Modular Gearbox Control Lever for Flexible Cable Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gearbox control devices are not flexible enough to accommodate different mounting positions and orientations on a vehicle, making them inefficient and costly to design for various applications, particularly in automatic, robotized, and electro-actuated gearboxes.
Innovation Solution
A modular gearbox control device with a pivoting body and an adapter element that allows for different connections and orientations, enabling the control lever and actuating cable to be positioned and oriented variably, facilitating easy adaptation to various vehicle structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed mounting configuration is used for the control device, then the device structure is simple, but the adaptability to different mounting positions and orientations is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is divided into separate modular components: a control lever assembly, a cable assembly, and a mounting bracket assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be independently configured and assembled in different orientations to suit various mounting positions on the vehicle, thereby improving adaptability without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting bracket is designed with universal features including multiple mounting hole positions and adjustable cable guide slots, enabling the same bracket structure to accommodate different mounting locations (dashboard, center console, or door panel) and orientations. This multi-functionality approach allows a single standardized component to serve multiple mounting configurations.
2Productivity
If the control device is designed for a specific mounting position, then the design is simple, but the efficiency for various applications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control device incorporates universal mounting brackets and standardized connection interfaces that can be applied across different vehicle types and mounting positions. This universality enables a single design to serve multiple applications (automatic, robotized, and electro-actuated gearboxes), significantly improving design efficiency and reducing the need for multiple specialized designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable assembly includes flexible cable routing with adjustable guides and compensators that allow dynamic adaptation to different mounting configurations. This dynamic flexibility enables the same basic design to be efficiently manufactured and deployed across various applications without requiring complex customizations for each specific use case.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a modular design with adapter elements is used, then the adaptability to different orientations is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is segmented into standardized modules (control lever, cable assembly, mounting bracket) that can be independently configured. This segmentation provides flexibility in positioning and orienting each module without requiring complex integrated designs, as each module maintains simple, standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Adjustable cable guides and adapter brackets serve as intermediary elements between the control lever and mounting structure. These intermediaries provide the necessary flexibility for different orientations and positions while maintaining simple, standardized connection points, thereby achieving adaptability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~4
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
A control device for a vehicle gearbox comprises a support casing (H) and a control lever (2) pivotally mounted about an oscillation axis (200) within said support casing (H). A pivoting body (W) is rotatably mounted within the support casing (H) about the oscillation axis (200) of the control lever (2) and is connected in rotation with the control lever (2). A connecting member (30) for a gearbox control cable (B) is connected to the pivoting body (W) by means of an adapter element (18). The adapter element (18) and the pivoting body (W) are configured so they can be coupled with each other in different relative positions, in order to create different positions and/or different orientations of the control cable (B) with respect to the pivoting body (W). The control device is provided both with a first mounting member (8) configured to be rigidly connected to a longitudinal central tunnel-like portion (6) of a vehicle floor panel, and with a second mounting member (9) configured to be rigidly connected to a supporting structure (7) for a vehicle dashboard.