Steering column mounted transmission gear shift mechanism having ignition key interlock
US4934209A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 16, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jun 19, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 16, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/20146
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An ignition key mounted on the steering column of a motor vehicle turns a gear wheel as the key is rotated among multiple positions. The gear wheel continually meshes with a steering column lock actuator assembly and moves the assembly according to the position of the ignition key and gear wheel. The actuator assembly defines a cam surface, which causes a pawl to pivot when the ignition key is moved to a lock position and permits the pawl to return to an unlocked state when the ignition key is moved from the lock position. The gear shift mechanism includes a tube pivotably supporting a gear shift lever at one end and a control selector lever at its opposite end. A plunger, in continual contact with the gear selector lever and control lever, is resiliently biased by a spring toward a position that brings the control lever into contact with detent surfaces on an insert. The tube defines a slot, aligned axially with a recess formed on the plunger, displaceably mounted within the tube. When the gear selector lever moves to the Park position and the ignition key is in the Lock position, the pawl pivots through the tube slot and into a recess on the plunger, thereby preventing axial disp…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.