Actuating apparatus for selecting gears for a gear change transmission and method for blocking an actuating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10598273-B2
Application number	US-201515316462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	Jun 6, 2014
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

An actuating device for selecting gears for a change gear transmission, in particular for an automatic transmission with shift-by-wire actuation, wherein a selector lever of the actuating device is movable in a main shift track and a touch-shift track and between the main shift track and the touch-shift track in a changing track, wherein the actuating device comprises a latch mechanism acting on the selector lever, characterized by a locking device comprising a locking gate, an actuator and a locking bolt guided through the actuator, wherein the locking gate comprises at least one locking recess, wherein at one position of the selector lever within the main shift track the locking bolt is movable by the actuator and the locking bolt is configured to engage in the locking recess, wherein the locking device comprises a spring, wherein a holding force caused by the spring is greater than a restoring force of the latch mechanism of the actuating device acting from a position of the selector lever in the touch-shift track to a position in the main shift track, and wherein the spring is configured to act against a movement of the selector lever from the touch-shift track to the main shift track, when the selector lever is positioned in the touch-shift track.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuating device for selecting gears for a change gear transmission for an automatic transmission with shift-by-wire actuation, the actuating device comprising:
a selector lever that is movable in a main shift track and a touch-shift track, and is movable between the main shift track and the touch-shift track via a changing track;
a latch mechanism that comprises a latching guide having a contour configured to urge the selector lever to slip from the touch-shift track into the main shift track;
a locking device comprising a locking gate having a first locking recess and a second locking recess, an actuator, a locking bolt disposed at least partially within the actuator, and a spring disposed at an end of the locking bolt to urge the locking bolt out of the actuator and to thereby cause the locking bolt to engage at least one of the first locking recess or the second locking recess;
wherein when engaged in the first locking recess, an amount of force by which the locking bolt engages the first locking recess prevents movement of the selector lever from the touch-shift track to the main shift track by way of the urging of the latching guide of the latch mechanism;
wherein when the actuator is activated, the amount of force by which the locking bolt engages the first locking recess is reduced, to thereby allow the selector lever to move from the touch-shift track to the main shift track by way of the urging of the latching guide of the latch mechanism; and
wherein, at a location where the selector lever is movable from the main shift track to touch-shift track via the changing track, the second locking recess comprises, in a section positioned between the first locking recess and the second locking recess, a side wall aligned substantially parallel to a direction of movement of the locking bolt such that, when the locking bolt engages the second locking recess, the selector lever is prevented from moving from the main shift track to the touch-shift track.

2. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is designed as an electromagnet.

3. The actuating device of claim 2 , wherein a side wall of the first locking recess arranged in a direction of the second locking recess is oriented at least partially obliquely to the direction of movement of the locking bolt.

4. The actuating device of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first locking recess or the second locking recess has a longitudinal extension and is aligned in a tolerance range parallel to at least one of the main shift track or the touch-shift track, wherein the longitudinal extension has a length greater than a width of the at least one of the first locking recess or the second locking recess.

5. The actuating device of claim 2 , wherein the locking bolt has a locking pin that is movably arranged in the locking bolt in the direction of movement of the locking bolt within the actuator, wherein the spring is configured to press the locking bolt in the direction of movement of the locking bolt in a direction of the locking gate and wherein the locking bolt has the locking pin which has a rounded shape in a section engageable in the locking gate.

6. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein a side wall of the first locking recess arranged in a direction of the second locking recess is oriented at least partially obliquely to the direction of movement of the locking bolt.

7. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first locking recess or the second locking recess has a longitudinal extension and is aligned in a tolerance range parallel to at least one of the main shift track or the touch-shift track, wherein the longitudinal extension has a length greater than a width of the at least one of the first locking recess or the second locking recess.

8. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein the locking bolt has a locking pin that is movably arranged in the locking bolt in the direction of movement of the locking bolt within the actuator, wherein the spring is configured to press the locking bolt in the direction of movement of the locking bolt in a direction of the locking gate and wherein the locking bolt has the locking pin which has a rounded shape in a section engageable in the locking gate.

9. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein when the actuator is activated, the selector lever is capable of movement in the main shift track and in the touch-shift track and back and forth between the main shift track and the touch-shift track, and wherein when the actuator is not activated, the selector lever is capable of movement in the main shift track and in the touch-shift track and from the touch-shift track to the main shift track.

10. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein the spring is formed as a spring operatively connected to the locking bolt, which is rotatably mounted about a pivot point.

11. The actuating device of claim 10 , wherein the locking device has a locking lug, and wherein a leaf spring lug of the spring at a first state of the actuator is in contact with the locking lug.

12. The actuating device of claim 11 , wherein the leaf spring lug in a second state of the actuator is free of contact to the locking lug or the leaf spring lug in the second state of the actuator exerts on the locking lug a lower holding force than the restoring force of the latch mechanism.

13. The actuating device of claim 1 , wherein the spring is formed as a leaf spring.

14. The actuating device of claim 13 , wherein the locking device has a locking lug, and wherein a leaf spring lug of the spring at a first state of the actuator is in contact with the locking lug.

15. The actuating device of claim 14 , wherein the leaf spring lug in a second state of the actuator is free of contact to the locking lug or the leaf spring lug in the second state of the actuator exerts on the locking lug a lower holding force than the restoring force of the latch mechanism.

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen

Inventors

• Fribus Vitali
• Strassburg Karsten
• Rake Ludger

Classifications

• F16H59/105

  consisting of electrical switches or sensors · CPC title

• F16H2059/0269

  Ball joints or spherical bearings for supporting the lever · CPC title

• F16H2061/245

  Ramp contours for generating force threshold, e.g. cams or pushers for generating additional resistance for a reverse path · CPC title

• F16H2059/047

  with essentially straight linear movement for gear selection, e.g. straight selection movement using detent mechanism for improving feeling · CPC title

• F16H59/0204 Primary

  for automatic transmissions with means for range selection and manual shifting, e.g. range selector with tiptronic · CPC title