Abstract:
A slide cover unit of a dual mode shift lever assembly is provided to cover a guide groove formed in an indicator panel in order to isolate an interior of a housing regardless of movement direction of the shift lever. The slide cover includes a first cover plate slidably mounted under the indicator panel for covering the guide groove, a pivot pin fixed on a lower surface of the first cover plate, and a second cover plate pivotally mounted on the pivot pin as an auxiliary cover for the guide groove.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/565,251, filed on May 5, 2000, which claims priority on Korean Patent Application 99-48813, filed on Nov. 5, 1999. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a shift lever assembly for an automatic transmission, and in particular, to a slide cover unit of a dual mode shift lever assembly for covering a guide groove formed on an indicator panel.  
           [0003]    Typically, a shift lever assembly for an automatic transmission includes an indicator panel having a guide groove, a shift lever passing through the guide groove so as to move along the guide groove, and a slide cover provided in the lower surface of the indicator panel for covering the guide groove such that the interior of the shift lever assembly cannot be seen.  
           [0004]    One example of a prior slide cover unit for a shift lever assembly is schematically illustrated in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the slide cover comprises a first cover plate  50 , located under the indicator panel (not shown), which slides forward and rearward with respect to the direction of travel of a vehicle, and a second cover plate  53  which is guided by a pair of guide rails  51  and  51 ′ formed on a lower surface of the first cover plate  50  so as to slide in left and right directions with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle. An elongated hole  52  is formed in an approximate center of the first cover plate  50 , the elongated hole  52  provided in the widthwise direction thereof. The second cover plate  53  is supported by the L-shaped guide rails  51  and  51 ′ of the first cover plate  50  and is provided with a round hole  54  through which a select lever passes.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, the guide groove can be covered by the first cover plate  50  and the second cover plate  53 , regardless of the location of the shift lever.  
           [0006]    However, when the second cover plate is operated, the second cover plate rubs the lower surface of the first cover plate so as to cause friction noise, and it also generates particulates.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems of the prior art.  
           [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a slide cover unit of a shift lever assembly for an automatic transmission that minimizes friction between first and second cover plate plates so as to prevent friction noise and drag from being generated.  
           [0009]    To achieve the above object, a slide cover unit of a dual mode shift lever assembly for covering a guide groove formed in an indicator panel in order to isolate an interior of a housing regardless of movement direction of the shift lever comprises a first cover plate slidably mounted under the indicator panel for covering the guide groove, a pivot pin fixed on a lower surface of the first cover plate, and a second cover plate pivotally mounted on the pivot pin as an auxiliary cover for the guide groove. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    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:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a dual mode shift lever assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a slide cover unit of the dual mode shift lever assembly of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slide cover unit of FIG. 2 as assembled;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a top plane view showing the slide cover unit of FIG. 2;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view taken along a longitudinal axis of an alternative second cover plate according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of a first cover plate plate according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a prior art slide cover unit.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0019]    As shown in FIG. 1, a shift lever assembly  100  comprises a body  1 , an indicator panel  2  mounted on a top portion of the body  1 , the indicator panel  2  having guide groove  3 , and a shift lever  20  pivotally fixed in the body  1  and extended outward through the guide groove  3 .  
         [0020]    The guide groove  3  comprises an auto mode portion and manual mode portion formed in a longitudinal direction with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle, and the two mode portions are connected to each other by a channel formed in the transverse direction with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle such that the shift lever can move to the front, rear, left, and right directions of the vehicle along the guide groove. The channel connecting the auto mode portion and the manual mode portion of the guide groove  3  if formed in a portion indicating a D range on the indicator panel  2 .  
         [0021]    The guide groove  3  is covered by a slide cover unit  4 . As shown in FIG. 2, the slide cover unit  4  comprises a first cover plate  5  slidably mounted under the indicator panel  2 , and a second cover plate  8  pivotally mounted on the lower surface of the first cover plate  5 .  
         [0022]    The first cover plate  5  is rectangular with the longer side oriented in a front and rear direction of the vehicle, and it has an elongated mode conversion hole  6  in the approximate center thereof, the elongation being in a widthwise direction of the first cover plate  5 . On the lower surface of the first cover plate  5 , a pivot pin  7  is fixed at a portion remote from the mode conversion hole  6  along the longitudinal centerline  101 . The pivot pin  7  is provided with a bulbous pin head  7 ′ at its free end and split in longitudinal direction such that the pivot pin  7  is inserted in a hole of which the diameter is smaller than that of the bulbous portion of the pivot pin  7 .  
         [0023]    The second cover plate  8  is formed with a shape of a spatula and provided with a lever receiving hole  10  and a pin hole  9  at a narrow end portion of the second cover plate  8 . The pin hole  9  is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the first cover plate  5  such that the second cover plate  8  can move a small amount in a frontward and rearward direction on the first cover plate  5  after the second cover plate  8  is mounted to the first cover plate  5 .  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 3, the second cover plate  8  is pivotally mounted on the lower surface of the first cover plate  5  so as to remain attached thereto, by inserting the pivot pin  7  of the first cover plate into the pin hole  9  of the second cover plate  8 . The bulbous pin head  7 ′ of the pivot pin  7  prevents the second cover plate  8  from releasing from the first cover plate  5 .  
         [0025]    The lower surface of the first cover plate  5  is corrugated in a longitudinal direction, except for an approximate central area thereof, for enhancing its sliding movement. The non-corrugated area is defined by the pivoting rotation of the second cover plate  8  on the pivot pin  7  such that movement of the second cover plate  8  is not interfered with by the corrugated surface. Furthermore, a rotation ring  14  (see FIG. 2) is interposed between the first and second cover plates  5  and  8  for reducing rotational friction when the pivot pin  7  is inserted into the pin hole  9 . The second cover plate  8  rotates on the pin  7  of the first cover plate  5  according to a movement of the shift lever  20 .  
         [0026]    The shift lever  20  passes through the mode conversion hole  6  of the first cover plate  5  and the lever receiving hole  10  of the second cover plate  8  such that the slide cover unit  4  moves to the front, rear, left, and right directions according to the shift lever manipulation.  
         [0027]    To enhance a detent quality when converting from one mode to the other, a detent projection It can be formed on a wall of the mode conversion hole  6  (see FIG. 2).  
         [0028]    The operation of the slide cover unit of the shift lever assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter.  
         [0029]    Shifting operations are made by moving the shift lever  20  along the guide groove  3 . When the shift lever  20  moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the first cover plate  5  is moved together with the second cover plate  8  in the same direction. On the other hand, when the shift lever  20  moves in the transverse direction of the vehicle for changing shift mode, the shift lever  20  moves in the longitudinal direction of the elongated mode conversion hole  6  and the second cover plate  8  rotates on the axis of the pivot pin  7  and moves in the same direction of the shift lever  20 . Accordingly, the guide groove  3  is covered by the slide cover unit  4  under the indicator panel  2  regardless of movements of the shift lever.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view showing a second cover plate according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0031]    As shown in FIG. 5, a guide projection  22  is formed upward around the pin hole  10  such that the guide projection  22  is inserted into the mode conversion hole  6  of the first cover plate  5 . The guide projection  22  has a flange around the edge of the upper end thereof and a rotation ring  14 ′ for reducing friction between the first and second cover plates  5  and  8 , and it is provided around the guide projection  22 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of a first cover plate according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the first cover plate unit, the first cover plate further comprises a support rail  21  formed on the lower surface of the first cover plate  5  for supporting the second cover plate  8 .  
         [0034]    The operation of the slide cover unit of the shift lever assembly according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the first preferred embodiment.  
         [0035]    As described above, the second cover plate is formed with a spatula shape small enough not to project out from under the first cover plate and is pivotally mounted on the lower surface of the first cover plate such that the friction area between the first and second cover plates is minimized, and so the second cover plate does not interfere with any operation of other parts of the shift lever assembly. Also, the minimization of the friction area between the first and second cover plates reduces friction noise and generation of particulates.