MXPA96004335A

MXPA96004335A - Compact gear change set conenclavamie

Info

Publication number: MXPA96004335A
Application number: MXPA/A/1996/004335A
Authority: MX
Inventors: M Loeffler John
Original assignee: Dana Corporation
Priority date: 1995-09-29
Filing date: 1996-09-26
Publication date: 1997-08-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to transmission comprising: an input shaft aligned along an axial direction and mounted to rotate, an output shaft, a plurality of gears selectively connectable between the input shaft and the output shaft to provide a plurality of gear ratios between the input shaft and the output shaft, a plurality of change rails movable in the axial direction to select some of a plurality of gears, the shift rails have connectors that function to move the shift rails in the axial direction, a change member mounted both for movement in the axial direction and for rotational movement about the axial direction, an interlock engageable by the shift member and mounted to rotate about the axial direction, where the interlock is provided. with a slot, where the rotation of the change member rotates the interlock, where the rotation of the interlock by the change member allows the slot to point to a plurality of positions aligned with the connectors, and where the alignment of the slot with any of the connectors allows the change rail associated with that connector to move in the axial direction to select one of a plurality of gears, and the alignment of the slot with one of the connectors prevents the other connectors from being moved in the axi direction

Description

COMPACT SET OF CHANGE OF GEARS WITH INTERLOCKING DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Background of the Invention. This invention relates generally to trans ions for vehicles and in particular to an improved gear change system in a manual transmission. In most vehicles, the transmission is provided on the output train between the machine or motor and the drive wheels. As is well known, the transmission includes a box containing an input shaft, an output shaft, and a plurality of meshing gears that selectively connect between the input shaft and the output shaft. The connected gears contained within the transmission case are of a different size so as to provide a plurality of gear reduction ratios of the speed between the input shaft and the output shaft. By means of a suitable selection of these gears, a gear reduction ratio of speed can be obtained, between the input shaft and the output shaft as a result of the above, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, can be realized from a gentle and energetic way. Typically, this selection of the gear ratio is performed by moving one or more control members provided within the transmission. Typically, these control members include shift rails, clutch collars and fork changes, all of which are positioned vertically over the remainder of the transmission part. The movement of the control member causes some of the gears to be connected between the input shaft and the output shaft to provide the desired ratio or gear ratio. In a manual transmission, the movement of the control member is normally performed by the manual activity of the operator of the vehicle, for example, by means of a shift lever; in an automatic transmission the movement of the control member is normally carried out by a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator in response to certain operating conditions. One of the main problems with manual transmissions is that the shift lever and the control member extend a considerable distance vertically upwardly from the rest of the transmission apparatus, This vertical extension can cause problems for the interior design of the vehicle, and it would be advantageous to have a transmission apparatus having a lower vertical profile on the main and output input shafts, and on the gears. One proposed solution for reducing the vertical ex-ssion of the control member is to provide change rails, which are not placed directly on the remainder of the transmission apparatus, but rather, are placed offset from the center and circumferentially spaced apart. around the rest of the transmission device. This allows, a lower vertical profile for the control member, in such low profile transmission, arms or connectors must be used to attach the manual shift lever to the shift rails that are sprinkled around the circumference of the transmission. These connectors must be able to move the different change rails axially to couple the selected gears; the change selector apparatus must be able to select any of the change rails to an axial directional movement but, preventing the remaining shift rails from moving in the axial direction.

A low profile transmission has now been developed, which has circumferentially spaced shifting rails, and a control member which guarantees that only one shifting rail and therefore only one gear can be selected each time. The apparatus of the invention provides a shift link and a washing mechanism, which includes a shift member, such as a ratchet, both mounted to move in the axial direction and to perform a rotational movement around the axial direction, an insertion can be coupled by the change member and mounted for rotation about the axial direction and rotation of the change member rotates on the wash. Preferably, the ratchet of the washing is mounted both to rotate on a crazy rail. The in-c washer is provided with a groove and the rotation of the interlock by the change member allows the groove to indicate a plurality of positions in the lineage with the connectors. Aligning the slot with one of the connectors allows the change rail associated with that connector to move in the axial direction to select one of several gears. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the pawl has at least one tail that engages with the slot in the locking mode, that coupling the tail with the slot causes the locking to rotate when the ratchet is rotated. The interlock is preferably a generally cylindrical strain with the slot positioned on one side of the collar and extending along a diameter of the collar. The interlock preferably comprises a generally cylindrical axis connected to the collar and mounted for a rotation coaxial with the collar, where the slot extends entirely through the thickness of the collar or collar and partially penetrates the shaft. The connectors have connecting arms with openings mounted at one end, and the extensions of the rails connect to the clamp. The axial movement of the shaft moves the clamp and the connecting arm axially thus moving the change rail associated with the connector, in an axial direction. The alignment of the slot with one of the connectors prevents the other connectors from being moved in the axial direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic cross sectional elevation view of a vehicle transmission according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transmission taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective exploded view of the idler rail, the interlock and the ratchet of the invention; Figure t is a schematic elevation view of the interlocking of the invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the interlock and one of the change rails of the invention; The Figures illustrate the movement of the clamp arm 6 and 7 with respect to the locking in the axial direction 1; Figure 8 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the invention, in which the clamp arms are all oriented on one side of the cock.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the vehicle transmission indicated generally by the figure 10, includes the input shaft 12, the counter-shaft 1¿t, (shown only in Fig. 2), the main shaft 16, and the shaft of exit 18, (shown only in Fig. 1). The input shaft is mounted to rotate about an axis 22, the axis being oriented in the axial direction 2k. The input shaft extends from the clutch housing 20, to the interior of the transmission and supplies torque from the engine of the vehicle (not shown) to the countershaft. The countershaft is aligned in the axial direction as are the main shaft and the output shaft. The main shaft is connected to the output shaft, which is articulated to a drive shaft that supplies power to the rear wheels of the vehicle. A plurality of gears 26 are selectively coupled by the movement of the clutch collars 28 to connect the input shaft to the output shaft with different gear ratios. The countershaft, the main shaft and the output shaft and the gears are all contained in the transmission case 32; all the elements of the described transmission are conventional and very well known in the art. The clutch collars are movable in the axial direction by means of forks 30, which operate in the axial or moving direction of the shifting rails 34, 36, 38 and 40, which are shown in Fig. 2. Although the transmission presented is a 7-speed transmission it is understood that the invention is applicable to other transmissions. The change rail 34 can be called the 1 / R shift arm, with the shift rails 36, 38, 40, being shown as the 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7 shift rails, respectively. The shift rails are shown to be circumferentially spaced from one another, and not placed directly on top of the transmission. This design allows the transmission to have a lower profile than would otherwise be the case, thus providing a compact transmission. The selection and movement of the change rails by the operator of the vehicle is carried out by means of a change member, such as a pawl 42, and an interlock 44.

The shift member can be any member mounted for axial and rotational movement and suitable for engaging with the interlock and rotating it. As shown in Fig. 3, the pawl and the latch contain the drilled holes 46 and 48, respectively, and are mounted for rotation on the idler rail 50, which is oriented in the axial direction. This crazy rail, also called neutral, the ratchet can be any change member capable of accepting signals or direction by the operator of the vehicle, and to select the appropriate change rail and move the change rail that is selected in the direction axia1. The ratchet shown, has a tower 52, which contains the tower perforation 54, the perforation 54, is adapted to receive the shift lever 56, which is directly controlled by the vehicle operator. The shift lever can be mounted on a shift tower 58, as shown in Fig. 1. Although the pawl or shown is generally cylindrical it is to be understood that it can have any transverse shape, the pawl is adapted at one end with a pair 60, generally parallel to connect to the interlock 44; the tails have prolongations 62, oriented outwards, it is understood that although two tails are shown a single tail or a multiplicity of them will be suitable for connecting with the washing of some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figs. 3-5, the interlock 44, is generally composed of the cylindrical collar 64, and the cylindrical shaft 66, the purpose of the interlock is to be aligned with and engage with several of the shift rails 34, 36, 38 and 40. Although , the interlocking axis 66, and the collar 64, are shown as being generally, it is understood that other transverse shapes may be employed. The face 68 of the collar contains a recess or groove 70, which extends through the thickness of the collar and partially into the shaft as shown in Fig. 4. The collar and the shaft both contain the perforation of the rail in loco. of interlocking 48, and are mounted rotatably on the idler or idle rail; the tails 60, of the ratchet fit into the recess, in such a way that the rotation of the pawl makes the same rotation as the enclave. Although the interlock is mounted to rotate with the ratchet, it can not perform any axial movement because the collar fits within the locking structure 72, as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the movement of the ratchet in FIG. axial direction causes the tails 60 to move axially within the recess 7C, since the locking itself can not be moved axially. The collar can be provided with a retaining area 74, which is adapted to be coupled by a rotatable moving head 76, to provide levels of resistance to rotation, thus allowing the operator of the vehicle to perceive the precise rotation location of the ratchet. of the interlock. Other means for the operator of the vehicle to appreciate the rotational position of the ratchet and the interlock can also be used. The interlock is preferably provided with a feature that limits the possible amount of rotation, so that the interlock does not rotate beyond the desired alignment with the shift rails to be selected. Such means for preventing excessive rotation is shown in FIG. 3, with extension 78, of the collar on a peripheral arc of the collar and coupling of rotational limit stops 80; the rotational limit stops, 1 - so the rotation of the interlock to a predetermined arc, many other means can be employed to prevent excess rotation, as shown in Fig. 5, the collar 64, is coupled by a series of clamps 84, 86, 88 and 90, which are mounted on the ends of arms 94, 96, 8 and 100, respectively; these clamp arms are attached to four shift rails 34, 36, 38 and 40. For purposes of illustration, only the cav track 38, which does so in a 4/5 ratio, is shown in Fig. 5. , the clamp arms can be any suitable connector to connect the clamp to the associated change rail, the rail 38, of change 4/5, is mounted on the change rail 1C2, for an axial movement in the direction 24, can be used suitable means of any type, to mount the change rail for a movement in the axial direction. As shown, the movement and the axial direction and some of the clamps, such as clamp 88, cause the related clamp arm 98 to move in the axial direction, causing the change rail to be move in the axial direction. The four clamps 84, 86, 88 and 90, are provided with upper and lower flanges 104, shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which engage the collar 64, and function to prevent the clamps from moving in the axial direction, the only exception being that the clamps can move axially when they are exactly aligned with the notch 70 of the clamp. interlock Fig. 5 illustrates the clamp 88, in alignment with the locking recess 70, and therefore, the clamp is free to move axially. Consequently, the change rail 38, 4/5 can move axially. The movement of the 4/5 gear rail moves the associated fork and clutch collar to engage either the fourth or fifth gear. It can be seen that when the clamp 33, 4/5 is aligned with the recess, the remaining clamps (84 86 and 100) are blocked or prevented to perform an axial movement by the locking of the cylindrical locking collar 84, and Clamp flanges 1C4. Therefore, only one of the clamps and therefore, only one of the change rails can be selected each time. This is a primary benefit of the invention, since it prevents the selection of two gears at the same time. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the extensions 62, of the tails 60, which are disposed within the groove 70, they fit within the flanges 104, of the bracket 88. Therefore, any axial movement of the interconnected ratchet 42, the tail 60, and the extension 62, will result in the same axial movement of the bracket 88, the arm 98, and the change rail 38, provided that the bracket 88 is aligned with the recess 70. Fig. 6 shows the clamp before its movement in the axial direction, and Fig. 7 shows the clamp having moved. in the axial direction by the action of the tail and the extension, the operator of the vehicle can discern the magnitude of the axial movement of the interconnected ratchet 42, the tail 60, and of the extension 62, and of the interconnected bracket 88, the arm 98 , and the change rail 38, by means of the axial movable head 106, shown in Fig. 1 and 3. The axial movable head, can be adapted to connect with the detent area 108, on the pawl 42, to provide guidance to the operator of the vehicle to indicate the magnitude of the axial movement. When operating, the operator of the vehicle rotates the shift lever 56, then rotates the ratchet 42, and the interlock 66, the rotation of the interlock causes the recess 70 to point to a plurality of positions in alignment with the connectors (arms of the vehicle). clamp), when the recess of the interlock 70 is in alignment with one of the clamps (84, 86, 88, 90), the aligned clamp can move axially, while the non-aligned clamps are prevented from moving axially. With one of the clamps in alignment with scoring, the operator of the vehicle can move the shift lever axially, thus also axially moving the ratchet and the tails. One of the change rails (34, 36, 38 and 40) is associated with the selected clamp and an axial movement of the clamp gives a corresponding axial movement of the associated change rail.; the movement of the change rail causes a fork 30 to move one of the clutch collars 28 in the axial direction, thereby coupling one of the gears and giving the desired connection between the input shaft 12 and the output shaft 18. Observing Figs. 2 and 5, it can be seen that the connectors, that is, the clamp arms 94, 96, 98 and 100, are in position on both sides of the interlock or interlocking with the clamp arm 94, 1 / R and the clamp arm 96, 2/3, placed or oriented on the side of the collar and the clamp arm 98, 4/5, and the arm ICO, 6/7, placed on the other side of the collar, it is understood that the connectors can be connected all in one side of the collar. FIG. 8 illustrates a configuration of a five-speed interlock, in which the interlock 44 contains or presents a recess 170 in the collar 142; the three connectors are the clamp arm 126, 1 / R, the clamp arm 128, 2/3, the clamp arm 130, 4/5. These are connected at one end to three separate shifting rails, not shown, and at the other end to their corresponding clamps 136, 138, 140. The interlocking operated in a manner similar to the seven-speed transmission illustrated in Figs. . 1-7, works in a similar way. The rotation of the interlock causes the slot 170 to be aligned with some of the clamps 136, 138, 140, thereby allowing the aligned clamp and the associated change rail to move in the axial direction. In accordance with the regulations of the Patents Office, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been described in a preferred embodiment, however, the present invention has many embodiments, without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims

1. - A transmission comprising: an input shaft aligned along an axial direction and mounted to rotate; an exit shaft; a plurality of gears selectively connectable between the input shaft and the output shaft to provide a plurality of spokes or gear ratios, between the input shaft and the output shaft; a plurality of change rails movable in the axial direction to select one of a plurality of gears, the shift rails have connectors that function to move the rails in the axial direction; a change member mounted both for the movement in the axial direction and for the rotational movement about the axial direction; an interlocking engageable by the shift member and mounted to rotate about the axial direction; characterized in that, the interlock is provided with a slot or recess; the rotation of the change member rotates the in-c wash; the rotation of the interlock by the change member allows the recess to point to a plurality of positions aligned with the connectors; and the alignment of the recess with one of the connectors, allows the change rail associated with that connector to move in the axial direction to select one of a plurality of gears.

2. Transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that, the change member is a ratchet.

3. Transmission according to claim 2, characterized in that the pawl has a tail engaging in the recess causing the coupling of the tail with the recess of the lock and rotate when the ratchet is rotated.

4. Transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that the change member operates by a shift lever.

5. Transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that the interlock comprises a general cylindrical collar with a recess in one face of the collar extending through a diameter of the collar. 6.- Transmission according to claim 5, characterized in that the interlock comprises a generally cylindrical axis connected to the collar and mounted for a coaxial rotation with the collar, where the recess extends inwardly through the thickness of the collar and partially tro axis. 7.- Transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that the connectors have connecting arms with clamps mounted on one end, the change member, has a tail that has an extension or spring that connects to the clamp of the axial movement of the tail moves to the clamp and the connecting arm axially, thus moving the change rail associated with the connector, in the axial direction. 8. Transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that the shift member and the interlock are both mounted to rotate on a rail or idle rail that is oriented in the axial direction. 9. Transmission according to claim 8, characterized in that, the exchange member is a ratchet. 10. Transmission according to claim 9, characterized in that the ratchet has a ratchet tower that can be coupled by a shift lever to first rotate the ratchet to align the recess with one of the connectors and then move the ratchet axially so , that the change rail associated with that connector moves axially thereby connecting the input shaft and the output shaft with some of the radii or proportions of the plurality of gears.