Patent Grant
10690235
This application is a filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/EP2014/069244, filed on Sept. 10, 2014, and claims the priority of German Patent Application DE 10 2013 220 409.4, filed Oct. 10, 2013, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an attachment mechanism for a gearshift lever device for a motor vehicle transmission shift device, a gearshift lever housing for such a gearshift lever device, a force transmitting element for such a gearshift lever device, a shift device for a motor vehicle transmission, and a method for attaching a shift device to a motor vehicle component.
2. Background Information
A gearshift lever device for a motor vehicle transmission device normally comprises a selection or shift lever that can pivot about a selection and/or shift axis, by means of which a drive position selected by a motor vehicle driver is transmitted to a motor vehicle transmission. The gearshift lever can be moved thereby into one or more shift gates for selecting a drive position. For this, the gearshift lever is supported, by way of example, via a ball joint, or crossed axles in a gearshift lever housing assigned to the gearshift lever device.
In order to transmit the drive position selected with the gearshift lever, mechanical elements are normally disposed between the gearshift lever and the motor vehicle transmission device, which can be an automatic transmission, in order to shift to the shifting program in an automatic transmission corresponding to the drive position (P, N, R, D, S). Normally a cable pull, a Bowden cable or a mechanical rod is used for the mechanical elements of such a force transmitting device. The force transmitting device can be attached directly to a free end of the gearshift lever or to a free end of a force transmitting element disposed between the force transmitting device and the free end of the gearshift lever.
A gearshift lever device of this type is normally attached to a motor vehicle component, e.g. a body part of a motor vehicle, such as a motor vehicle floor plate, via an attachment mechanism. In order to seal a motor vehicle interior space against an exterior space of the motor vehicle, separated therefrom by means of the floor plate, a sealant is used, as is already known, between the motor vehicle component and the attachment mechanism.
A shift device comprising a gearshift device as described above, which can be attached to a motor vehicle component via an attachment mechanism, is known, for example, from EP 0 667 470 A2. The attachment mechanism as well as the gearshift lever housing are made from a material containing plastic. The force transmitting device is realized by means of a cable pull, comprising a cable pull core, a cable pull casing encasing the cable pull core, and a cable pull counter bearing, connected to the cable pull casing in an end section of the cable pull device, wherein the cable pull counter bearing is attached to a front surface end of the attachment mechanism, in order to enable a relative movement of the cable pull core in relation to the cable pull casing. The cable pull core is attached at its other end to an actuator of the motor vehicle transmission device, in order to transmit a selected drive position to the actuator. For this, the cable pull casing is also connected to a housing of the motor vehicle transmission device by means of a cable pull counter bearing. The connection of the cable pull casing, with the one end to the housing of the motor vehicle transmission device, and with the other end to the attachment mechanism, enables a conveyance of assembly noises from the engine compartment into the passenger compartment, which is regarded as unpleasant by a motor vehicle driver. Normally, such background noises are damped via a damping element disposed in the force transmitting device, but the background noises are reinforced, in turn, by the design of the attachment mechanism, as well as the gearshift lever housing of the gearshift lever device made of a material containing plastic, because these components function as diaphragms.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an improved attachment mechanism for a gearshift lever device, in particular for a shift device of a motor vehicle transmission, e.g. an automatic unit or an automatic transmission, is to be provided by the present invention. According to another aspect of the present invention, an improved force transmitting element for such a gearshift lever device is proposed, as well as, according to another aspect of the present invention, an improved gearshift lever housing for such a gearshift lever device. According to a further aspect of the present invention, an improved shift device for a motor vehicle transmission, in particular for an automatic unit or an automatic transmission, is proposed, as well as a method for attaching a shift device to a motor vehicle component. In particular, with the aforementioned aspects of the present invention, a reduction of the background noises conveyed from the engine compartment into the motor vehicle interior space is obtained.
The attachment mechanism pertaining to the first aspect of the present invention, having the features of claim 1, comprises an aperture for receiving the gearshift lever device. The aperture is preferably selected in terms of its dimensions, such that a free end of the gearshift lever device, in particular a gearshift lever housing of the gearshift lever device, can be accommodated by the aperture. The free end of the gearshift lever device, or the gearshift lever housing, respectively, preferably corresponds to an end section of the gearshift lever device, or the gearshift lever housing, respectively, which faces away from the gearshift lever device, or the gearshift lever housing, through which a gearshift lever supported on the gearshift lever device, or received in the gearshift lever housing, respectively, extends. The gearshift lever device can preferably be attached to the attachment mechanism by means of a clamping, latching, or screw connection, wherein the attachment mechanism as well as the gearshift lever device may have appropriate, or corresponding attachment elements. Because these pertain to typical attachment measures for attaching two components, this shall not be explained in greater herein.
The aperture is at least partially encompassed by a bearing surface section that bears on a bearing element. The aperture is preferably at least partially delimited by an edge assigned to the bearing surface section. The bearing surface section is designed for bearing on a motor vehicle component, or on a body component of a motor vehicle. By way of example, the bearing element can be a floor plate of a motor vehicle. The bearing surface section can preferably be flat, arched, or curved. The bearing surface section can, more preferably, have any conceivable shape adapted to the shape of the corresponding bearing element. As a result of the different possible designs for the bearing surface section, an attachment to specific motor vehicles can be provided for different motor vehicles, which have a differently designed bearing element, on which the attachment mechanism is to be assigned to, or attached to, the gearshift lever device.
Furthermore, a sealant receiver is disposed in the bearing surface section. The sealant receiver is preferably designed such that a sealant can be disposed between the bearing element and the gearshift lever device receiver, or the attachment mechanism, respectively, for sealing a motor vehicle interior space against an external edge delimited by the bearing element. As the sealant, preferably a material having at least one previously known sealant substance, e.g. containing a rubber, polyurethane, or poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene sealant substance, may be considered. In general, the sealant can be made from a previously known material, which in general, can be disposed or provided between two components to form a seal.
The proposed attachment mechanism furthermore comprises a mount for supporting a section of a force transmitting device, by means of which the gearshift lever device can be connected to a motor vehicle transmission device, such that shifting can be effected. In other words, the force transmitting device is designed to transmit a drive position selected via the gearshift lever device to the motor vehicle transmission device, for engaging the selected drive position in the motor vehicle transmission device. The selectable drive positions are preferably one or more drive positions selected from at least one forwards drive position D, one reverse drive position R, one neutral setting N, and one park setting P. Further drive positions are certainly conceivable. Thus, the gearshift lever device can be designed as a shift-by-wire device, wherein at least the selectable drive positions D, R, and N are transmitted electrically to the motor vehicle transmission device, and the park drive position P is transmitted mechanically to the motor vehicle transmission device in a shift-effecting manner, via the force transmitting device. The force transmitting device is preferably a cable pull device, a Bowden cable device, or a mechanical rod, comprising one or more rod elements connected to one another in the direction of the action of force. Normally, such a force transmitting device, disposed between the gearshift lever device and the motor vehicle transmission device, has a casing element encasing the power transmitting element of the force transmitting device in order to protect or insulate it, wherein the casing element is secured in a stationary manner at a free end thereof on the attachment mechanism, and at the other end on the motor vehicle transmission device. The mount is designed, in particular, for supporting a section, in particular an end section, of such a casing element. By way of example, the end section of the casing element can be formed from a cable pull counter bearing, wherein the mount is preferably designed to support the cable pull counter bearing. The mount is disposed on a side of the bearing surface section facing away from the sealant receiver. As a result, the force transmitting device can be installed, advantageously, outside a sealing region lying between the bearing surface section and the bearing element, defined by the sealant.
The proposed attachment mechanism is distinguished in that the sealant receiver is disposed, in terms of its cross section, in part overlapping a support region delimited by the mount for supporting the section of the force transmitting device. In other words, an extension region of the sealing receiver, running parallel to a surface plane of the bearing surface section and the support region delimited by the mount, overlap one another in terms of their cross sections, at least partially, with a bearing surface section region being disposed therebetween. A support region as set forth in the present invention is a region delimited by the outer dimensions of the mount, wherein the mount can have one or more support sections. In the case of at least two support sections, the support region extends from an outer surface of the first support section to an outer surface of the second support section facing away from this outer surface. By disposing the sealant receiver inside the support region, it can be ensured that an oscillation transmitted to the attachment mechanism, normally at a coupling point between the force transmitting device and the attachment mechanism, can be simultaneously transmitted to the bearing element, by means of which the bearing element can act as a damper for the transmitted oscillation at the location of the oscillation transmission, which corresponds to the coupling point. It has proven to be the case that the oscillation supporting the background noises can be effectively reduced thereby, by means of which the background noise is likewise minimized.
The width of the sealant receiver is preferably less than the width of the support region running parallel thereto, by means of which the sealant receiver is disposed along the direction of the width inside the support region, with the bearing surface section disposed therebetween. As a result, the overall width of the sealant, that can be accommodated by the sealant receiver directly on the coupling point, can be exploited for transmitting the oscillation to the bearing element.
The sealant receiver can be a planar surface section of the bearing surface section, on which the sealant can be provided, and which lies in a plane with the bearing surface section, or in a plane parallel thereto. The sealant receiver can preferably be formed by a recess formed in the bearing surface section. In other words, the sealant receiver is provided, in particular, by a cavity formed as a groove recessed in the bearing surface section, into which the sealant can be placed, or injected. The sealant receiver can preferably have at least one rib or further depression running along the sealant receiver. As a result, a surface area of the sealant receiver is increased, by means of which a better adhesion of the sealant in the sealant receiver can be obtained.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mount can be formed by two support sections spaced apart in the direction of the action of force for the force transmitting device. As a result, a possible torsion or twisting of the supported section of the force transmitting device about a single support axis can be counteracted in order to increase the stability of the mount. The support sections are preferably designed thereby, such that the supported section of the force transmitting device is supported in a clamping manner. Furthermore, more preferably, at least one clamping element interacting with the support section can be provided for securing the section of the force transmitting device to the mount.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment mechanism has at least one collar, which comprises or forms a part of the bearing surface section having the sealant receiver on a side with the collar, and supports the mount on a side of the collar facing away therefrom. In other words, the attachment mechanism has an excess in a predetermined width, thickness and depth, wherein the excess comprises or forms a part of the bearing surface section having the sealant receiver. As set forth in the invention, comprising implies, in this preferred embodiment, in particular, further elements, which form, on one hand, the bearing surface section, and on the other hand, the sealant receiver, and which can be disposed on the corresponding side of the collar, or the excess of the corresponding part of the bearing surface section, as well as forming the sealant receiver, thus, in other words, which can be designed as an integral part thereof. The mount can preferably be attached to the collar, or the excess, respectively, via typical attachment means. Alternatively, the mount can likewise be formed, in a preferred manner, as an integral part of the collar or excess, respectively. With an integral design of the mount, as well as the bearing surface section, with the collar or the excess, respectively, the attachment mechanism can be produced in a cost-effective and simple manner.
The attachment mechanism is preferably designed in the shape of a pan, wherein the aperture is provided in the pan-shaped section of the attachment mechanism, and the bearing surface section protrudes away from the pan-shaped section. The bearing surface section forms a collar or an excess, respectively, thereby.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment mechanism is made of a hard plastic component and a soft plastic component, in particular by means of a two-component injection molding process, wherein at least the mount is formed by the soft plastic component. As a result, an elastic mount is created, which can dampen the oscillations at the location of the mount conveyed via the supported section of the force transmitting device, by means of which the oscillation at the coupling point can be further reduced.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a gearshift lever housing for a gearshift lever device, as described above, is proposed, wherein the gearshift lever housing comprises a first gearshift lever housing part, and a second gearshift lever housing part, which can be attached to the first gearshift lever housing part. The first and second gearshift lever housing parts can thus be combined to form a gearshift lever housing. The gearshift lever housing parts preferably have attachment elements for this, e.g. clamping, latching or screw connection elements. Furthermore, at least one of the first and second gearshift lever housing parts has reinforcement ribs, which delimit from the rest of the gearshift lever housing region, a receiving space for receiving a linear, in particular, translational moving force transmitting element for transmitting a gearshift lever movement to a force transmitting device connected to a motor vehicle transmission device. The force transmitting device can be one such as that described above.
The gearshift lever housing is preferably produced from a material containing plastic by means of an injection molding process, in particular a two-component injection molding process. As a result, the production costs can be reduced.
The gearshift lever housing of the present invention is distinguished in that it has a mount for the stationary support of a blocking device that can be disposed in the movement path of the force transmitting element, which is provided for blocking a linear movement of the force transmitting device, wherein the mount has at least one support element, which is connected to at least one of the reinforcement ribs, and is provided for bearing on the blocking device. The bearing, or contact, respectively, of the gearshift lever housing to the massive blocking device via the support element, contains the advantage that the gearshift lever housing does not vibrate at the bearing, or contact location, by means of which, a diaphragm characteristic of the gearshift lever housing can be counteracted, in particular when it is made from a material containing plastic.
According to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the mount has at least one second support element, which is disposed opposite of the at least first support element, wherein the first and second support elements are designed to support the blocking element in a clamping manner, with an intermediate layer therebetween. As a result, on one hand, a non-oscillating support of the blocking device in the gearshift lever housing can be obtained, and on the other hand, an enlargement of the contact surface of the gearshift lever housing with the blocking device can be achieved. The inertia of the blocking device acts accordingly on the gearshift lever housing in an oscillation reducing manner.
The at least one support element is preferably provided for bearing against a securing element connected to the blocking device for securing the blocking device in the gearshift lever housing. The securing element can be a securing plate element disposed on a front surface of the blocking device, for example, which bears against the at least one support element in the gearshift lever housing at its flat surface, and/or its edge surface, when the blocking element is accommodated therein. As a result, a larger bearing surface for the gearshift lever housing can be created, by means of which an improved oscillation stability of the gearshift lever housing can be obtained.
The gearshift lever housing preferably has at least one securing pin protruding from an inner surface of a gearshift lever housing part, for engaging in a securing hole formed with the blocking device, in particular the securing plate element, assigned thereto. As a result, on one hand, the blocking device can be reliably retained in the gearshift lever housing, and on the other hand, a further improvement of the oscillation stability for the relevant gearshift lever housing part is obtained.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the gearshift lever housing parts has at least one perforation in a wall region of the gearshift lever housing identified as the oscillation diaphragm. A wall region of this type corresponds, as set forth in the present invention, to a surface region of the gearshift lever housing, in which there are no reinforcement ribs or other elements that would form a stabilization of the wall surface. As a result, a diaphragm characteristic of the gearshift lever housing can be further reduced. Furthermore, the gearshift lever housing can be produced more economically through a saving on materials.
It is further preferred that the at least one perforation is formed at a spacing to the reinforcement ribs. In other words, the at least one perforation is separated from an adjacent reinforcement rib by a wall section of the gearshift lever housing. As a result, a stable structure of the gearshift lever housing is created in the region of the perforation and the adjacent reinforcement rib.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, an improved force transmitting element for a gearshift lever device is proposed, which comprises, in particular, a gearshift lever housing such as that described above. The force transmitting element designed for transmitting a drive position that can be selected via the gearshift lever to a motor vehicle transmission device. The force transmitting element has at least one guide element, which can be engaged with in a counter-guide element formed with the gearshift lever device, for guiding a linear movement of the force transmitting element in relation to the gearshift lever device. The guide element and the counter-guide element can be formed by a tongue and groove system. The tongue and groove system can be preferably designed such that the groove is formed in an element selected from the guide element and the counter-guide element, and the tongue can be formed in the other element selected from the guide element and the counter-guide element. Alternatively, both the guide element and the counter-guide element can have a groove and a tongue, which can engage in the corresponding counter-groove and counter-tongue of the respective other element assigned thereto, in order to form a linear, in particular translational, guidance of the movement of the force transmitting element.
The proposed force transmitting element further comprises a gearshift lever receiver for receiving a gearshift lever that imposes a movement on the force transmitting element. The gearshift lever receiver is preferably designed for receiving a gearshift lever section disposed between a gearshift lever support and a free end of the gearshift lever. As a result, the free end of the gearshift lever extending through the force transmitting element can be used for an engagement with a gearshift lever guide.
The force transmitting element furthermore comprises a receiver for a longitudinal end of a force transmitting device leading to a motor vehicle transmission device, for transmitting the movement imposed by the gearshift lever to the force transmitting device. The force transmitting device can be a force transmitting device such as that described above, by way of example, in particular a cable pull, a Bowden cable device, or a mechanical rod. In other words, the receiver is designed to retain a longitudinal end of the force transmitting device in relation to the force transmitting element in a stationary position. The receiver and the gearshift lever receiver are connected to one another by a frame, wherein the frame supports the at least one guide element. The gearshift lever receiver, the receiver, and the frame are preferably designed in an integral manner, and it is further preferred that they are formed from a material containing plastic. The force transmitting element can be injection molded, for example, by means of which the force transmitting element can be produced in a simple and cost-effective manner.
The frame has a recess between the gearshift lever receiver and the receiver for the longitudinal end, for a blocking device having at least one blocking element that can move at an angle to the linear movement of the force transmitting element, and at least one engagement element that at least partially encompasses the moving blocking element, for engaging in a gearshift lever housing of the gearshift lever device, wherein the recess enables a movement of the frame in relation to the blocking device. A blocking device of this type can preferably be an electromagnetic actuator, have a retractable and extendable pin. The recess is large enough that the force transmitting element can move linearly in the direction of the movement imposed by the gear shift lever, without bringing the blocking element with it. The recess preferably is large enough that the force transmitting element bears against the blocking device or the at least one engagement element when in end positions, which correspond to the end positions of the gearshift lever, and thus forms an end stop for the force transmitting element.
The frame furthermore has at least one blocking cavity that can be brought into engagement with the blocking element for blocking the linear movement of the force transmitting element. In other words, the frame has a cavity or an aperture in the region of the recess in a side facing the recess, which is designed to be able to be brought into engagement with the blocking element. The linear movement of the force transmitting element can be blocked by means of the engagement. By forming the cavity, or the aperture, at a predetermined position, which preferably corresponds to a gearshift lever position corresponding to a selected drive position, the gearshift lever can be locked, when the blocking element is in the engaged state with the cavity or aperture. The frame preferably has a blocking cavity for each selectable drive position, in order to enable an appropriate blocking of the force transmitting element, or the gearshift lever in a respective selected drive position.
The force transmitting element according to the present invention enables, in addition to the proximal arrangement of a massive blocking device, a simultaneous connection of the blocking device with the gearshift lever housing on the force transmitting device transmitting the oscillation from the engine compartment, by means of which the massive blocking device can act as a buffering mass. As a result, the oscillations and the transmitted background noises can be further reduced.
According to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gearshift lever receiver is shaped like an hour glass. In other words, the gearshift lever receiver has two opposing, funnel shaped cut-outs in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the gearshift lever, wherein the gearshift lever receiver has a smaller diameter in a central region, for receiving the gearshift lever section, than in an outer-more region of the gearshift lever receiver. It is further preferred that the central region is designed with a predetermined radius, i.e. in the manner of a segment of a circle in terms of the cross section, in a region that is in contact with the gearshift lever section. The hour-glass design of the gearshift lever receiver enables a continuous contacting of the gearshift lever section in each movement position thereof. This is particularly advantageous for a ball-joint or Cardan shaft-type bearing of the gearshift lever, as described above.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a shift device for a motor vehicle transmission is proposed, wherein the shift device has a gearshift lever device with a gearshift lever, which is coupled directly, or via a force transmitting element that can be forced to move with the gearshift lever, to a force transmitting device, for transmitting the movement of the gearshift lever to the motor vehicle transmission. As set forth in this preferred embodiment, “directly” means that the gearshift lever is coupled to the force transmitting device, without the force transmitting element being disposed therebetween. The direct coupling of the gearshift lever to the force transmitting device does not exclude further components necessary for the coupling in this regard, or other advantageous components, from serving as the force transmitting element, by means of which, as set forth in the present invention, there is also a direct coupling of the gearshift lever to the force transmitting device. The force transmitting element, the force transmitting device and/or the gearshift lever device may be designed in the manner described above.
The proposed shift device also has an attachment mechanism, which is an attachment mechanism such as that describe above, for attaching the gearshift lever device to a motor vehicle component, wherein the attachment mechanism can be attached to the motor vehicle component with a sealant disposed therebetween. The shift device is distinguished in that the attachment mechanism has a mount for supporting a section of the force transmitting device on a side facing away from the sealant, wherein the sealant is disposed such that it at least partially overlaps a supporting region delimited by the mount in terms of its cross section. The preferred designs described with the proposed attachment mechanism can be combined thereby, either individually or as a whole, with the proposed shift device. In this manner, a shift device can be created, which can likewise reduce the oscillations or background noises transmitted from the engine compartment.
The shift device can, alternatively or in addition to the design described above, have the force transmitting element that can be forced into motion, wherein a blocking device for blocking the gearshift lever is disposed in a movement path of the force transmitting element that can be forced into motion, between the coupling point with the force transmitting device and a coupling point with the gearshift lever, wherein the blocking device is supported in a stationary manner by means of a mount connected to a gearshift lever housing of the gearshift lever device. The respective components listed with this proposed shift device can have a design such as that described above, individually or as a whole. The alternative shift device can likewise reduce the oscillation transmitted from the engine compartment into the motor vehicle interior space, and minimize the background noises associated therewith. As long as the shift device also has the force transmitting element that can be forced into motion and the blocking device, then this is a preferred embodiment of the shift device proposed in the introduction, by means of which a further improvement of the minimization of background noises can be achieved.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method is proposed for attaching a shift device to a motor vehicle component. The method for attaching the shift device comprises a step for attaching a gearshift lever device to an attachment mechanism, and a subsequent step for attaching the attachment mechanism to the motor vehicle component, with a sealant disposed therebetween. The gearshift lever device, the attachment mechanism, and the motor vehicle component can be designed in a manner described above.
The method is distinguished in that the method comprises a step for installing the gearshift lever device disposed prior to the step for attaching the gearshift lever, wherein the installation step comprises a step for the insertion of a force transmitting element that can be forced into motion by means of a gearshift lever, with a blocking device disposed in the movement path of the force transmitting element, in a gearshift lever housing part of the gearshift lever device, wherein the blocking device comprises at least one mounting plate supported by the gearshift lever housing part, and a subsequent step for assembling the gearshift lever housing. For this, both the force transmitting element as well as the blocking deice can be designed in the manner described above. A shift device can be created by means of this proposed method, which can minimize an oscillation transmitted from an engine compartment to a motor vehicle interior space via a force transmitting device.
Alternatively to the proposed method, or in addition thereto, the method is distinguished by a step for introducing a sealant between the attachment mechanism and the gearshift lever device in a region that at least partially overlaps a support region delimited by a mount in terms of its cross section, disposed prior to the attachment step for the attachment mechanism, and disposed subsequent to the attachment step for the gearshift lever device, wherein the mount is disposed for supporting a section of a force transmitting device connecting, in a shift-effecting manner, a gearshift lever device to a motor vehicle transmission, on a side of the attachment mechanism facing away from the sealant. The force transmitting device, as well as the casing element can be designed in a manner such as that described above. A shift device having the advantages described above can likewise be obtained by means of this alternative method. As long as the arrangement of the sealant also occurs as described above, this is a preferred embodiment of the method proposed in the introduction.
Further features and advantages of the invention can be derived from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, based on the Figures and drawings, which show details essential to the invention, and from the Claims. The individual features can each be realized in and of themselves, or in numerous arbitrary combinations thereof, in a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention shall be explained in greater detail below based on the attached drawings. Therein:
In the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the same or similar reference symbols shall be used for the elements having identical or similar functions, depicted in the various Figures, wherein there shall not be a detailed repetition of the description of these elements.
The gearshift lever device 100 comprises a gearshift lever housing 120, which is composed of two gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124. An installation plane for the gearshift lever housing 12 is congruent with a central plane, or plane of symmetry, respectively, of the gearshift lever housing 120. The first gearshift lever housing half 122 is nearly symmetrical to the second gearshift lever housing half 124. The first gearshift lever housing 122 differs substantially from the second gearshift lever housing 124 in that an aperture for an electrical plug-in connection 104, e.g. for connecting a drive position display device and a shift gate 106 for the gearshift lever 102, is formed in the first gearshift lever housing 122. The first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 are each produced from a material containing plastic, e.g. by means of a multi-component injection molding process.
The attachment mechanism 200 is made from a material containing plastic, by means, e.g., of a multi-component injection molding process, designed in the shape of a pan. The attachment mechanism 200 has a bearing surface section 202 on a side facing the gearshift lever device 100, for bearing on a bearing element 600, such as a motor vehicle component, or body component, e.g. a motor vehicle floor plate. The bearing surface section 202 delimits an aperture 201 for receiving the gearshift lever device 100. The aperture 201 is formed in the region of the pan-shaped section 220. The gearshift lever device 100 is received by the attachment mechanism 200 in the aperture 201 at an end section, wherein the received end section of the gearshift lever device 100 encompasses a free end of the gearshift lever 102. A sealant 204 is disposed in the bearing surface section 202, wherein the sealant 204 runs parallel to an outer edge of the attachment mechanism 200 inside the bearing surface 202 of the aperture for receiving the gearshift device 100, such that it encompasses it in its entirety. The sealant 204 is provided for bearing against the bearing element 600, in order to seal an exterior space surrounding the attachment mechanism 200 against an interior space surrounding the gearshift lever device 100, such as a motor vehicle interior space.
Furthermore, numerous attachment bars 206 are disposed in the bearing surface section 202, which extend through the bearing element 600, and serve to attach a cover panel encompassing the gearshift lever device 100 in the motor vehicle interior space. The attachment mechanism 200 furthermore has, outside the pan-shaped section 220, which receives the gearshift lever device 100, numerous attachment elements 208 for attachment to the bearing element. The attachment of the attachment mechanism 200 can occur by means of a screw connection, a latching connection, or a clamping connection, wherein the attachment element 208 is designed accordingly.
The cable pull counter bearing 302 is supported in a stationary manner by the mount 210, 212, 214, comprising a first mount element 210 and a second mount element 212. In detail, the first mount element 210 is formed by a wall section region of the pan-shaped section 220 facing the force transmitting device 300, wherein the facing wall section region comprises a support aperture 211, which receives a front end of the cable pull counter bearing 302 such that it makes contact therewith. The front end of the cable pull counter bearing 211 is encompassed by a sealing ring, which bears in a sealing manner on the wall section region of the pan-shaped section 220 of the attachment mechanism 200 encompassing the support aperture 211. As a result, a sealing of the exterior space encompassing the attachment mechanism 200 against the receiving space of the attachment mechanism 200 is ensured.
A collar 218 extending outward from the pan-shaped section 220 is disposed in a wall section region of the pan-shaped section 220 facing toward the bearing surface section 202 from the mount aperture 211, which collar is formed as an integral part of the attachment mechanism 200. Outward, or on the outside, as set forth in the present invention, corresponds to a region that lies on the side of the attachment mechanism 200 facing away from the receiver aperture 201. The collar 218 exhibits the bearing surface section 202 with the sealant receiver 203 and the sealant 204 received therein on a side facing toward the bearing element 600. The collar 318 furthermore extends from its free end, which is spaced apart from the first support element 210, in the opposite direction to its upper surface, having the bearding surface section 201 and the sealant receiver 203, and parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the hole plane formed by the mount aperture 211. The collar 218 has a hole in this this extension section, having a further hole plane running parallel to, or nearly parallel to the hole plane of the mount aperture 211, through which the front end of the cable pull counter bearing 302 extends as far as the mount aperture 211. Nearly parallel, as set forth in the present invention, corresponds to a course that is not precisely parallel to a reference line, reference surface or reference plane, wherein the scope of the deviation to the precise parallelism forms an acceptable tolerance for executing the desired effect. Concretely, this means that the further hole plane of the hole can have such a deviation in its parallelism to the hole plane of the mount aperture 211, that it still allows for an insertion of the cable pull counter bearing 302 through the hole, as far as the mount aperture 211.
The extension section of the collar 218 encompassing the hole forms the second support element 212, wherein the first support element 210 and the second support element 212 are connected to one another via the section of the collar 218 comprising the bearing surface section 202 and the sealant receiver 203. The outer surfaces of the first and second support elements 210, 212 facing away from the respective other support elements 210, 212 define or delimit a support region 215 running toward the first and second support elements 210, 212. The size of the support region 215 in this direction corresponds to the straight line distance between the outer sides of the first and second support elements.
The cable pull counter bearing 302 has a flange section designed accordingly, for bearing on the second support element 212. On a side of the second support element 212 facing away from the flange section, the cable pull counter bearing 302 is fixed in place, in a stationary manner, by means of a clamp 214. In other words, the cable pull counter bearing 302 is secured on the attachment mechanism 200 by means of the first and second support elements 210, 212 in the direction of the action of force of the force transmitting device 300, as well as at an angle thereto, by means of which a coupling point is formed between the force transmitting device 300 and the attachment mechanism 200 in the region of the mount 210, 212, 214.
This coupling point simultaneously forms a transmission point for an oscillation transmitted from an engine compartment via the force transmitting device 300.
Because the sealant 204 is disposed, preferably at least partially overlapping the support region 214 delimited by the first support element 210 and the second support element 212, or alternatively, as depicted in
On the other end of the force transmitting element 400, lying opposite the one end, a receiver 403 is provided for securing a longitudinal end of the cable pull core 304 to the force transmitting element 400. The force transmitting element 400 extends from the one end, having the gearshift lever receiver element 402, to the other end, having the receiver 403 for the longitudinal end of the cable pull core 304, in a frame-like manner, with a cavity 404 lying therebetween for receiving a blocking device 500. The cavity 404 is large enough that the force transmitting element 400 can move in relation to the blocking device 500, which is supported in a stationary manner in the gearshift lever housing 120, as shall be described in detail below. The cavity 404 is furthermore designed such that the force transmitting element 400 comes to bear on the blocking device 500 when the gearshift lever 102 is in its respective end positions, by means of which the frame 405 of the force transmitting element 400 delimiting the cavity 404 defines an end stop in the direction of movement, when the gearshift lever 102 is in the respective end positions. The frame 405 has a guide in the form of a tongue and groove system on a side of the force transmitting element 400 facing away from the cavity 404, for a sliding guidance inside the gearshift lever housing 120. As is shown, in particular, in
Each of the support plates 506 are supported by a gearshift lever housing half 122, 124. For this, each of the gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 have a support device 130 having support elements 132, wherein the support elements 132 in this preferred exemplary embodiment are formed by reinforcement ribs in the respective gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124. Individually, each of the support plates 506 are supported in the corresponding gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 by means of the support elements 132, in a clamping manner. For this, the reinforcement ribs formed as support elements 132 are disposed in the respective gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124, such that they come to bear on an outer circumference of the respective support plate 506, in order to secure the respective support plate 506 in at least one direction along the support plate plane, in a stationary manner. For this, the support elements 132 are disposed lying opposite one another. The reinforcement ribs 132, formed as support elements, come to bear thereby on the corresponding support plate 506, at a free end surface or at a lateral surface, depending on the location thereof in the respective gearshift lever housing half 122, 124. For a further stabilization of the respective support plate 506 in the corresponding gearshift lever housing half 122, 124, each of the gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 has one or more support pins 134, which extend from an inner surface of the gearshift lever housing half of the respective gearshift lever housing half 122, 124 toward the corresponding support plate 506, and engage in an assigned support plate hole 510 formed in the support plate 506. The support plate holes 510 are formed as apertures in the support plate 506 in this preferred exemplary embodiment. Alternatively, or additionally, at least one support plate hole 510 can be formed as a recess in the facing surface of the respective support plate 506, for engaging with the assigned support pin 134.
The arrangement of the blocking device 500, having support plates 506 supported by the gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 enables a further reduction of the oscillations transmitted from the engine compartment via the force transmitting device 300 to the shift device 1. In detail, the massive blocking device 500 acts as a buffer for the oscillations transmitted by the force transmitting device 300, by means of the arrangement thereof in the region of the end section of the force transmitting device 300 in conjunction with the support in the gearshift lever housing 120 achieved via the support plates 506. By supplementing this with the arrangement of a sealant at the coupling point of the force transmitting device 300 to the attachment mechanism 200 and the bearing element 600, described above, a further reduction of the transmitted oscillation, and thus a minimization of the system noises in the motor vehicle interior space, can be achieved.
As described above,
The design of the first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 having numerous reinforcement ribs 126 has the advantage that the surface, otherwise functioning as a diaphragm, of the first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124, is made more stable, and as a result, exhibits less of a diaphragm-like characteristic. As a result, the transmitted oscillations, or system noises, can be further minimized in the motor vehicle interior space.
For a further weakening of the diaphragm-like characteristics of the respective first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124, each of the first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124 has one or more perforations 128. Each of the perforations 128 is designed such that an encompassing edge of the perforation 128 is spaced apart from an adjacent reinforcement rib 126. In other words, none of the reinforcement ribs 126 borders directly on a perforation 128, such that a lateral surface of the reinforcement rib 126 forms an edge bordering on the perforation 128. This furthermore increases stability of the respective first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124, and has a positive effect on the weakening of the diaphragm-like characteristic of the respective first and second gearshift lever housing halves 122, 124.
According to the second preferred exemplary embodiment, the method 1000 has the aforementioned method step 1100 for attaching a gearshift lever device to an attachment mechanism, as well as the subsequent method step 1200 for attaching the attachment mechanism to the motor vehicle component, with a sealant placed therebetween, wherein the method 1000 comprises a step 1010 for installing the gearshift lever device, placed prior to the attachment step 1100 for the gearshift lever device, wherein the installation step 1010 comprises a step for inserting a force transmitting element on which movement is imposed via a gearshift lever, having a blocking device disposed in the movement path of the force transmitting element in a gearshift lever housing part of the gearshift lever housing device, wherein the blocking device comprises at least one support plate supported by the gearshift lever housing part, and a subsequent step 1012 for assembling the gearshift lever housing. The aforementioned components are preferably corresponding components, described above, according to the preferred exemplary embodiment. With this method, it is likewise possible to reduce the oscillation transmission from the engine compartment to the shift device in a motor vehicle interior space, or to minimize the system noises from the engine compartment occurring in the motor vehicle interior space. In order to further improve a minimization of the oscillation, or a reduction of the system noises, the methods according to the first and second preferred exemplary embodiments can be combined to form a single method.
The exemplary embodiments described herein and show in the Figures are selected only by means of example. Different exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another, in their entirety, or with respect to individual features. Furthermore, one exemplary embodiment can be supplemented by one or more features of another exemplary embodiment. The dimensions of the geometric shape of the elements described herein are only exemplary, and can be adjusted accordingly.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2013 220 409 | Oct 2013 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/069244 | 9/10/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2015/051962 | 4/16/2015 | WO | A |
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| 20150143938 | Swaita | May 2015 | A1 |
| 20170175880 | Beattie | Jun 2017 | A1 |
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| 2 037 310 | Apr 1971 | DE |
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| Entry |
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| German Search Report dated Jul. 21, 2014 for German Patent Application No. DE 10 2013 220 409.4 (German language) (8 pp.). |
| Translation of p. 8 of German Search Report dated Jul. 21, 2014 for German Patent Application No. 10 2013 220 409.4 (2 pages). |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Oct. 6, 2015 for PCT/EP2014/069244 (German language, 13 pages). |
| International Search Report dated Oct. 6, 2015 for PCT/EP2014/069244 (English language, 2 pages). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170023128 A1 | Jan 2017 | US |
