Transmission Case Guide Wall for Shift Shaft Assembly Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle transmissions face challenges in accurately positioning the input and output shafts on the same axis during assembly, leading to difficulties in stabilizing their posture and complicating the assembly process due to reliance on intuition and lack of guidance in rotation direction.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle transmission design that includes a transmission case with engagement and guide portions to regulate the posture of insertion members, ensuring they align correctly before engaging with the case, using a guide wall to contact the insertion member before engagement, thereby stabilizing their position and rotation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the guide pipe and guide hole are used to position the shafts, then the shafts can be positioned on the same axis, but the operator still needs to rely on intuition to position them in the rotation direction and the assembly becomes troublesome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning precision of shaftsVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A guide plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the guide pipe and the output shaft. The guide plate includes a guide groove that receives the guide pipe, and a positioning protrusion that fits into a positioning groove on the output shaft. This intermediary structure provides both axial guidance and rotational positioning, eliminating the need for operator intuition and simplifying the assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If the guide pipe and guide hole are used for positioning, then axial alignment is achieved, but the posture in the rotation direction cannot be stabilized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaxial positioning accuracyVSAvoidrotational posture stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The solution extends the positioning function from one dimension (axial alignment via guide pipe) to two dimensions by adding rotational positioning. The guide plate introduces a second dimension of control through the positioning protrusion and groove mechanism, which constrains the rotational degree of freedom. This allows the output shaft to be positioned both axially and rotationally, stabilizing its posture in both dimensions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4224039B1Vehicle transmission
Publication Date: 2025.07.30 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4224039B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4224039B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4224039B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

[Object] To provide a vehicle transmission capable of regulating a change in posture of an insertion member when the insertion member is inserted into a transmission case and improving an assembly property of the insertion member with respect to the transmission case. [Solution] A transmission case 2 includes an engagement portion 2A provided inside a transmission case 2 and engaging with a shift/select shaft 5 and a guide wall 2B provided inside the transmission case 2 to be located closer to an opening portion 2a than the engagement portion 2A. A change in posture of the shift/select shaft 5 and an interlock plate 12 is regulated in such a manner that the interlock plate 12 comes into contact with the guide wall 2B before the shift/select shaft 5 engages with the engagement portion 2A when the shift/select shaft 5 obtained by integrating a cam member 11 and the interlock plate 12 is inserted into the transmission case 2 through the opening portion 2a.