structural member (13) has recesses (14) for locking the selector lever (2) in pre-set positions. A selector lever guide unit according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the selector lever (2) rests against a further face (24) of the structural member (13) when the selector lever (2) is present in the first gear-shift gate (9), wherein the two faces (24, 18) of the structural member (13) are arranged parallel to each other. A selector lever guide unit according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the structural member (13) is part of a housing (8) for receiving the selector lever (2). A selector lever guide unit according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the structural member (13) comes to rest below a cover.

Inventors: BRAVO ERNESTO, BRAVO, ERNESTO
Applicants: PORSCHE AG, DR.ING.H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B60K20
IPC codes: F16H59, F16H61, B60K20