Transmission-mounted park-position interlock system

• US 5,954,179 A
• Filed: 04/23/1998
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Grand Haven Stamped Products Company (JSJ Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GHSP Incorporated (JSJ Corporation)
• Inventors: Osborn, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonck, Rodney H.
• Application Number:
  US09/065,320
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 192/220.7, 192/219.5, 192/220.2, 192/220.3, 192/220.4, 192/220.5, 192/220.6, 477/96
• US Class Current: 192/219.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/005 by locking of wheel or transmission rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/3416 Parking lock mechanisms or brakes in the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/3491 Emergency release or engagement of parking locks or brakes

Abstract

The present apparatus includes a park/lock mechanism mounted on a transmission for controlling operation of the transmission and, more particularly, for preventing the transmission from being shifted out of the park position until predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met. The park/lock mechanism is remotely actuated by an actuator physically connected to the park/lock mechanism and electrically connected to the shift lever. The park/lock mechanism includes a linkage having a pair of links connected in an overcenter arrangement, the toggle links providing a mechanical advantage and moving overcenter as the park/lock mechanism moves to a park/lock position. A hydraulic circuit and electrical circuit for operating the actuator is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle transmission having gearing and an antirotation device engageable to stop the gearing from moving;

an interlock member integrated into the vehicle transmission for engaging the antirotation device, the interlock member being movable between a park position engaging the antirotation device to hold the gearing against rotation and a release position allowing the gearing to rotate;

an actuator mounted in or on the transmission;

linkage operably connecting the actuator to the interlock member;

an electrical device operably connected to the actuator to move the interlock member to the release position only when predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met; and

a shifter having a shift lever and a pawl, and having a sensor for sensing movement of one of the shift lever and the pawl, the sensor being operably connected to the electrical device.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the actuator is hydraulically operated.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the actuator is operably connected to the vehicle transmission by a fluid line.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the linkage includes a toggle-type linkage having at least two links interconnected in an overcenter relationship when the interlock member is in the park position.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 including an override device connected to one of the interlock member, the actuator, and the linkage for manually overriding the actuator to manually move the interlock member to the release position.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein the override device includes a cable connected to the actuator.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the actuator is spring biased to naturally move the interlock member toward the park position.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a toggle-type linkage having at least two links interconnected in an overcenter relationship when the interlock member is in the park position.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle transmission having gearing and an antirotation device engageable to stop the gearing from moving;

an interlock member integrated into the vehicle transmission for engaging the antirotation device, the interlock member being movable between a park position engaging the antirotation device to hold the gearing against rotation and a release position allowing the gearing to rotate;

a hydraulically operated actuator mounted in or on the transmission, the actuator being operably connected to the vehicle transmission by a fluid line;

linkage operably connecting the actuator to the interlock member, the linkage including a toggle-type linkage having at least two links interconnected in an overcenter relationship when the interlock member is in the park position;

an electrical device operably connected to the actuator to move the interlock member to the release position only when predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met; and

a shifter having a shift lever and a pawl, and having a sensor for sensing movement of one of the shift lever and the pawl, the sensor being operably connected to the electrical device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle transmission having gearing and an antirotation device engageable to stop the gearing from moving;

an interlock member integrated into the vehicle transmission for engaging the antirotation device, the interlock member being movable between a park position engaging the antirotation device to hold the gearing against rotation and a release position allowing the gearing to rotate;

a hydraulically operated actuator mounted in or on the transmission, the actuator being operably connected to the vehicle transmission by a fluid line;

linkage operably connecting the actuator to the interlock member;

an electrical device operably connected to the actuator to move the interlock member to the release position only when predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met;

an electronically operated valve in the fluid line for controlling fluid flow through the fluid line; and

an override device operably connected to the electrically operated valve and configured to release fluid trapped in the actuator back to the vehicle transmission.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle shifter having a shift lever movable between gear positions including a park position, a pawl for holding the shift lever in the park position, and a sensor for sensing movement of one of the shift lever and the pawl when an operator is ready to shift out of the park position;

a transmission including a park/lock mechanism in the transmission for holding the transmission in a non-rotatable inoperative condition when the shift lever is in the park position; and

an actuator electrically connected to the sensor and physically connected to the park/lock mechanism for operating the park/lock mechanism to move the park/lock mechanism only when predetermined vehicle conditions are met.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein the actuator is hydraulically operated.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein the actuator is operably connected to the transmission by a fluid line.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 including an electronically operated valve in the fluid line for controlling fluid flow through the fluid line, and including an override device for operating the electrically operated valve to release fluid trapped in the actuator back to the vehicle transmission.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the park/lock mechanism includes a toggle-type linkage having at least two links interconnected in an overcenter relationship when the shift lever is in the park position.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 11 including an override device connected to one of the interlock member, the actuator, and the linkage for manually overriding the actuator to manually move the interlock member to the release position.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein the override device includes a cable connected to the actuator.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the actuator is spring biased to move the interlock member toward the park position.

19. A method comprising steps of:

providing a vehicle transmission having gearing and an antirotation device engageable to stop the gearing from moving, an interlock member in the vehicle transmission configured to engage the antirotation device, the interlock member being movable between a park position engaging the antirotation device to hold the gearing against rotation and a release position allowing the gearing to rotate, an actuator on the transmission, and a linkage operably connecting the actuator to the interlock member;

providing a shifter having a shift lever and a pawl, and having a sensor for sensing movement of one of the shift lever and the pawl;

providing a device operably connected to the sensor and to the actuator, the actuator being configured to move the interlock member to the release position only when predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met; and

remotely actuating the actuator by use of the sensor and the device to move the linkage between an overcenter locked position where the interlock member is in the park position for holding the gearing against rotation and moving the linkage to an unlocked position where the interlock member is moved to the release position allowing the gear to rotate.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the step of actuating includes powering the actuator by hydraulic fluid and pressure from the vehicle transmission.

21. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the step of remotely actuating includes electrically controlling operation of the actuator.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle transmission having gearing and an anitrotation device engageable to stop the gearing from moving;

an interlock member integrated into the vehicle transmission for engaging the antirotation device, the interlock member being movable between a park position engaging the antirotation device to hold the gearing against rotation and a release position allowing the gearing to rotate;

an actuator mounted in or on the transmission;

linkage operably connecting the actuator to the interlock member, the interlock member including a toothed member configured to engage the antirotation device;

the linkage including a rod operably engaging the toothed member for moving the toothed member between the park position and the release position, a slide configured to bias the rod toward the park position, a slide-engaging link pivoted to the slide, an anchored link pivoted to the slide-engaging link at a main toggle pivot, a driving link pivoted to the slide-engaging link and the anchored link at the main toggle pivot, and an actuator-connected link pivoted to the driving link and constructed to move the main toggle pivot overcenter relative to the anchored link and the slide-engaging link when in the park position; and

an electrical device operably connected to the actuator to move the interlock member to the release position only when predetermined vehicle operating conditions are met.