GB2327244A - A switch assembly on a gear lever of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A manually operated switch assembly 30 is provided on a transmission shift lever 26 below the gear knob 28. The switch assembly 30 comprises a pistol grip shaped collar 38 which can be moved between an upper and a lower position A, B to operate a micro-switch 58. The collar 38 includes a detent button 40 which retains the collar 38 in either the upper or the lower position A, B. The switch assembly 30 is used to actuate a vehicle sub-system, such as a hill descent control system or to change ranges in the vehicle transmission 16.

Description

A Switch Assemblv for a Vehicle This invention relates to switch assemblies for vehicles and in particular to a switch assembly for connection to a control system of a vehicle.

It is known to provide a manually operated switch to change between a plurality of operating modes of a vehicle transmission and it is also known to provide such a switch as part of the gear knob of a selector lever of such a transmission. In some known prior art arrangements, the switches have small actuating portions which make them difficult to use with gloved or cold hands or by users who have arthritis or rheumatism.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved manually operated switch for connection to a control means of a vehicle.

According to the invention there is provided a manually operated switch assembly for connection to a control means of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a collar and a detent means, the collar fitting around a portion of a transmission shift lever assembly of the vehicle and being slideably moveable between a plurality of positions along said portion to select between a plurality of operating modes of the control means, wherein the detent means is arranged to releasably retain the collar in each of said positions.

Said portion may define a plurality of recesses each for engagement with the detent means to retain the collar in a respective one of said positions. The detent means may be manually releasable and may move with the collar. The detent means may be biased towards a retaining position to retain the collar in each of said positions.

The collar may include a grip portion adapted to be gripped in use between a thumb and a forefinger of a human hand and the grip portion may be substantially symmetrically formed for ease of grip in use by either a left or a right hand.

The detent means may comprise a trigger adapted to be depressed in use by the forefinger while the hand is gripping the grip portion.

The switch assembly may further comprise an indicating means for indicating when the collar has been moved to a predetermined position. The indicating means may comprise part of the switch assembly and may also comprise a photoluminescent device.

The indicating means may include a part of the switch assembly which is of a colour visibly contrasting with its surroundings and which is exposed by movement of the collar to said predetermined position.

The indicating means may comprise a light emitting device which is illuminated by movement of the collar to the predetermined position.

The collar may be positioned below a gear knob of the transmission shift lever assembly and may be spaced apart from the gear knob by a predetermined distance when in its upper position in order to avoid trapping, in use, part of the operator's hand therebetween.

The collar may be biased towards one of said positions by a resilient means acting between a fixed part of the transmission shift lever assembly and a part of the collar.

The switch assembly may comprise a selection means for a vehicle speed control system of the vehicle or may comprise a transmission range change means of the vehicle.

The invention also provides a vehicle including a switch assembly according to the invention.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle including a transmission shift lever assembly having a switch assembly according to the invention; Figure 2 is a section through the transmission shift lever assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section through part of the transmission shift lever assembly of Figure 2 on the line Y-Y; Figure 4 is a section through part of the transmission shift lever assembly of Figure 2 showing two operating positions of the switch assembly; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the transmission shift lever assembly of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 1, a vehicle 10 comprises an engine 12 which drives a set of wheels 14 through a four wheel drive transmission 16 and a drivetrain 18.

Each wheel 14 has a brake 20 operating on it under the control of a braking system 22 which communicates with a hill descent control (HDC) controller 24 for a hill descent control system.

The hill descent control system has an activated state and a deactivated state and in its activated state the HDC controller 24 is arranged to control the brakes 20 to limit the speed of the vehicle 10 to a predetermined maximum speed, thereby allowing safe descent of a steep hill. For a more detailed description of the operation of such a hill descent control system, the reader is directed to refer to the applicant's co-pending application PCT/GB95/02298.

The transmission 16 has a series of forward and reverse ratios selected using a manually operated ratio shift lever assembly which comprises a transmission shift lever 26 surmounted by a gear knob 28. A manually operated hill descent control switch assembly 30 is mounted on the shift lever 26 below and spaced apart from the gear knob 28 and is connected to the HDC controller 24.

Referring now also to Figures 2 to 5, a sleeve 32 has an upper detent recess 34 and a lower detent recess 36 formed in it and is rigidly fixed to the shift lever 26 forming an integral part of the ratio shift lever assembly. The switch assembly 30 comprises a collar 38 which fits around the sleeve 32 and is slideable along the sleeve 32 below the gear knob 28 between an upper position A and a lower position B.

When in the upper position A, a gap G exists between the bottom of the gear knob 28 and the top of the collar 38. The gap G is carefully selected so as not to trap the user's hand between the gear knob 28 and the collar 38 when the collar 38 is in the upper position A. This avoids catching, in particular, the web between the thumb and forefinger, with or without a glove.

A detent trigger 40 is pivotally mounted in an aperture in the collar 38 and at its upper end the trigger 40 has a protrusion 42 which faces inwardly and which is in a complementary form to the recesses 34, 36. A detent trigger spring 44 acts between the inner side of the lower end of the trigger 40 and the body of the collar 38 to bias the lower end of the trigger 40 outwardly about a pivot 46 and thereby to bias the protrusion 42 towards the sleeve 32. The detent button spring 44 is stiff enough to ensure the trigger 40 does not jump out of its latched position as a result of the vibration or shock forces which can be felt in a vehicle 10 when used under off-road conditions.

When the collar 38 is in the upper position A, the protrusion 42 engages with the upper detent recess 34 and when the collar 38 is in the lower position B, the protrusion 42 engages with the lower detent recess 36, both as a result of the biasing of the spring 44 and in each case the protrusion 42 retains the collar 38 in the upper or lower position A, B, as the case may be, until the collar 38 is released by depression of the trigger 40.

A stepped hole 48 is defined by the collar 38 and extends substantially along its centre-line throughout its length. The bore of an upper portion 50 of the hole 48 is a sliding fit over its corresponding section of the sleeve 32 and below it the bore is enlarged to provide an annular face 52. The sleeve 32 has a annular face 54 below and spaced apart from the annular face 52 of the collar 38 and a coil spring 56 acts between the annular faces 52, 54 to bias the collar 38 upwards towards the gear knob 28.

A micro-switch 58 is fixed to the sleeve 32 and is connected to the HDC controller 24. A second step in the bore of the hole 48 at the bottom end of the collar 38 provides a switching face 60 which is arranged to make or break a contact in the micro-switch 58, whenever the collar 38 is moved into the lower or upper detent positions B, A respectively.

The collar 38 is formed in the shape of a pistol grip and has a shallow depression around it to provide a grip portion 62 designed for ease of grip between the thumb and forefinger of a human hand and the detent button 40 acts as the trigger of the pistol grip. The grip portion 62 extends around the collar 38 and is not handed but rather is symmetrical about the collar 38, as can best be seen in Figure 3, making the switch assembly suitable for both right and left hand drive vehicles. Also visible in Figure 3 is a symmetrical bulge 64 in the lower part of the grip portion 62, which is acted upon by the thumb and forefinger to move the collar 38 downwardly. The grip portion 62 guides the user's hand into the right position to operate the trigger 40, while at the same time providing the bulge 64 on the collar 38 to push it down against the coil spring 56.

The collar 38 also has a channel 66 around the exterior of its lower edge which is used to capture a rubber boot 68 which extends from the collar 38 to a transmission tunnel 70 and provides finishing trim to the operating area 72 around the base of the shift lever 26.

A ring 74 has a coloured band 74A around its lower half which contrasts sharply with its surroundings and the ring 74 is positioned on the sleeve 32 between the gear knob 28 and the collar 38. When the collar 38 is in the upper position A, the coloured band 74A is hidden from view in an annular cavity 76 which surrounds the top of the collar 38 and when the collar 38 is in the lower position B, the coloured band 74A is exposed to view. In the present embodiment the collar 38, the gear knob 28 and the upper half of the ring 74 are black in colour and the coloured band 74A is bright yellow. Other colours could easily be chosen which would provide an equally suitable contrast to make it clear when the collar 38 is in the lower position B. An instruction panel 38A forms part of the collar 38 and is positioned for easy viewing by the driver and has graphically illustrated operating instructions for the switch assembly 30 marked on it.

To select hill descent control, the lower end of the trigger 40 is depressed, which releases the protrusion 42 from its retention in the upper detent recess 34. The collar 38 is pushed downwardly away from the upper position A until the protrusion 42 is aligned with the lower detent recess 36, whereupon the trigger 40 is released and the detent trigger spring 44 biases the protrusion 42 into the lower detent recess 36 to retain the collar 38 in the lower position B. In the alternative, the trigger may be released at any time after the collar 38 has been moved away from the upper position A, in which case the detent trigger spring 44 will bias the protrusion 42 towards the collar 32 and when the protrusion 42 is lined up with the lower detent recess 36, the protrusion 42 will be biased into location in the recess 36 and will retain the collar 38 in the lower position B. The micro-switch 58 is activated by the switching face 60 when the collar 38 is moved into the lower position B and provides a signal to the HDC controller 24 to select hill descent control. The coloured band 74A on the ring 74 is exposed, providing a clear indication to the driver that hill descent control has been selected.

When the micro-switch 58 is activated, the HDC controller 24 checks whether first or reverse gear is selected, using a sensor (not shown) associated with the transmission 16. If the transmission 16 is in first or reverse gear, hill descent control will be selected. If first or reverse gear is not selected, then hill descent control will not be activated. This allows a vehicle user to pre-select hill descent control by placing the collar 38 in the lower position B while in, for example, second gear and then activating the hill descent control by selecting first gear.

Normally to deselect hill descent control, the trigger 40 is depressed and the collar 38 is moved into the upper position B, the movement being assisted by the spring 56. The vehicle user, however, can also drive out of hill descent control by selecting second or higher gear, which will de-select the hill descent control system regardless of whether or not the micro-switch 58 is activated.

The coloured band 74A on the ring 74 could be augmented for use in poor light by making the band 74A from a photoluminescent material or by illuminating a warning light included on the switch 30 (such as behind the instruction panel 38A) or mounted elsewhere, such as in the driver's line of vision on the dash panel (not shown).

The use of a hand sized and pistol grip shaped collar 38 to operate a micro-switch 58 overcomes many difficulties experienced by vehicle users who have cold or gloved hands, or who have arthritis or rheumatism, and consequently would have difficulty operating a conventional and traditionally much smaller toggle or push button switch.

The switch assembly 30 of this invention could equally be used with an automatic transmission or CVT and could also be used for a purpose other than hill descent control. One such example would be the use of the switch assembly 30 to change between ranges of an off road vehicle 10 having a plurality of ranges within its transmission 16.

Claims (19)

1. A manually operated switch assembly for connection to a control means of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a collar and a detent means, the collar fitting around a portion of a transmission shift lever assembly of the vehicle and being slideably moveable between a plurality of positions along said portion to select between a plurality of operating modes of the control means, wherein the detent means is arranged to releasably retain the collar in each of said positions.

2. A switch assembly according to Claim 1, wherein said portion defines a plurality of recesses each for engagement with the detent means to retain the collar in a respective one of said positions.

3. A switch assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the detent means is manually releasable.

4. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the detent means moves with the collar.

5. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the detent means is biased towards a retaining position to retain the collar in each of said positions.

6. A switch assembly according to any preceding Claim, wherein the collar includes a grip portion adapted to be gripped in use between a thumb and a forefinger of a human hand.

7. A switch assembly according to Claim 6, wherein the grip portion is substantially symmetrically formed for ease of grip in use by either a left or a right hand.

8. A switch assembly according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the detent means comprises a trigger adapted to be depressed in use by the forefinger while the hand is gripping the grip portion.

9. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim, further comprising an indicating means for indicating when the collar has been moved to a predetermined position.

10. A switch assembly according to Claim 9, wherein the indicating means comprises part of the switch assembly.

11. A switch assembly according to Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the indicating means comprises a photoluminescent device.

12. A switch assembly according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, wherein the indicating means includes a part of the switch assembly which is of a colour visibly contrasting with its surroundings and which is exposed by movement of the collar to said predetermined position.

13. A switch assembly according to Claim 9, wherein the indicating means comprises a light emitting device which is illuminated by movement of the collar to the predetermined position.

14. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the collar is positioned below a gear knob of the transmission shift lever assembly and is spaced apart from the gear knob by a predetermined distance when in its upper position in order to avoid trapping, in use, part of the operator's hand therebetween.

15. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the collar is biased towards one of said positions by a resilient means acting between a fixed part of the gear lever assembly and a part of the collar.

16. A switch assembly according to any preceding claim comprising a selection means for a vehicle speed control system of the vehicle.

17. A switch assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 15 comprising a transmission range change means of the vehicle.

18. A switch assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A vehicle including a switch assembly according to any preceding claim.