192 clutches and power-stop control – Transmission and brake – Motor vehicle
Patent
1997-07-08
1999-07-20
Bonck, Rodney H.
192 clutches and power-stop control
Transmission and brake
Motor vehicle
74483R, B60K 4126
Patent
active
059245409
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention is generally directed to a motor vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission and, more specifically, to a selector lever lock device whereby a selector lever can be selectively locked or released in a parking position depending on the operative condition of a brake pedal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
As widely known in the art, an automatic transmission type motor vehicle is provided with a selector lever shiftable to various positions, thus causing the automatic transmission to operate in different modes. Typical shift positions of the selector lever include a parking position for the mechanical fixing of a transmission output shaft, a reverse position in which the motor vehicle is allowed to move rearward, a neutral position wherein the transmission remains disconnected from an engine and a drive position which permits a plurality of forward gears to be selected automatically depending primarily on the vehicle speed and the throttle opening degree. Optionally and additionally, it may be possible or necessary for the automatic transmission to have, e.g., a second gear position which delimits the forward gear selection to a second gear or less and a first gear position which enables the motor vehicle to move forward with a first gear alone. The selector lever of typical design has a push button at its top knob portion which should be pressed beforehand to shift the selector lever from the parking position to other positions and vice versa. Provision of the push button is to avoid any unwanted shifting of the selectorlever again the driver's desire.
Unlike the motor vehicle with a manually shiftable transmission, it suffices in the automatic transmission vehicle merely to displace the selector lever from the parking position or the neutral position to one of the drive, reverse, second gear and first gear positions to provide an appropriate linkage between the engine and the drive wheels. Once the engine is started up with the selector lever remaining in the parking position, it becomes necessary to depress the brake pedal in order to keep the vehicle immovable throughout the process of changing the selector lever positions. Shifting the selector lever out of the parking position without depressing the brake pedal may lead to an accident that the vehicle comes to move suddenly and unintentionally in a forward or reverse direction, colliding with the environmental obstacles inclusive of human beings. To prohibit such accident from occurrence, there have been proposed in the art a wide variety of shift locks whereby the selector lever can be prevented from any displacement unless the brake pedal is depressed firstly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,935 issued to O'Hern on Feb. 12, 1980 discloses a steering column type gear selector lock structure which is operative to unlock the gear selector of a vehicle against movement from a non-drive position to a drive position thereof when the lock structure is in the locked position. The lock structure is spring-biased toward the locked position and an electric solenoid is operatively associated with the gear lock structure for shifting the latter from the locked position to the unlocked position when the solenoid is electrically actuated. The solenoid is electrically connected to the brake light circuit of the vehicle and is, therefore, actuated when the brake pedal of the vehicle is moved from the brake release position to the brake applied position. The gear selector of the vehicle and the lock structure include a coacting structure whereby the gear selector may turn the lock structure from the locked position thereof to the unlocked position and thereafter release the lock structure for movement to the locked position upon movement of the gear selector from the drive position to the non-drive position in which the gear selector is locked until such time as the brake pedal of the vehicle is depressed to activate the solenoid and thereby cause the lock structure to be shifted from the locked position to the unlocked position t
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Bonck Rodney H.
Daewoo Motor Co., Ltd.
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