DE29915121U1 - Manual shift lever for a vehicle change gearbox - Google Patents

Description

.··..**. .·*..'·. "...'2Z August 1999

ADWEST Heidemarin Einbeck GmbH .*.*'. . I ', .*'. . *..: *..i 2152/124

DESCRIPTION Manual gearshift lever for a vehicle gearbox

The invention relates to a manual gearshift lever according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such manual gearshift levers are designed to transmit selection and shifting movements to the input element of the change gear of a vehicle and are mounted via a bearing housing which is firmly connected to the chassis frame and enables the aforementioned movements of the gearshift lever. The manual gearshift lever penetrates this housing and is equipped with a gear knob at its end protruding into the passenger compartment and with a coupling element at its opposite end, which is designed to connect the intermediate elements used to transmit shifting movements to the gearbox. In order to assemble the gearshift lever and to carry out maintenance and adjustment work on the aforementioned transmission elements, it is necessary to provide a reproducible starting position for the manual gearshift lever, namely a so-called locking position, in which the lever is fixed against any movements.

It is known to bring about this locking position with the help of a locking bolt or a similar additional part, which can be inserted into holes in prefabricated parts of the chassis frame on the one hand and a component attached to the manual gear lever on the other. This means that in order to bring about the locking position, a separate component is required, namely the locking bolt mentioned, which must be transferred to its insertion position and which, when releasing the locking position, namely for the purpose of

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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The lever must be removed again to provide the working position. This involves various work processes that are sometimes relatively laborious to carry out, especially since the locking bolt is more or less firmly seated in the locking position or can be lost.

It is the object of the invention to design a manual gearshift lever of the type described at the outset in such a way that the work processes of transferring the manual gearshift lever from a working position to a locking position and vice versa, as well as the associated assembly and adjustment work, which particularly concerns the interaction of the transmission with the manual gearshift lever, are significantly simplified. This object is achieved in such a manual gearshift lever by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

The essential feature of the invention is that the manual gearshift lever is provided with such positively effective means for fixing the locking position and the working position, which are captively connected to the manual gearshift lever or which are means inherent in the gearshift lever. These means are preferably designed in such a way that they can be easily operated in order to be able to easily move the gearshift lever from the working position to the locking position and vice versa. In particular, the means are designed in such a way that no additional tools are required to operate them. The positions of these means in both the working and locking positions are secured in a positively locking manner.

According to the features of claim 2, both the working position and the staking position are secured by spring force. Accidental changes to these positions are thus prevented and comfortable working is made possible, particularly in the staking position.

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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The features of claims 3 to 5 are directed to the further development of the gearshift lever-specific means mentioned. This is formed by a pair of elements, one of which is movable relative to the manual gearshift lever and the other is fixed relative to the chassis frame, the locking position of the gearshift lever being defined by the engagement state of this pair of elements. The movement of the movable element relative to the fixed element can be a rotational movement, but also a translational movement. All pairs of elements whose movable member can be moved between the mentioned limit positions and which satisfy the above general conditions can be used within the scope of the subject matter of the invention.

The features of claim 6 are directed to the specification of the movable element of the said pair of elements. This consists of a sleeve which is the carrier of a locking element which can interact with a counter-element which is firmly connected to the chassis frame of the vehicle. For example, the pair of elements used here can be the bolt-bore elements, although it is irrelevant for the representation of the locking function which of these two elements is connected to the sleeve.

The features of claims 7 to 11 are directed at possible concretization of the spring-force-supported fixation of the movable element in the locking position on the one hand and the working position on the other. For this purpose, the sleeve is provided on the outside with at least one cam-like guide part, which serves to guide a profile part, wherein the profile part can be elastically deflected perpendicularly or approximately perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the movable element. The guide part, in particular its U-shaped structure

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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can be arranged for this purpose at an angle to the direction of action of the spring, so that the structure mentioned can be used in conjunction with a profile part to represent the working position. The spring mentioned is provided according to the invention with the proviso that the pressure force exerted by it serves equally to fix the profile part in the U-shaped guide part and the other position of the sleeve, namely the locking position. It is important that the direction of action of the spring force on the one hand and the opening direction of the U-shaped structure on the other hand essentially correspond to one another, so that both positions are elastically secured by means of a spring.

According to a preferred solution according to claim 12, the movable element is formed by a locking element connected to the sleeve, which interacts with a counter element that is designed as a negative form of the locking element and is molded into a component that is firmly connected to the chassis frame. In this way, the transfer of the manual gear lever from the working position to a locking position and vice versa can be represented in the simplest case by a straight, manually performed movement of the sleeve, whereby as a result of the cam-like guide part in connection with the elastically deflectable profile part and the spring mentioned, locking and unlocking movements of the profile part can take place automatically, in particular in the working position, which is characterized by an engagement of the profile part with the guide part mentioned. The same applies to the processes associated with the transfer of the sleeve from the locking position to the working position.

The features of claims 13 to 17 are directed to a further embodiment of a manual shift lever according to the invention, which

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ches is characterized by particularly simple transfer movements from the working position to the staking position and vice versa.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiment shown schematically in the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shift lever according to the invention in the working position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the switching lever according to the invention in a position between the working position and a locking position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shift lever according to the invention in the locking position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a shift lever according to the invention in the working position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shift lever according to Fig. 4 in the locking position;

Fig. 6 is a representation of the upper end of the shift lever according to Fig. 4 in axial section.

In Fig. 1, 1 designates the metal manual gearshift lever 1 for a motor vehicle gearbox, on the upper end of which a gearshift knob 2, usually made of plastic, is placed and secured in a suitable manner. The manual gearshift lever 1 is mounted via a bearing housing 4 in a component 5 which is firmly connected to the chassis frame, with the proviso that in the

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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In the working position shown in Fig. 1, all switching movements can be transmitted to the manual shift lever 1 via the gear knob 2, which can be forwarded via the lower end 6 protruding from the bearing housing 4. This involves movements in the longitudinal direction of the manual shift lever 1, thus in the direction of the arrows 7 on the one hand, and the usual selection and switching movements in mutually perpendicular directions on the other. The lower end 6 of the manual shift lever 1 is cranked and provided with a coupling pin 3, which is designed to be connected to a shift linkage (not shown in the drawing), via which these switching movements can be transmitted to the input member of the transmission.

8 designates a sleeve which surrounds the manual shift lever 1 between its upper end and the bearing housing 4 and which is arranged to be movable relative to the manual shift lever 1 in the direction of the arrows 7. On the outside of this sleeve, in diametrically opposite positions, there are U-shaped guide parts which protrude radially on the outside in such a way that the planes of the U-shaped structures extend essentially parallel to the associated tangential plane of the sleeve 8. Each of the two guide parts 8 is arranged in such a way that two legs 10 parallel to one another extend downwards and a leg 11 connecting one of their ends extends vertically. 12 designates two guide levers formed on a further sleeve 13, extending parallel to the manual gearshift lever 1 and diametrically opposed to one another, the free ends of which, facing away from the sleeve 13, are marked by grooves 14, which are intended to interact with the U-shaped guide parts 9. This will be discussed in more detail below. Alternatively, the guide parts 8 can also be correspondingly curved grooves or slots in the wall of the sleeve 8.

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH .*.*·. . I l,". . *..:*..: 2152/124

The sleeve 13 forms a stop side for one end of a spring 15 surrounding the manual shift lever 1, the other end of which rests on the facing end face of the sleeve 8. In the working position of the manual shift lever shown in Fig. 1, the profile parts 14 are located within the U-shaped structure of the guide parts 9, which - as already explained above - extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the manual shift lever 1. Under the effect of the spring 15 under pressure, the sleeve 8 is thus held stable in this position.

16 designates a slot which forms part of the component 5 and which can be brought into engagement with a locking element 17 which is firmly connected to the sleeve 8 via a bracket 18. The slot is adapted to the locking element 17 and forms its negative form. This engagement can - as can be seen in the drawing figure 1 - be brought about by moving the sleeve 8 in the direction of the arrows 7, thus in the longitudinal direction of the manual gearshift lever 1, and the locking element 17 is characterized by a conical design which tapers in the direction of displacement, so that not only is insertion into the slot 16 easier, but a firm, play-free fit of the locking element 17 can also be achieved.

In order to engage the locking element 17 with the slot 16, the sleeve 8 is first moved manually into the position shown in Fig. 2, namely in the direction of the sleeve 13, against the force exerted by the spring 15. As a result of this partial movement, the profile part 14 initially slides along the inside of the leg 10 facing the component 5, so that there is an elastic right-hand deflection of the guide lever 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the manual gearshift lever 1, thus in the direction of the arrows 19.

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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As soon as this deflection movement has reached the lowest point of the leg 11, the guide lever 12 elastically springs back into its starting position and is now in the position shown in Fig. 2 outside the structure of the guide parts 9.

Starting from this intermediate position shown in Fig. 2, the sleeve 8 can now be moved into the locking or locking position shown in Fig. 3 by expanding the spring 15 or manually, whereby during the downward movement of the sleeve 8 in the direction of the component 5, the profile parts 14 now slide on the outside of the lower leg 10 and, as a result of its diagonally upward orientation, are again deflected in the direction of arrow 19, now to the left. In the deflected position along the outside of the vertical leg 11, after reaching its highest point, it springs back into the position shown in Fig. 3 above the guide parts 9.

This is the locking position in which the locking element 17 is inserted into the slot 16 assigned to it or the corresponding negative form of the component 5 and is fixed under the force of the spring 15. Due to the aforementioned conical design of the locking element 17, there is an almost play-free engagement of the locking element 17 and the slot 16, so that in this locking position the manual gearshift lever 1 is fixed in its bearing housing. This is a standardized and therefore reproducible starting position of the manual gearshift lever, which is required for assembly and various maintenance work on the assigned gearbox including the associated connecting elements.

Starting from the setting position shown in Fig. 3, the working position can be reached again by manually moving the sleeve 8 towards the sleeve 13, thus under further compression

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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the spring 15 is moved, whereby the profile parts 14 initially slide along the outside of the upper leg 10, specifically with elastic deflection to the right with respect to Fig. 3, whereby after exceeding the end point of said leg, the guide levers 12 also spring back elastically and thus the profile parts 14 penetrate into the U-shaped structure of the guide parts 9. As the spring 15 expands, the sleeve 8 now reaches the operating position of the manual gearshift lever shown in Fig. 1, in which any engagement between the locking element 17 on the one hand and the slot 16 on the other hand is eliminated.

It can be seen from the above that starting from the operating position shown in Fig. 1, the locking position shown in Fig. 3 can be achieved manually in a very simple manner, in particular without an additional component and without a tool, by simply moving the sleeve 8 in the direction of the arrows 7 in accordance with the desired position of the manual control lever. Both the working position and the locking position are elastically secured by the spring 15.

In Figures 4 to 6, which show an alternative embodiment of the manual shift lever according to the invention, functional elements which correspond to those in Figures 1 to 3 are numbered accordingly, so that a repeated description in this regard can be omitted.

The essential feature of this embodiment of a manual shift lever is again a sleeve 21 which is movably guided in the direction of the arrows 7 along the manual shift lever 1 and is fixed in the locking position shown in Fig. 4 by means of two diametrically opposed clamp hooks 22 which are formed integrally with the sleeve 21.

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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The clamp hooks 22 are each characterized at their free ends by a locking head 23, the respective locking sections of which extend perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the manual gearshift lever 1 and, in the working position, rest on the locking surface 24 of a component 25 connected to the gearshift lever. For this purpose, the component 25 is provided with recesses 26 through which the clamp hooks 22 pass, with the aforementioned locking sections directly adjoining the upper end of the recesses 26.

The underside of the component 25 forms a contact surface for a spring 27 surrounding the switching lever 1, which is also supported on a ring flange-like projection 28 of the sleeve 21. Because the locking heads 23 rest with their locking sections on the locking surfaces 24 oriented towards the top, this working position is secured by the spring 27 under pressure.

The clamp hooks 22, the locking heads 23 and the recesses 26 are designed in such a way that, starting from the working position shown in Fig. 5, as a result of a manual force being applied to the clamp hooks radially inwards with respect to the switching lever 1, the latter can be elastically deflected to such an extent that the blocking effect of the locking surfaces 24 is cancelled and the sleeve 21 can therefore be moved downwards, namely into the locking position shown in Fig. 5. Such a transfer into the locking position can take place automatically or manually under the action of the spring 27 after the positive connection between the locking surfaces 24 and the locking sections of the clamp hooks 22 has been released. However, the locking position is expediently secured by the spring 27.

The transfer of the sleeve 21 from the staking position to the working position is again carried out by manually moving the sleeve

ADWEST Heidemann Einbeck GmbH

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21, wherein the insertion of the locking hooks 23 into the aforementioned recesses 26 is facilitated by ramp surfaces 29 on the top. As a result of these ramp surfaces 29, when the clamp hooks 22 are inserted into the recesses 26, a radially inwardly directed compression occurs until the locking surfaces 24 are reached.

The embodiment shown in Figures 4 to 6 is thus characterized by particularly simple movement conditions when transferring from the working position to the staking position and vice versa.

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Claims (17)

1. Manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) for a vehicle change gear, one end of which is designed to connect a gearshift rod or a cable, with a bearing housing ( 4 ) intended for connection to structural elements of a chassis frame and with means for transferring the gearshift lever between a working position enabling all gearshift movements on the one hand and a locking position preventing any gearshift movements on the other hand, characterized by means of the gearshift lever itself, which are captively connected to it, which positively secure the manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) both in the working position and in the locking position and which can be moved between the locking position on the one hand and the working position on the other. 2. Hand control lever ( 1 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that both the working position and the locking position are designed as positions of the said means secured by spring force. 3. Manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gearshift lever's own means comprise a positively effective pair of elements, one element of which is fixed relative to the chassis frame and the other element of which is arranged to be movable, in particular relative to the manual gearshift lever ( 1 ), the movable element being movable between two positions by which the working position on the one hand and the locking position on the other hand are defined. 4. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the movable element is movable between the two positions by means of a rotational movement. 5. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the movable element is movable between the two positions by means of a translational movement. 6. Manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized by a sleeve ( 8.21 ) which surrounds the gearshift lever and is guided along the same and forms the movable element. On which a locking element ( 17 ) is attached, which can be brought into engagement with a counter element which is firmly connected to the chassis frame as a result of a movement of the sleeve ( 8.21 ). 7. Hand control lever ( 1 ) according to claim 6, characterized in that the sleeve ( 8 , 21 ) is operatively connected to a spring ( 15 , 27 ), that a positively effective device is provided in particular for securing the working position of the sleeve ( 8 , 21 ), and that the spring ( 15 , 27 ) is designed and arranged to secure both the working position and the locking position. 8. Hand control lever ( 1 ) according to claim (7), characterized in that the form-fitting device is formed by at least one cam-like guide part ( 9 ) on the one hand and a profile part ( 14 ) movable relative to this on the other hand, wherein the profile part ( 14 ) and the guide part ( 9 ) are firmly connected to components movable relative to one another during the transfer movement from the working position to the locking position and vice versa. 9. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to claim 8, characterized in that the guide part ( 9 ) is formed by a U-shaped structure, the inner and outer surfaces of which at least partially form guide surfaces for the profile part ( 14 ). 10. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to claim 9, characterized in that the U-shaped structure is firmly connected to the sleeve ( 8 ) and is arranged inclined in the direction ( 7 ) of the displacement possibility of the sleeve ( 8 ), so that the inside of the U-shaped structure defines a contact surface for the profile part ( 14 ) and thus the working position of the gear lever, wherein the profile part ( 14 ) is arranged to be elastically deflectable essentially perpendicular to the direction of the displacement possibility. 11. Hand control lever ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the spring ( 15 ) is supported on the one hand on the sleeve ( 8 ) and on the other hand on a sleeve ( 13 ), that the spring ( 15 ) is under pressure both in the locking position and in the working position and that the spring force exerted by the spring ( 15 ) on the one hand and the opening direction of the U-shaped structure on the other hand are essentially in the same direction. 12. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the movable element is formed by a locking element ( 17 ) which is fastened to the sleeve ( 8.21 ) and that the element which is fixed relative to the chassis frame is formed by a negative mold for the locking element ( 17 ) which is molded into a component which is fixedly connected to the chassis frame. 13. Manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7 and 12, characterized in that the positively effective device comprises at least one clamp hook ( 22 ) arranged on the sleeve ( 21 ), which can be brought into engagement with the locking surface ( 24 ) of a component ( 25 ) connected to the gearshift lever ( 1 ), this engagement state representing the working position of the gearshift lever ( 1 ). 14. Hand shift lever ( 1 ) according to claim 13, characterized in that the clamp hook ( 22 ) can be deflected in such a direction in which the said engagement state can be brought about or released. 15. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the clamp hook ( 22 ) is provided at its free end with a locking head ( 23 ) which has a locking portion which is intended to cooperate with the locking surface ( 24 ) of the said component ( 25 ). 16. Hand gear lever ( 1 ) according to claim 15, characterized in that the component ( 25 ) is provided with at least one recess ( 26 ) extending axially with respect to the gear lever, to which the locking surface ( 24 ) adjoins on the upper side, ie in the direction of a gear knob ( 2 ). 17. Manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) according to claim 16, characterized in that the locking head ( 23 ) is provided on the upper side with a ramp surface ( 29 ), wherein the ramp surface ( 29 ) extends obliquely to the axis of the manual gearshift lever ( 1 ) and wherein the locking section and the locking surface ( 24 ) extend perpendicular to the axis of the manual gearshift lever ( 1 ).