Abstract:
A neutral shift lever position control device for an automotive vehicle includes a swing block pivotally connected to a vehicle body by a rod, a shift lever at one end thereof pivotally connected to the pivot shaft, a neutral position selector which is cylindrical such that the shift lever is inserted therethrough, and a knob screwed onto a free end of the shift lever.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a shift lever of an automotive vehicle, and in particular, to a shift lever position adjustment device of an automotive vehicle. 
     (b) Description of the Related Art 
     A shift lever assembly provides for operating a transmission of an automotive vehicle and includes a shift lever which extends upwardly into the driver&#39;s compartment. FIG. 5 shows a prior art shift lever assembly. As shown in FIG. 5, a shift lever assembly includes a shift lever case  4 , a shift lever  2  connected at one end thereof to the case  4 , and a bracket  6  interposed between the case  4  and the shift lever  2  so as to pivotally connect the shift lever  2  to the case  4  by means of a pin  12 . At the other end of the shift lever, a knob is formed so as to be gripped by a driver. 
     In this prior art shift lever assembly, since the shift lever  2  is fixedly mounted thereon, it is impossible to adjust the shift lever to be at a proper position according to a driver&#39;s body type. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problem of the prior art. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a shift lever position adjustment device capable of adjusting a position of the shift lever to fit the driver. 
     To achieve the above object, a shift lever position adjustment device for an automotive vehicle comprises a swing block pivotally connected to a vehicle body by a support rod, a shift lever at one end thereof pivotally connected to a pivot shaft, a neutral position selector which is cylindrical such that the shift lever is inserted therethrough, and a knob screwed onto a free end of the shift lever. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a shift lever position adjustment device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the lever position adjustment device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a view showing an operational behavior of the lever position adjustment device of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a prior art shift lever assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a shift lever position adjustment device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the shift lever position adjustment device  20  comprises a swing block  26  secured in a shift lever case (not shown), a shift lever  30  connected at one end thereof to the swing block  26 , a position selector  22  which is cylindrical such that the shift lever  30  is inserted therein, and a knob  28  which is fixedly screwed at the other end of the shift lever  30  after the shift lever  30  is inserted into the position selector  22 . 
     The swing block  26  is a thick plate having an arc shape on its upper portion and a groove is formed on the arc shaped upper surface of the swing block  26  such that one end of the shift lever  30  is pivotally connected to a pivot shaft  59  through an opening (not shown) formed inside the groove  57  (see FIG.  2 ). On one of the arc shaped banks that define the groove  57 , gear teeth  60  are formed. 
     The position selector  22  comprises a cylindrical tube  39 ; a shift lever fixer  23  fixedly mounted on an upper end of the tube  39  which has teeth  34  so as to selectively engage with the teeth  60  of the swing block  26 ; a coil spring  54  mounted around a lower portion of the tube  39  and limited by a pin  50 P, which is inserted into a hole  63  of shift lever  30  and pin passages  47  formed at a predetermined distance from the lower end of the tube  39  in a shape of a needle eye, such that an upward movement of the tube  39  is limited; rings  36  surrounding an upper portion of the tube  39 ; and a stopper  32  surrounded by the rings  36 , pivotally mounted at one side of the tube portion by means of torsion spring  44  and spring pin  40  such that a head  48  of the stopper  32  is selectively inserted into a hole  46  formed at a corresponding position on the shift lever  30  to stop the tube  39  from moving up while the head  48  of the stopper  32  is inserted into the hole  46 . 
     As shown in FIG.  3  and FIG. 4, the stopper  32  includes the depressing portion  50  and the head  48  such that the head  48  is initially inserted into the hole  47 , and if the depressing portion  50  is depressed, the head  48  is released therefrom. 
     The knob  28  is formed in such a way that the upper end of the shift lever  30  is screwed into a threaded hole formed on a lower portion of the knob  28  and an entrance portion of the hole  35  has a larger diameter than the threaded portion such that the tube  39  can be partially inserted therein. 
     The operation of the shift lever position adjustment device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter. 
     Initially, the head  48  of the stopper  32  is inserted into the hole  46  of the is shift lever  30 . If the shift lever position does not fit the driver&#39;s body, the depressing portion  50  is depressed by the driver such that the head  48  of the stopper  32  is released from the hole  46 . In this case, the position selector  22  can be moved upward so as to disengage the shift lever fixer  23  from the gear teeth  60  such that the select lever  30  can be moved to and fro within a predetermined range. Accordingly, the shift lever  30  can be located at a desired position. When the shift lever  30  is located at the desired position, if the driver releases the position selector  22  the shift lever fixer teeth  34  are engaged with the gear teeth by an elastic force of the coil spring  54  such that the shift lever position is reset to fit the driver&#39;s body. At the same time, the head  48  of the stopper  32  is biased by the torsion spring  44  so as to be inserted into the hole  46 . The stopper  32  also prevents the position selector  22  moving upward by any impact caused by uneven road surfaces. 
     As described above, in the shift lever position adjustment device, since the shift lever position can be adjusted by the driver&#39;s intention, an optimal driving comfort can be obtained regardless of changing of the driver. Also the shift lever position can be adjusted to fit the driver such that driving fatigue decreases, resulting in a reduction of traffic accidents. 
     While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.