Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Actuated concurrently with operation or use of art device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-08
2004-09-14
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Actuated concurrently with operation or use of art device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06791043
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inhibitor switch and to a positioning method and a positioning structure for mounting the inhibitor switch on an automatic transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
A positioning method and a positioning structure for an inhibitor switch of the prior art are described in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 8-74978 and shown in FIG.
9
and
FIG. 10
, for example.
FIG. 9
is a perspective view showing the entirety of the inhibitor switch, and
FIG. 10
is a sectional view showing the same.
As shown in FIG.
9
and
FIG. 10
, an inhibitor switch
101
is provided with a terminal block
103
, a case
105
and a moving block
107
. The terminal block
103
is equipped with a plurality of stationary terminals
109
. The terminal block
103
is equipped with a positioning hole
113
. The case
105
is bonded to the terminal block
103
by fusing it. The case
105
is equipped with slots
115
for fastening and fixing purposes.
The moving block
107
is equipped with moving contacts
111
. The moving block
107
is rotatably supported by the terminal block
103
and the case
105
. The moving block
107
is equipped with a fitting hole
121
to be fitted on a manual shaft
117
of the automatic transmission.
This inhibitor switch
101
is mounted by fitting the fitting hole
121
of the moving block
107
on the manual shaft
117
of the automatic transmission and by fastening the not-shown bolts inserted in the slots
115
to the housing side of the automatic transmission. At the time of mounting this inhibitor switch
101
, an adjustment is made to align the detected position of the inhibitor switch
101
and a specific shift position according to the rotation of the manual shaft
117
. This specific shift position is located, for example, at a neutral position (or N-position) of the automatic transmission.
For this adjustment, with the bolts to be fastened in the slots
115
being loosened, the entire inhibitor switch
101
is made rotatable within the range of the slots
115
with respect to the manual shaft
117
. A hole
119
a
with a width across the flats of a positioning jig
119
is fitted on a fitting portion
117
a
with a width across the flats at the leading end of the manual shaft
117
. Next, the entire inhibitor switch
111
is turned, and the positioning pin
119
b
of the positioning jig
119
is inserted into the positioning hole
113
of the terminal block
103
. In this state, the bolts in the two slots
115
are fastened to fix the inhibitor switch
101
on the housing of the automatic transmission.
By the aforementioned fastening work using the positioning jig
119
, therefore, the moving block
107
and the terminal block
103
are accurately adjusted to the N-position of the manual shaft
117
, so that the inhibitor switch
101
can be reliably fixed in the accurately positioned state with respect to the manual shaft
117
.
By the aforementioned positioning method and positioning structure of the inhibitor switch, however, during the stage in which the inhibitor switch
101
is assembled with the automatic transmission, the positioning adjustment has to be made by using the positioning jig
119
, thereby causing the assembling work of the inhibitor switch
101
to increase in complexity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an inhibitor switch positioning method and structure, which can assemble an inhibitor switch in an accurately positioned state with an automatic transmission without any positioning adjustment.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a positioning structure of an inhibitor switch including: a switch housing having a terminal block having stationary contacts and a cover; and a moving block fitted on a manual shaft of an automatic transmission and having a fitting hole and moving contacts for rotating with respect to the switch housing, wherein the inhibitor switch is fixed on the housing of the automatic transmission for detecting the shift position of the automatic transmission electrically from a rotational position corresponding to a relationship between the stationary contacts and the moving contacts in accordance with the rotation of the manual shaft of the automatic transmission. In the positioning structure, the switch housing and the moving block can be temporarily fastened by a tack-fastening member to be broken at a set torque, before the inhibitor switch is fixed on the automatic transmission, at corresponding rotation positions for detecting a specific shift position of the automatic transmission.
Therefore, it is possible to accurately position the corresponding rotation positions for detecting the specific shift position of the automatic transmission between the switch housing and the moving block.
After the moving block in this temporarily fastened state is fitted on the manual shaft at the specific shift position, the inhibitor switch can be fixed on the automatic transmission.
Therefore, it is possible to accurately position the specific shift position of the manual shaft and the corresponding rotation positions of the switch housing and the moving block for detecting the specific shift position. In this state, moreover, the inhibitor switch is fixed on the automatic transmission so that the positional relationship between the switch housing and the moving block and the manual shaft can be accurately determined.
After this, the temporarily fastened state can be released by rotating the manual shaft to break the easily broken portions.
Therefore, the inhibitor switch can be brought into a using state without any special work.
Thus, at the time of mounting the inhibitor switch, the inhibitor switch can be accurately assembled with extreme ease with the automatic transmission without any special positioning work using a jig.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a positioning structure of an inhibitor switch including: a switch housing having a terminal block having stationary contacts; and a moving block fitted on a manual shaft of an automatic transmission and having a fitting hole and moving contacts for rotating with respect to the terminal block, wherein the inhibitor switch is fixed on the housing of the automatic transmission for detecting the shift position of the automatic transmission electrically from a rotational position corresponding to a relationship between the stationary contacts and the moving contacts in accordance with the rotation of the manual shaft of the automatic transmission. The terminal block and the moving block can be temporarily fastened by a tack-fastening member to be broken at a set torque, in advance before the inhibitor switch is fixed on the automatic transmission, at corresponding rotation positions for detecting a specific shift position of the automatic transmission and adapted to be broken at a set torque.
Therefore, it is possible to accurately position the corresponding rotation positions for detecting the specific shift position of the automatic transmission between the terminal block and the moving block.
After the moving block in this temporarily fastened state is fitted on the manual shaft at the specific shift position, the inhibitor switch can be fixed on the automatic transmission.
Therefore, it is possible to accurately position the specific shift position of the manual shaft and the corresponding rotation positions of the terminal block and the moving block for detecting the specific shift position. In this state, moreover, the inhibitor switch is fixed on the automatic transmission so that the positional relationship between the terminal block and the moving block and the manual shaft can be accurately determined.
After this, the temporarily fastened state can be released by rotating the manual shaft to break the easily broken portions.
Therefore, the inhibitor switch can be brought into a using state without any special work.
Thus, at the time of mounting the inhibitor switch, t
Nakazawa Takashi
Watada Tsutomu
Luebke Renee
Niles Parts Co., Ltd.
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