GB1588427A

GB1588427A - Locking device for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB1588427A
Application number: GB5179777A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1976-12-14
Filing date: 1977-12-13
Publication date: 1981-04-23
Also published as: FR2374685B1; AR212225A1; FR2374685A1; ES465008A1; CH627977A5; IT1088984B; LU78683A1; NL7712879A

Abstract

Fixing of the gear lever in the idling or parking position provides an opportunity for anti-theft protection in motor vehicles, as it is virtually impossible to move the vehicle when the gears are in these positions. As the transmission lever(s) (11), which can be actuated by the gear lever (5), can be blocked by means of a blocking bolt (15) below the vehicle floor (1) and a guide casing (3), the vehicle protection system is secured against unauthorised access to a substantial extent. The blocking bolt (15) is actuated by means of a safety lock (16) which is embedded in the vehicle floor (1). <IMAGE>

Description

(54) LOCKING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE (71) I, RUDI STOLL, a German Citizen of, Karl-Scblageter-Strasse 22a, D 7512 Rheinstetten-Fo, Federal Republic of Ger many, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to a securable gearchanging lever locking device for a motor vehicle having a gear-changing lever arranged in a guide housing for pivotably moving linkage levers which are pivotable about a common axis, the said linkage levers projecting from the guide housing.

An example of such a gear-changing lever is the selector lever in automatic gearboxes, this selector lever being arranged like the gear-changing lever but usually acting only with a single linkage lever on the automatic gearbox.

Both in the case of gearboxes with a gearchanging lever and also those with a selector lever it is possible to put the gears into an idle situation; in the case of many kinds of change-speed gears but also in the case of automatic gearboxes it is also possible to set a "park" position, wherein the transmission is locked.

Since the moving of a motor vehicle with the gear-change lever set to an idle position is not possible under its own power and since a vehicle also cannot be towed away with the selector lever stationed at the "park" position, the fixing of the gear-changing or selector lever in one of these positions is useful as a security measure against theft for motor vehicles. In actual fact measures have already been made for preventing unauthorised use of motor vehicles in this way, from gearchanging levers which can be unscrewed to gearbox locking devices which can to deliberately locked. These known measures and apparatus, however, were either easy to make inoperative, so that the desired theftpreventing effect was inadequate in practice, or they were too complicated and thus too liable to develop faults or too expensive.

In connection with such attempts it should be noted that the arrangements made for preventing theft should not in any event prejudice the operating safety, or traffic safety, of such a vehicle and in other words under extreme conditions-snow, ice, heat, dampness-it must be insured that the anti-theft arrangement does not come into action accidentally.

Thus, such an anti-theft device should meet the following requirements: 1. It should not prejudice the operating safety and traffic safety of the vehicle, 2. it should be capable of operating uniformly even under extreme conditions, 3. it should provide a high standard of safety against theft of the vehicle, 4. it should be simple to operate and must be capable of being operated from the driving seat of a motor vehicle, 5. it should be capable of being fitted subsequently to motor vehicles without difficulty and 6. it should be simple and inexpensive.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a gear-changing lever locking device comprising a mounting plate on which are mounted a slidable locking pin and a safety lock, the locking pin being slidable by means of the safety lock, wherein the mounting plate is adapted to be mounted underneath a vehicle floor onto a guide housing in which is arranged vehicle gear change linkage such that in use the locking pin is slidable into a position where it prevents gear changing and the safety lock is actuable from within the vehicle.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a motor vehicle having a gear-changing lever or selector arranged in a guide housing on the vehicle floor for pivotably moving at least one linkage lever which can pivot about an axis and which linkage lever(s) project(s) from said guide housing, and a gear-changing lever locking device, comprising a mounting plate on which are mounted a slidable locking pin and a safety lock, the locking pin being slidable by means of the safety lock, the mounting plate being mounted under neath the vehicle floor such that the locking pin is slidable into a position where it prevents gear-changing and the safety lock is actuable from within the vehicle.

In the gear-changing lever locking device according to the invention, therefore, it is not necessarily the actual gear-changing lever or selector lever which is locked, but may be the linkage levers which are operated by this gear-changing lever or selector lever and which transmit force from the gearchanging lever by means of a linkage system to the gearbox. This has the advantage that, since the linkage levers are generally situated below the guide housing for the gear-changing lever, or below the floor of the vehicle, they are substantially removed from unauthorised access. In order to allow manipulation of the locking pin of the gear-changing lever locking device according to the present invention therefore, it would be generally necessary to work below the floor of the vehicle, which in the case of modern vehicles is possible substantially only after either lifting the vehicle or by using a pit. Not only is the gear-changing lever locking device according to the invention thus extremely safe from this aspect, but it may generally also be operated in the simplest way from the driving seat of the motor vehicle, since the safety lock which displaces the locking pin projects through the floor of the vehicle near the guide housing in other words at a place where it is easily accessible but is also protected by the surrounding vehicle floor against the possibility of manipulation.

The locking pin can be arranged so that it can be pushed into the path of pivoting movement of the linkage levers only in an idle position, a "park" position or in an optional ratio of the gearbox so that not only -is it reliably ensured that normal gearchanging is not prejudiced, but also there is no risk of disturbing the traffic safety of a vehicle equipped in this way. This safety standard is maintained even under extreme conditions, since the space around the linkage levers is usually so protected that excessive entry of water, dirt or the accumulation of ice is obtained. Even if for example the formation of ice prevented the advance of the locking pin, although the gear-changing lever could not be locked this would not prejudice the operating and traffic safety aspects of the vehicle.

The connection of a locking pin of this kind with a safety lock can be effected in a very simple way, for example in the way used with the steering wheel locks which are now prescribed, in other words in an expensive manner. Fitting this locking device is also not very difficult and can easily be carried out subsequently, more-particularly if according to a further feature of the invention the locking pin and if appropriate the safety lock also are arranged on a guide plate which can be screwed to the underside of the guide housing.

Since the guide housing is generally securely bolted to the floor of the vehicle, it is possible to use the same bolting points for attaching the guide plate, using relatively long bolts and this also has the advantage that the nuts which are to be screwed on to the bolts lock the securing bolts, in other words makes it impossible to move these bolts from the interior of the vehicle.

It is possible to arrange in the locking path of the locking pin a switch which opens the starting current circuit or ignition circuit so that when the locking device according to the invention is operated the electrical circuit for ignition or starting the engine is also interrupted at the same time. In addition to an additional surety against theft, this measure also ensures that the vehicle cannot be started by an unauthorised person when the locking device is still in action.

By this means, all the aforesaid requirements have been meet, and therefore a safety device against theft is thus provided which is simple and therefore inexpensive to produce, can be fitted in a simple and thereforeinexpensive manner even subsequently, is simple and advantageous to operate even under extreme conditions and reliably prevents theft of a motor vehicle equipped with the device.

Instead of simply sliding the locking pin into the pivoting path of the linkage levers, of course, it may also be introduced into holes in the said linkage levers, these being provided almost as a regular feature together with lateral securing blocks for the assembly of such gear arrangements.

With any anti-theft safety device it should also be ensured that the device can be bypassed or rendered inoperative by an authorised person. With the device provided by the present invention this is achieved by either constructing the connection between the safety lock and the locking pin to be releasable, e.g. by arranging for the retaining mechanism of the safety lock to be releasable by a latch which is arranged in the lock at the place of connection with the locking pin. However, release is generally possible only by manipulating underneath the vehicle floor, which is not possible without relatively considerable effort and without attracting attention.

Constructional embodiment of the subject of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings by way of example only, in which: Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a vehicle floor at the guide housing of a gearchanging lever, Fig. 2 shows a view from below of the guide plate of Fig. 1 with attached locking pin and lock, Fig. 3 shows a side view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows a view of a further constructional form from below.

In example shown in Fig. 1 a vehicle floor 1 is constructed as a tunnel in order to receive a universal joint shaft and also a gear linkage.

Secured on the vehicle floor 1 by means of bolts 2 is a guide housing 3 with bearing brackets 4 for a shaft 6 connected with a gear-changing lever 5. By means of spacer rings 7 which engage over nuts 8 of the bolts 2, separated from the vehicle floor 1, a guide plate 9 is fitted on the bolts 2 and held in this position by means of nuts 10. The nuts 10 as a result act at the same time as lock nuts for the bolts 2, so that release of these bolts 2 from above is not possible. (The bolt 2 with the nuts 8, 10 has only been shown at one side for the sake of clearer illustration of the invention). The vehicle floor 1 and also the guide plate 9 are penetrated by a linkage lever ill; an arcuate slot 12 is provided for this purpose in the guide plate 9. Attached to the guide plate 9 are slideways 13, 14 for guiding a locking pin 15. The locking pin 15 is connected with a safety lock 16, provided with a sliding cylinder 17 as shown. The lock 16 is also secured on the guide plate 9, at a lug 18 bent over at right angles from the said plate. At the safety lock 16 there is shown a releasing latch 19 whereby the safety lock 16 can be unlocked even without the use of a key. In Fig. 1, the locking pin is shown in a position wherein operation of the gearchanging lever 5 and linkage lever 11 is possible. The locking pin 15 is withdrawn from the path of pivoting movement of the linkage lever 11 by a spring provided in the safety lock 16, so that the sliding cylinder 17 of the safety lock 16 projects clearly above the vehicle floor 1. To lock the gear-changing lever 5 or linkage lever 11, the sliding cylinder 17 of the safety lock 16 is pressed in and at the same time the locking pin 15 is displaced into the path of pivoting movement of the linkage lever 11 as a result. Since the locking pin enters the slideway 13, it is not possible to press away this locking pin even with the use of very considerable force, so that it is not possible to swing the linkage lever 11 out of the position shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. If the linkage lever 11 is in a position corresponding to a "park" position the vehicle is thus locked so as to be incapable of moving. If there is no such "park" position provided, the locking can be effected in an idle position of the gears, so that in any event it is not possible for the vehicle to move away under its own power.

Fig. 4 shows a further possible construction of the subject of the invention using the example of a change-speed gear. Here again a guide plate 29 is fixed by bolts 32 to the vehicle floor 1. This vehicle floor 1 in this illustration also forms a tunnel at the upper side of which the guide plate 29 is situated.

The tunnel is surrounded by a carpet covering 20 which covers the nose of a safety lock 16 projecting from the vehicle floor 1 in such a manner that the sliding cylinder 17 of this safety lock 16 just projects from the covering 20. The safety lock 16 is arranged on a lug 18 of the guide plate 29 which is bent over at right angles. By means of a lever linkage 21, 22, 23 the safety lock is connected with a locking pin 25, the locking pin 25 projecting through holes 26 in the linkage levers 31.

Also arranged on the locking pin 25 are sliding pins 27, 28 which like the locking pin extend through two guide plates 36, 37. These sliding pins 27, 28 prevent entry of the locking pin 25 when the linkage levers 31 are not in the illustrated position. The guide plates 36, 37 not only guide the locking pin 25 and the sliding pins 27, 28 reliably, but give such a short bearing arrangement for the locking pin that it is not possible to tear off the locking pin by means of the gear-changing lever.

The lever linkage 21 leading away from the safety lock 16 is bent outwards laterally at a point 30 and a pressure roller 33 of a switch 34 abuts on this bent-out portion 30. In the illustrated situation, with the linkage levers 31 locked, the switch 34 is opened and the ignition or starting circuit is interrupted.

When the safety lock 16 is unlocked and thus the lever linkage 21, 22, 23 together with the rocking pin 25 and the sliding pins 27, 28 return to the position of rest, yielding to the force of the spring 35, the contact roller 33 runs down from the bent-out portion 30 so that the switch 34 closes again.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A gear-changing lever locking device comprising a mounting plate on which are mounted a slibable locking pin and a safety lock, the locking pin being slidable by means of the safety lock, wherein the mounting plate is adapted to be mounted underneath a vehicle floor onto a guide housing in which is arranged vehicle gear change linkage such that in use the locking pin is slidable into a position where it prevents gear changing and the safety lock is actuable from within the vehicle.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the locking pin is adapted to be slidable into holes provided in the vehicle gear change linkage.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein there is provided a switch for interrupting the ignition circuit (starting circuit) of the motor vehicle, so that in use gearchanging lever locking and interruption of the ignition circuit maybe effected simultaneously.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, having a releaseable connection between the safety lock and the locking pin.

5. A device as claimed in any preceeding

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. Fig. 4 shows a view of a further constructional form from below. In example shown in Fig. 1 a vehicle floor 1 is constructed as a tunnel in order to receive a universal joint shaft and also a gear linkage. Secured on the vehicle floor 1 by means of bolts 2 is a guide housing 3 with bearing brackets 4 for a shaft 6 connected with a gear-changing lever 5. By means of spacer rings 7 which engage over nuts 8 of the bolts 2, separated from the vehicle floor 1, a guide plate 9 is fitted on the bolts 2 and held in this position by means of nuts 10. The nuts 10 as a result act at the same time as lock nuts for the bolts 2, so that release of these bolts 2 from above is not possible. (The bolt 2 with the nuts 8, 10 has only been shown at one side for the sake of clearer illustration of the invention). The vehicle floor 1 and also the guide plate 9 are penetrated by a linkage lever ill; an arcuate slot 12 is provided for this purpose in the guide plate 9. Attached to the guide plate 9 are slideways 13, 14 for guiding a locking pin 15. The locking pin 15 is connected with a safety lock 16, provided with a sliding cylinder 17 as shown. The lock 16 is also secured on the guide plate 9, at a lug 18 bent over at right angles from the said plate. At the safety lock 16 there is shown a releasing latch 19 whereby the safety lock 16 can be unlocked even without the use of a key. In Fig. 1, the locking pin is shown in a position wherein operation of the gearchanging lever 5 and linkage lever 11 is possible. The locking pin 15 is withdrawn from the path of pivoting movement of the linkage lever 11 by a spring provided in the safety lock 16, so that the sliding cylinder 17 of the safety lock 16 projects clearly above the vehicle floor 1. To lock the gear-changing lever 5 or linkage lever 11, the sliding cylinder 17 of the safety lock 16 is pressed in and at the same time the locking pin 15 is displaced into the path of pivoting movement of the linkage lever 11 as a result. Since the locking pin enters the slideway 13, it is not possible to press away this locking pin even with the use of very considerable force, so that it is not possible to swing the linkage lever 11 out of the position shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. If the linkage lever 11 is in a position corresponding to a "park" position the vehicle is thus locked so as to be incapable of moving. If there is no such "park" position provided, the locking can be effected in an idle position of the gears, so that in any event it is not possible for the vehicle to move away under its own power. Fig. 4 shows a further possible construction of the subject of the invention using the example of a change-speed gear. Here again a guide plate 29 is fixed by bolts 32 to the vehicle floor 1. This vehicle floor 1 in this illustration also forms a tunnel at the upper side of which the guide plate 29 is situated. The tunnel is surrounded by a carpet covering 20 which covers the nose of a safety lock 16 projecting from the vehicle floor 1 in such a manner that the sliding cylinder 17 of this safety lock 16 just projects from the covering 20. The safety lock 16 is arranged on a lug 18 of the guide plate 29 which is bent over at right angles. By means of a lever linkage 21, 22, 23 the safety lock is connected with a locking pin 25, the locking pin 25 projecting through holes 26 in the linkage levers 31. Also arranged on the locking pin 25 are sliding pins 27, 28 which like the locking pin extend through two guide plates 36, 37. These sliding pins 27, 28 prevent entry of the locking pin 25 when the linkage levers 31 are not in the illustrated position. The guide plates 36, 37 not only guide the locking pin 25 and the sliding pins 27, 28 reliably, but give such a short bearing arrangement for the locking pin that it is not possible to tear off the locking pin by means of the gear-changing lever. The lever linkage 21 leading away from the safety lock 16 is bent outwards laterally at a point 30 and a pressure roller 33 of a switch 34 abuts on this bent-out portion 30. In the illustrated situation, with the linkage levers 31 locked, the switch 34 is opened and the ignition or starting circuit is interrupted. When the safety lock 16 is unlocked and thus the lever linkage 21, 22, 23 together with the rocking pin 25 and the sliding pins 27, 28 return to the position of rest, yielding to the force of the spring 35, the contact roller 33 runs down from the bent-out portion 30 so that the switch 34 closes again. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A gear-changing lever locking device comprising a mounting plate on which are mounted a slibable locking pin and a safety lock, the locking pin being slidable by means of the safety lock, wherein the mounting plate is adapted to be mounted underneath a vehicle floor onto a guide housing in which is arranged vehicle gear change linkage such that in use the locking pin is slidable into a position where it prevents gear changing and the safety lock is actuable from within the vehicle.

5. A device as claimed in any preceeding

claim, wherein the locking mechanism of the safety lock is releaseable by means of an unlocking latch arranged in the lock.

6. A gear-changing lever locking device, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A motor vehicle having mounted thereon a gear-changing lever locking device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6.

8. A motor vehicle having a gear-changing lever or selector arranged in a guide housing on the vehicle floor for pivotably moving at least one linkage lever which can pivot about an axis and which linkage lever(s) project(s) from said guide housing, and a gear-changing lever locking device, comprising a mounting plate on which are mounted a slidable locking pin and a safety lock, the locking pin being slidable by means of the safety lock, the mounting plate being mounted underneath the vehicle floor such that the locking pin is slidable into a position where it prevents gear-changing and the safety lock is actuable from within the vehicle.

9. A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 8, wherein one or more slideways are provided for guiding the locking pin in its displacement.