Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Multiple controlled elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-04-03
Wright, Dirk (Department: 3681)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Multiple controlled elements
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209410
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improvements in a shift lever apparatus of a vehicle, more particularly, to a shift lever apparatus of a transmission having an automatic transmission mode and an automatic transmission mode.
Recently, automatic transmission with a manual transmission mode has been practically installed to an automotive vehicle. A typical shift lever apparatus of such an automatic transmission is provided with an automatic transmission mode (A/T mode) and a manual transmission mode (M/T mode). The A/T mode includes parking gear (P), reverse gear (R), neutral gear (N), drive gear (D), second gear (
2
) and first gear (
1
) positions, and the M/T mode includes an upshift range (plus range) and a downshift range (minus range). A shift lever of such a shift lever apparatus is arranged to be swingable in a shift groove including an A/T mode shift groove, a M/T mode shift groove parallel with the A/T mode shift groove, and a lateral movement groove connecting the A/T mode shift groove and the M/T mode shift groove. Some kinds of transmissions are arranged to fix the gear position in the D position by laterally swinging the shift lever set at the D position through the lateral movement shift groove to the M/T mode shift groove. Further, by swinging the shift lever in the M/T mode shift groove along the front and rear direction, an upshift or a downshift is executed according to a frontward swing to a plus range or a rearward swing to a minus range.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, such a transmission has been arranged to execute the change of the transmission mode only by means of a mode selector switch. Other types of transmissions have been arranged to execute the change of the transmission mode by moving a cable link lever from the D position to other position such as a second gear position, in addition to the operation of the mode selector switch. In such a type, the transmission mode is changed by swinging the shift lever from the D position to the second gear position along the front and rear direction of the vehicle and by laterally swinging the shift lever from the second gear position to the M/T mode shift groove. Therefore, if this conventional transmission is employed, it is necessary to execute two steps operations for achieving the change of the transmission mode from the A/T mode to the MIT mode.
It is an objection of the present invention to provide an improved shift lever apparatus which enables a shift lever to directly move from a D position of the A/T mode to the M/T mode without once setting at a second gear position.
A shift lever apparatus according to the present invention is for an automatic transmission having an automatic transmission mode and a manual transmission mode. The shift lever apparatus comprises a shift lever whose end is supported to a supporting shaft extending along a direction of a right and left direction of a vehicle. The supporting shaft is rotatable on its centre axis so that the shift lever is swingable in the right and left direction and a front and rear direction of the vehicle. A cable link lever is connected to the transmission and is swingably supported to the supporting shaft. The cable link lever is linked with the shift lever such that the cable link lever is swung on the centre axis of the supporting shaft according to the right and left directional swing of the shift lever.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5870929 (1999-02-01), Bravo
Foley & Lardner
Fuji Kiko, Ltd.
Wright Dirk
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