Vibration damping structure of shift lever retainer

• US 4,711,135 A
• Filed: 11/20/1985
• Issued: 12/08/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Inui, Masaki, Horiuchi, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Cornelius J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Application Number:
  US06/800,048
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 74/473 R, 74/491, 74/523, 248/632, 248/635, 248/583, 248/638
• US Class Current: 74/473.29
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 20/04 floor mounted
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/0208 with means for suppression of vibrations or reduction of noise
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20134 having vibration damper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20165 Spherical mount [e.g., ball and socket]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20396 Hand operated

Abstract

Disclosed herein in a mount structure where a shift lever retainer for spherically supporting a shift lever is mounted through a vibration damping member to a transmission case by a bolt, a vibration damping structure comprising a stopper means for preventing horizontal and vertical deformations of the vibration damping member greater than a predetermined amount. With this arrangement, there is no possibility that rigid feeling in operating of the shift lever is decreased, that is, shift feeling is deteriorated. Further, vibration of the shift lever and associated noise may be greatly reduced.

Claims

1. In a shift lever retainer mounting structure including a shift lever retainer for spherically supporting a shift lever, a first vibration damping member interposed between said shift lever retainer and a transmission case, a bolt for fixing said shift lever retainer to said transmission case, a second vibration damping member interposed between said bolt and said shift lever retainer, and a bushing for receiving said bolt, said bushing having an upper flange arranged between a head portion of said bolt and said second vibration damping member, said first and second vibration damping members having a thickness such that vibration from said transmission case may be sufficiently absorbed;

a vibration damping structure comprising a first stopper means for preventing horizontal deformation of said first vibration damping member greater than a predetermined amount, and a second stopper means for preventing vertical deformation of said first vibration damping member greater than a predetermined amount, wherein said first stopper means comprises a rigid ringlike member engaged with said bushing and located between said first and second vibration damping members, and wherein said second stopper means comprises an upward projection projecting from a plate engaged with said bolt and fixed on an upper surface of said transmission case such that a portion of said plate is interposed between said first vibration damping member and said transmission case.

2. The vibration damping structure as defined in claim 2, wherein said plate is formed in a substantially fan-like shape.