Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16H—GEARING
  • F16H59/00—Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
  • F16H59/02—Selector apparatus
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16H—GEARING
  • F16H59/00—Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
  • F16H2059/006—Overriding automatic control
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16H—GEARING
  • F16H59/00—Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
  • F16H59/02—Selector apparatus
  • F16H2059/0239—Up- and down-shift or range or mode selection by repeated movement
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16H—GEARING
  • F16H59/00—Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
  • F16H59/02—Selector apparatus
  • F16H59/08—Range selector apparatus
  • F16H59/10—Range selector apparatus comprising levers

Definitions

• the invention relates to a gear selector device for a gearbox intended for motor vehicles and of the type which is operated indirectly via a control unit connected to the gear selector device, in which the gear selector device is, on the one hand, adjustable to different function positions, on the other hand, in at least one function position for driving forwards, can be operated for changing gear, and also comprises a pivotably mounted operating lever.
• gearbox In vehicle technology it is becoming more and more common, especially in the case of heavy motor vehicles such as, for example, lorries and buses, to attempt to facilitate the driver's work by reducing and simplifying the operation required for changing gear. This is achieved by indirect operation of the gearbox, in which respect the driver, by operating a gear selector device, causes the latter to emit, depending on position, dif- ferent signals intended to carry out the operation of the gearbox itself via the servo, i.e. to bring about engage ⁇ ment and disengagement of gears.
• the driver operates a gear lever in a conventional manner and changes gear as required.
• the gear lever can in this respect indicate the gear position, for example by actuating flow valves or circuit breakers by means of cam curves or the like, but indication of the gear position is also available by magnetic means, for example.
• the servos can then be acted upon directly as a function of the selected gear posi ⁇ tion.
• the gear selector device includes two different controls in the form of an operating lever and a knob. With the aid of the operating lever, which has two tilt positions in the lateral direction, changing-up to the right and changing- down to the left, gear changing can be carried out while driving forwards. Each tilt results in the gear changing one step.
• the knob in turn has four positions, namely neutral position, automatic gear selection, manual gear selection and reverse.
• the control unit recommends and carries out gear selection, but, with the aid of the operating lever, the driver can overrule the control unit and select another gear.
• the driver In the manual gear selection position, the driver himself must select the gear with the aid of the operating lever, i.e. by tilting it in the lateral direction one or more times.
• control unit program is adapted to the engine and gearbox of the vehicle, smooth driving and a low fuel consumption are achieved if the gear-change suggestions from the control unit are followed.
• a disadvantage of the system is that the driver must handle two different controls in order to make use of the possibili ⁇ ties which the system affords.
• the aim of the invention is to provide a better gear selector device, which is simpler and more convenient for the driver to handle.
• the operating lever is mounted pivotable in a first plane, preferably oriented vertically and in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, for setting of the different function positions, and in a second plane, at right angles to the first plane, it is actuable in two opposite directions for changing gear at least when driving forwards, as a result of which all operating of the gear selector device can be carried out by using the operating lever.
• the operating lever can also be pivotable in the second plane and is normally held in a centred position by means of spring action.
• the operating lever can advantageously be arranged in such a way that, upon pivoting in the second plane, it actuates sensors which, for each actuation, initiate a change of gear one step.
• Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a drive system for a motor vehicle with a gear selector device according to the invention
• Fig. 2 shows a partially cutaway side view of a gear selector device according to the invention.
• Fig. 3 shows a section III-III in Fig. 2
• Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the inside of the gear selector device in Fig. 2
• Fig. 5 shows a variant of the gear selector device according to the invention.
• a gearbox 2 connected to a driving motor 1 is operated indirectly by means of a gear selector device 3 designed according to the invention and a control unit 4 connected to the latter.
• the gearbox 2 is basically a manual gearbox which has been provided with a number of servos which, as a function of signals from the control unit 4, bring about engagement and disengagement of gears.
• the gearbox can be changed between different gear ranges.
• the control unit 4 can be provided with information regarding the actual driving conditions and, on the basis thereof, can calculate which gear should be used.
• a first sensor 5 can provide infor- mation on the actual engine load and can, for example as shown, be positioned on the engine 1, but can alterna ⁇ tively be connected to the vehicle's accelerator pedal.
• the control unit 4 can obtain information, on the one hand, regarding which gear is engaged and, on the other hand, regarding the actual engine speed or vehicle speed. Other parameters can of course also be detected by means of suitable sensors.
• Via gear indicator 8 the driver at all times receives information regarding, on the one hand, which gear is being used at the given time and, on the other hand, which gear the control unit recommends. This presentation can be effected, for example, by the actual gear being shown with a steady light, while the recommended gear is shown with a flashing light.
• the gear selector device 3 is provided with an operating lever 9 by means of which the driver can provide the control device 4 with the necessary information for the type of gear selection which he wishes.
• the operating lever 9 By pivoting the operating lever 9 from a neutral position N in a first plane in the direction of arrow 10 or 11, the drive direction of the vehicle is chosen.
• the pivoting movement in this respect takes place expediently in the longitudi ⁇ nal direction of the vehicle. Pivoting in the direction of the arrow 10 from the neutral position gives forward drive, and in this respect it is possible to choose for example between automatic transmission, positions Al and A2, or purely manual transmission, position M. Pivoting in the direction of the arrow 11 from the neutral posi ⁇ tion gives reverse and is possible when a reverse lock has been passed.
• the operating lever has been pivoted in this manner to a certain function position, it remains in this position until the driver pivots it to another position.
• the operating lever 9 can be pivoted by means of springs from a centred middle position in both directions in a second plane in the transverse direction of the vehicle, in the direction of the arrows 12 and 13. In this way the gears can be changed while driving forwards.
• the right i.e. in the direction of arrow 12
• changing-up takes place
• the left i.e. in the direction of arrow 13
• changing-down takes place.
• the operat ⁇ ing lever has been released, it springs back to the middle position.
• Each pivoting in the lateral direction changes gear one step.
• the operating lever 9 In order to move from neutral position N to position R for reversing, the operating lever 9 must first be pivoted in the lateral direction to the left and then moved backwards.
• FIG. 2-4 An example of the construction of a gear selector device 3 according to the invention is shown in Figs. 2-4.
• a base plate 17 intended to be secured to the vehicle there are mounted two supports 18 and 19, between which there is a bracket 20 which, seen from above, is essentially U- shaped, and which is mounted pivotable in the supports 18 and 19 by means of two bearing journals 21 and 22 pro ⁇ jecting from the sides.
• a further bearing journal 23 which is oriented at right angles to the bearing journals 21 and 22 and on which the operating lever 9 is pivotably mounted.
• Two centring devices 24 and 25 mounted on either side of the bracket 20 normally hold the operating lever 9 in the centred position, according to Fig. 3.
• each of these centring devices there is an axially moveable piston 26 which is intended for contact with the operating lever 9 and which is loaded by a spring 27 in the direction towards the operating lever 9.
• a guide 28 which is intended for the operating lever 9 and which controls and defines the pivoting of the operating lever 9 laterally.
• the operating lever can act upon two sensors 29 and 30 in the form of circuit breakers which are mounted on either side of the bracket 20 and whose purpose is to indicate in which direction the operating lever 9 is pivoted.
• a locking device 31 At the bottom of the bracket 20 there is furthermore mounted a locking device 31 in which there is an axially moveable locking piston 33 which is loaded by a spring 32 and is intended for co-operation with a locking member 34 mounted on the base plate 17.
• This locking member 34 consists of a vertically oriented plate which is provided with an arc-shaped track 35 along which the locking piston 33 can slide when the bracket 20 and the operating lever 9 are pivoted about the bearing journals 21 and 22.
• track 35 there are a number of locking recesses 36 in which the locking piston 33 can resiliently engage in order to hold the Operating lever 9 in one of the func ⁇ tion positions indicated in Fig. 1, which can be reached when the operating lever is pivoted in the direction of arrow 10 or 11.
• cam members 37 which each co-operate with circuit breakers 38 which in this case are mounted on the locking member 34 but can of course have another position.
• the cam members 37 and the circuit breakers 38 are arranged in pairs in such a way that one circuit breaker at a time is activated when the locking member 34 is in one of the locking recesses 36.
• cam members 37 By designing the cam members 37 in a suitable way, it is moreover possible, when moving between two adjacent positions Al, A2 and M, to obtain signal transmission without interruption, something which facilitates ident ⁇ ification of the neutral position N for the control unit 4.
• the various circuit breakers which are expediently of the microcircuit breaker type, are connected to a connec- tion terminal board 39 which in turn is connected to the control unit 4 via a cable 40.
• changing-up or changing-down instead of being controlled by pivoting the operating lever 9 laterally, can be controlled by acting in another way upon the operating lever 9 laterally.
• One possibility is, for example, to arrange at the top of the operating lever 9 some form of pressure-sensing member which can indicate in which direction pressure is exerted.
• An example of a gear selector device 3 modified in this way is shown in Fig. 5, where the operating lever 9 is provided at the top with two pressure members 41 and 42 via which pres ⁇ sure on the operating lever 9 in either lateral direction can be detected.
• the function selection is carried out by pivoting the operat ⁇ ing lever in one and the same plane for all possible function selections.
• function selection for reverse does not need to be carried out by means of the illustra ⁇ ted pivoting of the operating lever, but can be effected by pivoting or acting upon the operating lever in another way or in another direction.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Arrangement Or Mounting Of Control Devices For Change-Speed Gearing (AREA)
• Gear-Shifting Mechanisms (AREA)
• Control Of Transmission Device (AREA)
• Auxiliary Drives, Propulsion Controls, And Safety Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20373638

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (10)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (1)

• 1988
  • 1988-10-14 SE SE8803674A patent/SE462246B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1989
  • 1989-09-29 WO PCT/SE1989/000532 patent/WO1990004225A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1989-09-29 GB GB9013768A patent/GB2237852B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1989-09-29 BR BR898907119A patent/BR8907119A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (1)

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