Interrelated power delivery controls – including engine control – Transmission control – With brake control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-28
2004-08-31
Estremsky, Sherry (Department: 3681)
Interrelated power delivery controls, including engine control
Transmission control
With brake control
C477S099000, C192S220200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783480
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle, in particular, to the control device for the automatic transmission having a shift lock system which can securely avoid plural improper selective operations of a select lever by a single lock member.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A conventional control device for an automatic transmission has a shift lock system which permits selective operations of a select lever from a parking position to other range positions only when a brake pedal is actuated for example, at starting time of an automobile. The shift lock system preferably avoids a selective operation from a neutral position to a reverse position while driving of the automobile.
The shift lock system in the transmission control device usually has each lock member used in each case to restrict the selective operations by putting each lock member into operation at each predetermined operating condition in order to restrict the selective operations in the above two cases.
However, operating two kinds of lock members at predetermined operation conditions requires many components to be used and leads to a complex shift lock system. Furthermore, assembly of the shift lock system needs considerable hours and costs.
JP-A-8334167 discloses the control device for the automatic transmission having the shift lock system in which a single lock member avoids both selective operations from a parking position to other range positions and a selective operation from a neutral position to a reverse position at predetermined operating conditions.
The control device, as schematically shown in
FIG. 22
, includes a select lever
205
rotatably supported on a housing
201
and a gate
202
as an opening having a step-like configuration, the latter of which contains range positions for an automatic mode including a series of a parking position, a parking release position, a reverse position, a reverse preparing position and a neutral position. This gate type transmission control system performing the selective operations of the select lever
205
by engaging the select lever
205
with any of the range positions of the gate
202
, is provided with an engaging projection
206
on one side of the select lever
205
and a single lock member
210
rotatably supported on the housing
201
through a rotary shaft
209
. The lock member
210
rotates around the rotary shaft
209
with the aid of an electric solenoid
212
to obtain either a working position (shown in solid lines) for avoiding the selective operation from the parking position to the parking release position and the selective operation from the neutral position to the reverse preparing position by contacting a head end surface of the engaging projection
206
or a nonworking position (shown in imaginary lines) for avoiding contact therewith at predetermined operational conditions.
According to the above mentioned transmission control device disclosed in JP-A-8334167, both the selective operations of the select lever
205
from the parking position to other range positions and the selective operation from the neutral position to the reverse position are effectively restricted by rotating the lock member
210
to have the working position. The above selective operations are permitted by rotating the lock member
210
to have the nonworking position.
The lock member
210
, however, has a substantial length and a large space for the shift lock system, because the single lock member
210
supported on the rotary shaft
209
has to be operated for avoiding both the selective operations from the parking position to the parking release position and from the neutral position to the reverse preparing position.
In the improper selective operations of the select lever
205
from the parking position to the parking release position and from the neutral position to the reverse preparing position, some stress from the lock member
210
to the engaging projection
206
acts on the contacting region of the lock member
210
in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extended direction of the lock member
210
. Significant large stress hence acts on both the rotary shaft
209
for supporting the lock members
210
and the supporting region thereof in the housing
201
. This large stress leads to frictional wear of the supporting region and consequently a short time durability of the transmission control device. Therefore, a corrective measure, for example, supporting the rotary shaft
209
on both sides of the housing
201
, may be required.
Supporting the rotary shaft
209
on both sides of the housing
201
increases the amount of space occupied by the shift lock system and the size of the transmission control device itself, thus, the weight of the transmission control device and the cost of manufacture as well.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a control device for an automatic transmission having a shift lock system which securely prohibits plural improper selective operations of a select lever by a lock member.
It is other object of the present invention to provide the control device for the automatic transmission with a durable shift lock system.
It is further object of the present invention to provide the control device for the automatic transmission having the shift lock system of very small size, and which is very light in weight and a low cost to manufacture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the control device for the automatic transmission having the shift lock system which consumes only a little amount of electric power.
The above objects are achieved by the automatic transmission control device for the vehicle comprising: a housing for including the transmission control device; a first rotary shaft supported on the housing and extended in a substantially widthwise direction of a vehicle body; a lock plate with a guide opening containing range positions for an automatic transition mode including a series of a parking position, a reverse position, a neutral position and a driving position; a select lever supported on the first rotary shaft and being rotatable for selecting one of the range positions; a guide pin supported on the select lever, an end of the guide pin for defining a selective operation of the select lever accepted in the guide opening so as to engage with any of the range positions; and a specific shift lock system for prohibiting the selective operation of the select lever.
The shift lock system in the transmission control device comprises a lock pin extending substantially in parallel with the first rotary shaft, the lock pin being movable in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle body with response to a rotation of the select lever; a second rotary shaft supported on the housing and extended substantially in parallel with the first rotary shaft; and a lock member having a lock part supported on the second rotary shaft so as to rotate around the second rotary shaft to have one of a lock position and an unlock position, the lock position for prohibiting the selective operation of the select lever by bringing the lock part into a contact with a periphery of the lock pin.
The above object are also achieved by the automatic transmission control device for the vehicle comprising: a housing for including the control device; a first rotary shaft supported on the housing and extended in a substantially widthwise direction of an vehicle body; a third rotary shaft extended substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the first rotary shaft; a select lever being rotatable around both the first rotary shaft and the third rotary shaft for selecting one of range positions for an automatic transmission mode; a gate provided in the housing containing the range positions including a series of a parking position, a reverse position, a neutral position and a driving position for defining the selective operation of the select lever; and the
Masuda Manami
Nakano Shingo
Estremsky Sherry
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
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