Patent Application
20190128404
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle shifter assembly such as may be used to shift among gears of a vehicle transmission.
In some vehicles, a gear shift lever in a passenger compartment of the vehicle can be moved by an operator of the vehicle to shift the vehicle transmission between its park gear and other gears, such as reverse, neutral and forward drive gears. The shift lever is mechanically coupled to the transmission through a cable that transmits the shift lever movement to a transmission shift mechanism.
Other vehicles use a so-called “shift-by-wire” system wherein an operator shift lever or shift control unit is not physically coupled to the transmission shift mechanism by a cable. Instead, the shift control unit is electrically coupled to a shift actuator that is arranged to shift the transmission upon receipt of a signal from the shift control unit that a transmission gear shift is desired by the operator. In these systems, the position of the shift lever does not necessarily correspond to the currently selected transmission gear.
In at least some implementations, a vehicle shifter assembly includes a first guide having an axis, a shift lever coupled to the first guide for two-way movement of the shift lever along the first guide in a path parallel to the first axis, and a second guide spaced from the first guide and engageable with the shift lever to limit rotational movement of the shift lever relative to the first guide about the axis. In at least some implementations, the shift lever includes a main body with an opening through which the first guide extends.
In at least some implementations, the second guide includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface that are arranged so that the shift lever engages the first guide surface when the shift lever is acted upon by a force tending to rotate the shift lever in a first direction about the axis, and the shift lever engages the second guide surface when the shift lever is acted upon by a force tending to rotate the shift lever in a second direction about the axis. The shift lever may include a roller that rolls along the first guide when the shift lever is moved along the path. In addition to or instead, the shift lever may include a roller that engages the second guide.
In at least some implementations, a position sensor having a sensor is positioned adjacent to the shift lever path of movement and a sensed component is carried by the shift lever and moved relative to the sensor. In this way, the position of the shift lever can be determined to facilitate commands to shift the transmission.
In at least some implementations, the assembly includes a housing having an interior in which is received at least part of the shift lever, and the housing may include a plurality of feedback features and a coupler may be carried by the shift lever for movement with the shift lever relative to the feedback features. The coupler may be responsive to the feedback features to provide force feedback to the shift lever. The feedback features may include a surface having a plurality of peaks and valleys and the coupler may engage the surface and move relative to the shift lever in response to movement of the coupler over the peaks and valleys.
In at least some implementations, a vehicle shifter assembly, includes a first guide having an axis; a shift lever and a second guide. The shift lever includes a first end, a second end, and a coupling feature between the first end and the second end that couples the shift lever to the first guide, the coupling feature overlaps at least a portion of the first guide and permits two-way movement of the shift lever along a path defined by the first guide. The second guide is spaced from the first guide and engageable with the shift lever. The first guide and coupling feature limit rotation of the shift lever relative to the first guide along a plane including the axis, and the second guide constrains movement of the shift lever relative to the first guide about the axis in a plane perpendicular to the axis.
The following detailed description of representative implementations and best mode will be set forth with regard to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring in more detail to the drawings,
In at least some implementations, the shift lever assembly 10 may include a housing 14 and the shift lever 12 may be carried by the housing for movement relative to the housing. The housing 14 may include a base 16 that may be fixed to the vehicle, such as by bolts received through holes in mounting flanges 18 of the base. The base 16 may include an end wall 20 and one or more side walls 22 extending from the end wall and defining an at least partial enclosed interior 24 in which some components of the shift lever assembly 10 may be received. The housing 14 may include a cover 26 fixed to the base 16, for example, to the walls 22 at a location spaced from the end wall 20. The cover 26 may further define the interior 24, and may include an opening 28 through which part of the shift lever 12 extends into the interior. A first guide 30 may be formed in and/or carried by the housing 14, and may be received partially or fully within the interior 24. In at least some implementations, the guide 30 is a straight component that has an axis 32 along which the shift lever 12 moves in a linear fashion. The guide 30 may be a rod, rail or component to which the shift lever 12 is slidably coupled for movement in two, opposite directions (e.g. fore and aft). The guide 30 may be carried by the housing 14, and in at least some implementations, may be trapped between the cover 26 and surfaces of one or more side walls 22 of the housing base 16. The shift lever 12 is moved (e.g. pushed or pulled) along the guide 30 by a vehicle driver to cause a transmission shift as described in more detail below.
The shift lever 12 may include a main body 34 having a first end 36 that may be located outboard of the housing interior 24 and a second end 38 received within the housing interior. The shift lever 12 is slidably coupled to the guide 30 between its ends 36, 38, or at or near its second end 38. In at least some implementations, the shift lever body 34 is a one-piece body that has various features defined within a single piece of material, or in multiple pieces of materials that are joined together in the process of forming the shift lever body (e.g. a metal component overmolded by plastic, where the molding process forms the shift lever body and the metal and plastic portions are integrally coupled together). Of course, multi-piece shift lever bodies may be used, if desired.
The main body 34 includes or otherwise carries a coupling feature 40 for slidably coupling the main body to the guide 30. In the implementation shown in
The assembly 10 may further include a second guide 44 arranged to resist movement of the main body 34 about the axis 32 of the first guide 30, e.g. in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the first guide. In implementations wherein the first guide 30 has a circular cross-section, the main body 34 may tend to rotate about the axis 32 and relative to the first guide in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the first guide. The second guide 44 may be positioned to inhibit or prevent such movement of the main body 34 relative to the first guide 30 in one or both directions of rotation (e.g. clockwise and/or counterclockwise when viewed from an end of the first guide).
In this way, the second guide 44 may include one or more guide surfaces 46 that is/are radially spaced from the axis 32 of the first guide 30, parallel to the axis of the first guide and laterally offset from and engageable with a portion of the main body 34. In this example, lateral means to the side of the portion of the main body 34, outboard of the path of movement of that portion of the main body as the shift lever 12 is moved to cause a transmission shift. Hence, the second guide 44 has at least one surface 46 that extends parallel to and is laterally outboard of the path of movement of a portion of the main body 34. The second guide 44 may include or be defined by a surface of the housing 14, for example, a surface formed in the base 16, may be defined in or by a slot formed in the base (e.g. the end wall 20), or by a component (e.g. an insert) carried by the housing. In the example shown in
The main body 34 of the shift lever 12 and/or the second guide 44 may include a reduced friction interface which may include a bearing or reduced friction surfaces of one or both of the guide 44 and adjacent portion of the main body 34. In the implementation shown, the shift lever 12 includes, and the main body 34 carries, a roller 56 that is received between two, oppositely facing guide surfaces 46 of the second guide 44. The oppositely facing guide surfaces 46 are each arranged to prevent rotation of the shift lever 12 toward either of the guide surfaces, to constrain the shift lever for movement along the axis 32 of the first guide 30. The roller 56 may rotate when engaged with either guide surface 46 to reduce friction or resistance to the sliding movement of the shift lever 12. The roller 56 may be carried on a pin 58 having an end received within a bore 60 in the main body 34, and the pin and/or roller may rotate about an axis 62 (
Hence, in an implementation wherein the shift lever is moved forward and backward to cause transmission shifts (where forward and backward are directions 180 degrees from each other) the shift lever is constrained against rotation or tipping movement forward or backward (i.e. in a plane parallel to the axis of the first guide) by the axial length of the coupling feature 40 on the first guide 30, and the shift lever is constrained against rotation laterally, generally perpendicular to the forward and backward directions by the second guide 44. In this way, movement of the shift lever 12 other than forward and backward is constrained to provide a generally linear path of movement of the shift lever relative to the housing 14.
The shift lever assembly 10 may also include one or more feedback features 66 that provide a tactile feel to the person moving the shift lever 12 (e.g. operator or driver) that the lever is moving from one position to the next, where the positions are each associated with a transmission gear. In this way, the operator can better control the number of positions that the shift lever 12 moves through to better control the selected transmission gear to which the transmission should be shifted. The feedback features 66 may replicate or provide forces on the shift lever 12 similar to the feeling or forces of shifting a mechanically linked shift lever among the various transmission gears.
In at least some implementations, the feedback features 66 are provided along an interior surface 68 of the housing 14, and the feedback features include a number of recesses or valleys 69 and ridges or peaks 71 between the valleys. Each valley 69 may define a position of the shift lever 12 that is associated with a transmission gear such that movement of the shift lever to the next position causes a transmission gear shift.
A coupler 70 may be carried by the main body 34 of the shift lever 12 so that the coupler moves relative to the feedback features 66 as the shift lever is moved. The coupler 70 may include a portion that is biased against interior surface 68 and rides from one valley, over a raised surface or peak, and into the next valley when the shift lever 12 is moved from one position to an adjacent position. In the implementation shown, the coupler 70 includes a pin (
In a vehicle having Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive modes or gears, the driver would expect to move through two positions (e.g. valleys) and into a third position to shift the vehicle transmission from park to drive, and vice versa, with these shifts occurring with movement of the shift lever 12 in opposite directions (e.g. forward and backward, up and down, or left and right, etc). A central position, in the implementation shown, may define a home position 82 of the shift lever.
In at least some implementations, the shift lever 12 is acted upon by an actuator 80 which provides a force on the shift lever tending to move the shift lever toward the home position 82. When a force moving the shift lever 12 to cause a transmission gear change is no longer applied to the shift lever, the actuator 80 returns the shift lever to the home position 82 (which is shown in
Because the shift lever 12 may be moved in either direction from the home position to change the transmission mode, depending upon the current transmission mode and desired transmission mode, the home position 82 preferably is the middle or center most position. In the example shown in
To facilitate returning the shift lever 12 to the home position, the peaks may be defined by ramped surfaces that are steeper on the side of each valley leading away from the home position and shallower on the sides of the valleys returning toward the home position. In this way, the engagement of the pin 70 with the ramped surfaces is less when the spring 80 is returning the shift lever 12 to the home position after a gear shift, but suitable feedback can be provided to the operator when the shift lever is moved by the operator away from the home position so the operator clearly feels the various positions through which the shift lever is moved. Of course, other implementations may be used, including implementations without any ramps, for example, just detents or cavities into which a spring biased coupler is releasably received. Of course, the shift lever 12 could be stable or positionable in more than one position and need not include the actuator and return function, as desired.
The linear movement of the shift lever 12 may simplify sensing the position and movement of the shift lever, to simplify and improve the reliability of electronically commanded transmission gear shifts. Compared to shift levers that are rotated about a pivot and have an arcuate path of movement, the linear path may be easier to sense with contact or non-contact type sensors. For example, with a magnetic sensing arrangement, a sensor 86 (
In the shift lever assembly 100 shown in
In at least some implementations, as shown in
In at least some implementations, as shown in
Additionally or instead, the shift lever 102 may include a second roller 138 and the housing 14 may include a second guide 140 having a surface 142 oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the track. In at least some implementations, the second guide surface 142 is oriented parallel to and radially or laterally offset from the path of movement of a portion of the shift lever 102 and the second roller 138 is arranged to engage the surface 142 to prevent rotation of the shift lever 102 relative to the axis 124 in one direction. Another guide surface 144 may be provided and may be engaged by the roller 138 to prevent rotation of the shift lever 102 relative to the axis 124 in the other direction. As in the previously described shift lever assembly 10, the second guide 140 may include two oppositely facing guide surfaces 142, 144, which may, if desired be defined in a channel coupled to the housing 14, or by opposed surfaces of a slot formed in a wall 20, 22 of the housing. Hence, the shift lever 102 may be constrained against rotation relative to the path of movement of the shift lever, i.e. relative to the axis 124 of the first guide 114. Also, the shift lever 102 may be constrained to substantially linear movement, where, in at least some implementations, substantially linear means within 10 degrees of a straight line.
As shown in
While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
