The present application is generally directed to ergonomically adjustable structures for motor vehicles and other manually-operated levers, and more particularly, to an attachable/detachable and ergonomically adjustable grip to facilitate operation of a gear shift tower of a truck, a tractor-trailer, or other heavy equipment.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
Operation of trucks and other heavy equipment requires an operator to frequently shift gears. Modern tractor trailer transmissions typically include 18 gear settings. Control of the transmission is accomplished by moving a shift tower through positions arranged in an H-shaped pattern. A selected gear ratio is engaged when the tower is pushed or pulled into a position at an end of a leg of the H-shaped pattern. A hydraulic switch located on the tower allows the driver to select whether the positions on the H-shaped pattern correspond to low, high, or overdrive combinations.
A large number of gear selections allows a driver to operate the vehicle efficiently, to navigate inclines and declines, and to quickly decelerate or accelerate in emergency situations. To make effective use of the gear selection, an operator must be able to rapidly move the tower among the gear selections and to easily access the switch.
During normal operation on the open road a driver may shift gears hundreds of times in an hour. In heavy traffic, or in stop and go city driving, even more frequent shifting may be required. Operators often operate vehicles up to ten hours per day and upwards of 250 days per year. Thus, an operator may need to shift gears half a million times or more per year.
Shifting gears places significant, repetitive strain on muscles and tendons that control motions of the driver's wrist and elbow that can lead to injury. Operating a manual transmission requires that the driver apply force to the tower to assure that the transmission is firmly engaged in the desired gear. Moreover, gear shifting involves moving the tower through the same H-shaped pattern over and over again. Furthermore, the location and angle of the tower may not be ideal for a particular driver, given the location of the seat, the height and arm-length of the driver and the fact that the driver must also work foot pedals simultaneously with the gear shifter. As a result, drivers sometimes suffer from repetitive motion injuries to the wrist and elbow. These injuries include wrist flexor tendinopathy (golfer's elbow), which is an inflammation of the tendon of the wrist flexor muscle.
Orthopedists recommend that people who perform tasks that require the same motion repeatedly make an effort to rest the limb performing the repetitive task. For truck drivers, gear shifting is a constant activity and, unless the driver pulls off the road (which costs time and money) there is no opportunity to rest. To the extent a repetitive motion cannot be avoided, orthopedists recommend adjustment of the range of motion to reduce overuse of particular tendons.
Located near the top of the tower are switches that allow the driver to select low, high, and overdrive gear combinations and/or to select intermediate (split) gears. The switches are positioned near enough to the grip so that the driver can quickly change from low to high to overdrive while at the same time moving the tower. Operation of the switches must be done simultaneously with motion of the tower to smoothly transition between gears.
The bottom end of the tower engages the transmission located along the center-line of the truck below the floor of the cab. The distance the top of the tower must travel through the H-shaped pattern discussed above in order to engage gears depends on the design of the transmission and on the height of the tower. These dimensions are fixed for a particular truck. Moreover, trucks made by different manufacturers, and even trucks made by the same manufacturer, but with different transmissions, may have different distances through which the tower most be moved. In many cases, drivers working for companies that employ a fleet of trucks (e.g., Federal Express, United Parcel Service, etc.) may be assigned to a variety of trucks. As a result, the distance a driver must reach through to shift gears may change from trip to trip, depending on which truck he or she is assigned.
Trucks are usually provided with seat adjustments that allow the driver to position the height of the seat, the distance of the seat from the controls, and the angle of the seat. Likewise, many trucks have adjustable steering columns and fuel, brake, and clutch pedals to allow the driver to comfortably operate the vehicle. The gear shift tower lacks such ergonomic adjustments. Instead, the location of the gear shift and the distance through which the tower must be pushed or pulled is determined by the overall shape of the cab and the design of the transmission. Likewise, the angle of the tower grip with respect to the driver's wrist is fixed by the design of the vehicle and cannot be adjusted to accommodate the shape of a drivers hand or the driver's range of comfortable motion. As a result, drivers are unable to make ergonomic adjustments to the tower grip. In addition, the grip on the tower does not provide a variety of surfaces to allow the driver to vary the position of his or her wrist, elbow, and shoulder when shifting gears.
The problem of injuries and strain resulting from poor ergonomics of gear shift tower is more acute for drivers with less upper body strength, and with drivers that suffer from arthritis, osteoporosis, and loss of muscle due to aging. In the United States, the average age of truck drivers is increasing as fewer younger drivers enter the business. Also, there is an increasing number of women, who general have less upper body strength than men. Thus, there are increasing numbers of drivers with reduced upper body strength that can benefit from an adjustment that can make the gear shift tower easier to operate.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism that allows a driver to customize the place where he or she holds and operates the gear shift tower of a motor vehicle. There is also a need for a mechanism that allows a driver to engage the gear shift tower with a variety of hand position so that driver can vary the angle of his wrist and shoulder while operating the vehicle to reduce the repeated strain on one particular set of muscles and tendons. There is also a need for a mechanism that allows a driver to conveniently customize the position of his engagement with a gear shift tower on any vehicle so that drivers that must operate fleet vehicles can improve the ergonomic operation of the vehicle without having to permanently alter the vehicle itself.
According to one embodiment there is provided an ergonomic adapter for a transmission tower comprising: a tower mounting bracket, the bracket removably coupled to a tower of the transmission and adapted to be positioned at a selected position along the height of the transmission tower and at a selected angular position about an axis of the tower; an extension bracket rotatably coupled with the tower mounting bracket about an extension axis and adapted to be fixed to the tower mounting bracket at a selected angular position about the extension axis; and a handle rotatably coupled to the extension bracket about a handle axis and adapted to be fixed to the handle at a selected angular position about the handle axis.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the handle of the adapter further comprises a plurality of gripping surfaces, wherein each gripping surface is sized to accommodate an operator's hand. According to a further aspect the gripping surfaces comprise two parallel portions, and the handle further comprising a safety bar where the safety bar extends between the parallel portions. According to yet another aspect the handle further comprises a mounting plate connected with at least a first one of the gripping surfaces, wherein the gripping surfaces and the plate form a loop. According to this aspect, a safety bar extends from a second one of the gripping surfaces to the plate. According to a still further aspect of the invention, the handle comprises a single, cylindrical gripping surface.
According to another aspect of the invention, the adapter includes a bushing positioned between an interior surface of the mounting bracket and an exterior surface of the tower. According to yet another aspect of the invention the exterior surface of the tower is cylindrical.
The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, which are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, and in which like references are intended to refer to like or corresponding parts.
An attachable/detachable and ergonomically adjustable grip for the gear shift tower of a motor vehicle or other manual lever assembly and the method of making such an adjustable grip according to embodiments of the present invention are provided.
According to one embodiment, the tower 112 has a round cross section. The engagement between the clamp 2 and tower 112 can be positioned about the tower axis 8 along the height of the tower 112. As will be explained more fully below, the engagement between the clamp 2 and extension bracket 4 can be adjusted about an extension axis 10. Likewise, the engagement between the handle 6 and bracket 4 can be adjusted about a handle axis 12. The height of the adapter 1 on the tower 112, as well as the position of the handle 6 with respect to the tower 112 is adjusted so that the operator can comfortably move the tower 112 through its range of operation while also allowing the operator to conveniently reach the switch 116.
According to another aspect of the invention, clamp 2 is connected with tower 112 by way of a latch mechanism such as an over-center latch.
Clamp 200 allows the adapter 1 to be connected with the tower 112 without the need for tools. This arrangement also allows the device to be easily removed from the tower 112 by moving latch 228 away from opposing portion 220. Thus, a driver that uses multiple vehicles can conveniently remove the adapter 1 from one vehicle and install it in another.
Bracket 4 is shown in
Safety bar 66 extends between side grips 60 of handle 6. The safety bar 66 prevents the driver from inadvertently extending his hand through the handle 6. This minimizes the risk that the driver's hand is lodged inside the handle 6, which would create a dangerous situation when driving.
As illustrated in
As discussed above, the clamp 2, bracket 4 and handle 6 can be positioned at selected angles of tower axis 8, extension axis 10, and handle axis 12 so that the location of the side grips 60 and top grip 62 can be comfortably grasped by the driver. The driver has the option to grasp the handle on any of the side or top grips 60, 62 allowing the driver change the range of motion of his or her wrist, elbow, and shoulder and reduce the impact of repeated gear shifting motions.
Components of the device 1 can be constructed from materials that have adequate mechanical strength to communicate forces from the driver's hand to the tower 112 to operate the vehicle transmission. These materials include metals and metal alloys, polymers, composite materials, for example, carbon fiber composites, and combinations thereof.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions as defined in the following claims.
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20180188766 A1 | Jul 2018 | US |