CN214146545U - Ball head assembly for gear shifter - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a bulb subassembly for selector, this bulb subassembly includes the casing, this casing limits the opening; a key disposed at the opening of the housing so as to be accessible from outside the housing, the key including at least two guide arms extending in a pressing direction thereof; a bracket disposed within the housing and fixedly connected thereto, the bracket including apertures open to the keys for receiving the guide arms inserted therein; the shell comprises a stopping part which can abut against the key, and the stopping part is used for limiting the outward movement of the key from the opening along the pressing direction. The ball head component can realize stable operation function of the P key.

Description

Ball head assembly for gear shifter

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an automotive filed, more specifically relate to a bulb subassembly for selector.

Background

As is well known, automobiles generally utilize a shifter to change the gear engagement position within the transmission, thereby changing the gear ratio for the purpose of shifting.

A conventional gear shifter includes a lever type gear shifter, which has a P-range for parking on a ball head, and the P-range is usually locked and unlocked by a button on the ball head.

At present, the installation of the P button and the center of sphere support on the selector bulb of the prior art relies on the buckle to be fixed, and the button operation function is finally realized through the location of the guide rib.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a prior art P-key 1. As shown, the prior art key 1 comprises three guide arms 2 and catches 3, which catches 3 extend from the guide arms 2 in the Z-direction. The guiding groove cooperation that corresponds of guide arm and support makes buckle 3 pass the guiding groove for form the buckle cooperation with the centre of sphere support, thereby when loosening after the user presses button 1, prevent that button 1 from breaking away from the cooperation with the centre of sphere support along pressing the direction.

The P key of the prior art has the following problems:

1) due to the limitation of the current design space, the 3P buttons are easy to break under the high-temperature environment of 85 ℃, so that the function failure is caused; 2) the matching part of the guide arm of the P key and the guide groove of the bracket is short, so that the key shakes greatly left, right, up and down in the pressing process, pressing clamping stagnation is easy to occur, and the hand feeling of a user is poor; 3) the P key is troublesome to install and detach, and particularly, the buckle is easily broken in the detaching process; 4) the P key is provided with 3 buckles, so the mold structure is complex, and the mold can be ejected only by an inclined top or a sliding block, so the number of finished products of the mold is increased; in addition, the injection molding cycle is correspondingly increased, the injection molding processing cost is correspondingly increased, and the relative stability of the mold is slightly poor and the later maintenance cost is increased due to the complex structure of the mold.

Accordingly, a ball assembly configured to better engage the P-button in the handball while avoiding movement of the P-button in either direction X, Y, Z during use is desired.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a bulb subassembly for selector, this kind of bulb subassembly can realize the stable operating function of P button to can also improve the user and feel, promote the convenience of dismantling. In addition, the ball head assembly makes the mold structure simpler, thereby reducing the mold cost.

Specifically, a ball head assembly includes a housing defining an opening; a key disposed at the opening of the housing so as to be accessible from outside the housing, the key including at least two guide arms extending in a pressing direction thereof; a bracket disposed within the housing and fixedly connected thereto, the bracket including apertures open to the keys for receiving the guide arms inserted therein; the shell comprises a stopping part which can abut against the key, and the stopping part is used for limiting the outward movement of the key from the opening along the pressing direction. The ball head component realizes the limitation of outward movement of the button along the pressing direction on the premise of realizing the operation function of the button.

In a preferred embodiment, the cross section of at least one of the guide arms is constant along the pressing direction. The structure of the guide arm makes the guide arm difficult to break.

In a preferred embodiment, the stop is positioned in the lower region of the housing. The lower area has more space, which makes the stop easier to form.

Further, the stopper portion extends from the inner wall of the case toward the lower surface of the key to facilitate manufacturing.

In addition, the lower surface of the key is provided with a limiting part which is abutted against the side surface of the stopping part in the shell so as to at least limit the outward movement of the key from the opening along the pressing direction. This provides a preferred way of limiting the key depression direction by the stop.

In a preferred embodiment, the guide arm of the key cooperates with the hole such that when the key is pressed, the guide arm can only move in the pressing direction within the hole. The configuration of the guide arms and apertures are such that the button is restricted from movement in the direction X, Y during use.

Further, the cross-section of the guide arm and the cross-section of the hole are both rectangular in shape. This provides a preferred way of limiting the directional movement of the keys X, Y.

In a preferred embodiment, the keys are provided with three guide arms in parallel and the support is provided with corresponding three holes. The three guide arms make the key more stable during use.

In a preferred embodiment, the ball head assembly further comprises an elastic member disposed between the button and the printed circuit board on the support for providing a resilient force of the button so that a user receives preferable feedback.

In a preferred embodiment, the button is a P button for controlling the parking position. In other examples, the present invention may be applied to different keys.

Additional features and advantages of the handball assembly for a shifter described herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

Drawings

With reference to the above purposes, the technical features of the invention are clearly described in the claims below, and its advantages are apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example a preferred embodiment of the invention, without limiting the scope of the inventive concept.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a prior art key;

FIG. 2 illustrates an assembly view of a ball head assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a ball head assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a key of a ball head assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a ball head assembly showing the engagement of a stop of a housing with a key according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Reference numerals

1, pressing a key;

2 a guide arm;

3, buckling;

10, a ball head component;

100 of a shell;

110 openings;

a 120 stopping part;

200 keys;

210 a push portion;

220 a guide arm;

230 a position-limiting part;

300 a support;

310 holes;

400 an elastic member.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the objects, features and advantages of the invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention, but are merely illustrative of the true spirit of the technical solution of the invention.

The term "pressing direction" as used herein refers to the direction in which a key moves when a force is applied to the key; the "pressing direction" may also be referred to herein as the "Z direction".

The term "X-direction" as used herein refers to the horizontal direction in a cross-section perpendicular to the Z-direction.

The term "Y-direction" as used herein refers to the vertical direction in a cross-section perpendicular to the Z-direction.

Fig. 2 and 3 show assembled and exploded views of an assembled ball head assembly 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The ball head assembly 10 includes a housing 100, a key 200, and a support 300, wherein an upper portion of the housing 100 is omitted and only a lower portion of the housing 100 is partially shown in the drawings in order to clearly see the key 200 and the support 300.

The cooperation between the housing 100, the key 200 and the holder 300 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 2 to 5.

The button 200 of the ball head assembly 10 is shown in detail in fig. 4. In the preferred embodiment, the button 200 is a P button for controlling the park position. The keys 200 are disposed at the openings 110 defined by the housing 100 to be accessible from the exterior of the housing 100. Specifically, the key 200 includes a pressing portion 210 and at least two guide arms 220, and the opening 110 has a shape similar to the maximum cross section of the pressing portion 210 in the Z direction, and the opening 110 is sized slightly larger than or equal to the maximum cross section, whereby the key 200 is disposed such that the pressing portion 210 is surrounded by (but not necessarily in contact with) the opening 110, and is disposed toward the outside of the housing 100 in the pressing direction to enable a user to reach and press the pressing portion 210; while the rest of the keys 200 are located inside the housing 100.

At least two guide arms 220 of the key 200 extend in the pressing direction thereof. In this embodiment, the number of the guide arms 220 is three guide arms extending parallel to each other, but this is merely an example and not a limitation. In other embodiments, the number of guide arms 220 may be two or more than three.

The bracket 300 is arranged in the housing 100 and is fixedly connected, e.g. screwed, thereto, as shown in fig. 2. The holder comprises holes 310 open towards the keys 200, in particular the guide arms 220 of the keys, for receiving the insertion of the corresponding guide arms 220 therein. In the preferred embodiment the bracket is provided with three corresponding holes 310, each having a shape and size that matches the corresponding guide arm 220 such that when the key 200 is pressed, the respective guide arm 220 can only move within the hole 310 in the pressing direction.

In an embodiment, the cross-section of at least one of the guide arms 220 is constant along the Z-direction. Specifically, the cross-section of at least one of the guide arms 220 is a constant rectangular shape and the cross-section of the corresponding hole 310 is also a matching sized rectangular shape, whereby the guide arm 200 can only move within the corresponding hole 310 in the Z-direction, while movement in the X-direction and the Y-direction is limited. And the guide arm 220 is a part of the key 200, so that the movement of the key 200 in the X and Y directions is restricted.

In another embodiment, the length of the cross-section of one of the guide arms 220 in the Z-direction in the X-direction may be constant such that the movement of the guide arm 220 in the X-direction is limited when the guide arm 220 is inserted into the corresponding hole 310; while the length of the cross-section of the other of the guide arms 220 in the Z-direction in the Y-direction may be constant such that the movement of the guide arms 220 in the Y-direction is limited when the guide arms 220 are inserted into the corresponding holes 310. Likewise, the movement of the key 200 in the X and Y directions is restricted.

It is noted that the shape of the guide arm 220 is merely exemplary, and as long as the guide arm 220 can restrict the movement of the key 200 in the X and Y directions.

As shown in fig. 5, the casing 100 further includes a stopper 120 capable of abutting against the key 200, and the stopper is used for limiting the outward movement of the key 200 from the opening 210 in the pressing direction.

Preferably, the blocking portion 120 may be positioned within a lower region of the housing 100. Advantageously, the blocking portion 120 extends from an inner wall of the case 100 toward the key 200 (e.g., a lower surface thereof).

In another embodiment, the blocking portion 120 may also be positioned within an upper region of the case 100 and may extend from an inner wall of the case 100 toward an upper surface of the key 200.

In other embodiments, the stopper 120 may extend from the inner wall of the case 100 toward the side surface of the key 200.

It is noted that the position, number and shape of the stoppers 120 are merely exemplary, and the stoppers can limit the movement of the key 200 outward from the opening 210 in the pressing direction.

Referring to fig. 5, in embodiments where the stopper 120 is positioned within the lower region of the housing 100 and extends from the inner wall of the housing 100 towards the key 200, the key 200 is provided with a corresponding stopper 230 (e.g., on a lower surface thereof) having a side surface and abutting the side surface of the stopper 120 within the housing 100 to at least limit movement of the key 200 in the Z-direction outwardly from the opening 110.

Preferably, the ball head assembly 10 further includes an elastic member 400 disposed between the key and the printed circuit board on the support for providing a resilient force of the key.

The utility model has the advantages of as follows: 1) a buckle structure is cancelled, and the buckle is not needed to be broken; 2) The buckle structure is eliminated, so the length of the guide arm can be increased by the residual space, the size of the guide arm is increased, the P key is pressed more stably, and clamping stagnation abnormal sound is not easy to occur; 3) the stopping part is limited in the shell, so that when a user presses the P key, the situation that the press key rebounds to exceed the stroke and the press hand feeling of the press key is influenced is avoided; 4) the P button buckle structure is cancelled, so that the mold structure is simpler, the mold cost and the injection molding processing cost are further reduced, and the stability of the mold and the performance of the product are further improved.

While the structure of the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense. Thus, modifications and variations may be made to the present invention which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A ball head assembly for a shifter, the ball head assembly comprising:

a housing defining an opening;

a key disposed at the opening of the housing to be accessible from outside the housing, the key including at least two guide arms extending in a pressing direction thereof;

a bracket disposed within the housing and fixedly connected thereto, the bracket including an aperture open to the key for receiving the guide arm inserted therein;

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the shell comprises a stopping part which can abut against the key, and the stopping part is used for limiting the outward movement of the key from the opening along the pressing direction.

2. The ball head assembly of claim 1, wherein a cross-section of at least one of the guide arms is constant along the pressing direction.

3. The ball head assembly of claim 1 wherein said stop is positioned within a lower region of said housing.

4. The ball assembly of claim 3, wherein the stop extends from an inner wall of the housing toward a lower surface of the key.

5. The ball assembly of claim 4, wherein a lower surface of the key is provided with a stopper portion abutting against a side surface of the stopper portion in the housing to at least restrict movement of the key outward from the opening in the pressing direction.

6. The ball head assembly of claim 2, wherein the guide arm of the key cooperates with the bore such that the guide arm is only movable within the bore in the depression direction when the key is depressed.

7. The ball head assembly of claim 6 wherein said guide arm cross-section and said bore cross-section are each rectangular in shape.

8. The ball head assembly of claim 1 wherein said key is provided with three said guide arms in parallel and said bracket is provided with a corresponding three said apertures.

9. The ball head assembly of claim 1, further comprising a resilient member disposed between the key and a printed circuit board on the support for providing resiliency to the key.

10. The ball assembly of claim 1, wherein the button is a P button for controlling park.

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