BACKGROUND ART There are many different types of selecting devices for automotive vehicles.

Examples thereon are operating devices such as gear selectors for operating the gearbox or transmission of an automotive vehicle. Such gear selectors exhibit a console and a gear selector lever movable therein, said selector lever being adjustable between different gear positions. The suspension of the selector lever as well as various blocking devices are examples of sources of various vibrations and dead play caused by inevitable tolerance demands. As an example, the selector lever may be provided with a pivot shaft extending through a bore, where the play between shaft and bore may cause unwanted play. Between the adjustable member and the console in which it is supported, there may be blocking device in the form of at least one pin movable within a groove, where the mutual play might cause a feeling of indistinct blocker positions, and vibrations.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a selecting device, in which the above drawbacks of excess dead play are eliminated.

This object is achieved by a selecting device according to the present invention, characterised in that said cavity exhibits at least two, onto each other converging supporting surfaces for the position-maintaining member, and that the adjustable member is continuously subjected to a force substantially transversal to the position- maintaining member, bringing it into contact with the two supporting surfaces.

With the arrangement according to the invention, the comprised components taking part in the co-operation between the adjustable member and its associated console may be manufactured with relative large tolerances, without causing any play.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention will be described more closely below by means of an embodiment example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a cross section through a selecting device according to the invention, in the form of a gear selector for an automotive vehicle, Fig. 2 shows a partly interrupted section through the device, taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a partly interrupted section through the device, taken along the line 111-111 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 shows a partly interrupted section through the device, taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 shows a partly interrupted section through the device, taken along the line V-V of Fig. 1.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated example is a selecting device of the type automotive vehicle operating device, such as a gear selector for operating a gearbox associated with an engine for an automotive vehicle. The gearbox may be either a manual gearbox or an automatic gearbox. In the illustrated example, the gear selector is intended for an automatic gearbox and, for the sake of clarity, has been given a relative simple selection movement for selection of various gear ratio positions, in this case a pivoting movement about one single pivot axis has been determined.

The selecting device, in the following called the operating device, exhibits an adjustable member, in the following called the operating member 1, which is movably arranged in a console 2 that is mounted in an automotive vehicle. The operating member 1 exhibits an operating lever 3 with a lever knob 4, to be gripped by the operator, i. e. the driver, in the case of the operating device being a gear selector. Through manual movements of the lever knob, the operating member is

intended for displacement between different operating positions in relation to the console 2. The operating member 1 is movably arranged in the console 2, by means of an operating shaft 5, in the illustrated example affixed to the console, more specifically to two side walls 6,7 and extending, in the illustrated example, through coaxially arranged bores 8,9 in the console. The operating shaft 5 may be fixedly arranged in the console or pivotally supported thereby, and will define a geometric pivot axle 10, about which the operating member 1 is pivotally supported between its operating positions. In the illustrated example, the lever 3 is adjustable through a pivoting motion, substantially in a plane extending through the longitudinal axis 3'of the lever, perpendicularly to the plane of the paper in Fig. 1.

In order to define the various fixed positions of the operating device, in the case of a gear selector the gear ratio positions, there are provided on the one hand at least one movable position-maintaining member 11, in the illustrated example accompanying the operating member 1 in its selection movements, on the other fixed position-maintaining members 12,13,14 located in the console 2, see Fig. 2, with which the movable member is intended to interact.

The movable position-maintaining member 11 is generally elongated and designed like a pin or plunge, arranged in the operating member 1, in particular in an elongated cavity 15, and being spring loaded so as to bias the pin 11 with a spring force directed along an axis of symmetry 16 in the cavity 15. The spring force is preferably provided by a compression spring, in the illustrated example a coil spring 17, constricted between a fixed seat 18, defined by a shoulder inside the cavity 15, and a shoulder on the pin. The coil spring extends around a guide pin 19 defining a reduced-diameter extension of the pin 11 and being received in a reduced-diameter portion 20 of the cavity.

From Fig. 1 can further be gathered that the operating member 1 is blocked against movement along the operating axis 10 in the rightward direction by a blocking member 21 in the shape of a stop ring 21 fixedly arranged on the operating shaft.

Through the movable position-maintaining member 11 and the fixed position- maintaining members 12,13 and 14 and their design, it is ensured that the operating member 1 is subjected to a torque about a pivot centre 22 at the blocking member

21. This torque is more precisely created by, as hinted in Fig. 1, the position- maintaining members 12,13,14 being shaped like angled guide surfaces that, in co- operation with the spring force of the pin 11, will create a force component giving the clockwise torque about the point 22.

From Fig. 1 it may further be gathered that the operating shaft 5 extends through cavities 23,24 in the operating member. By the operating member 1 being divided into two shaft sleeves 25,26, two separate cavities 23,24 are defined, arranged facing each other, i. e. aligned with each other, and with a predetermined symmetry relative to the operating shaft 5 and its geometrical axis 10.

As can be seen from the sectional views 2 and 3, the operating shaft 5, for the sake of clarity only hinted by a dashed line, is in a conventional manner cylindrical in shape with a cylindrical exterior surface 27, i. e. exhibits a circular circumference in cross-section. According to the invention, however, the two cavities exhibit cross- sections having a cross-sectional shape deviating from the circular shape, which can also be expressed as being a non-circular shape. A common denominator for the two cavities 23,24 is that each cavity exhibits at least two supporting surfaces 28,29,30,31 for the exterior surface 27 of the operating shaft 5, converging onto each other. In the illustrated example, the supporting surfaces are planar, but could conceivably also be curved, having a concave or a convex shape, for example through the cavities exhibiting an oval cross-section shape. The angle between the supporting surfaces should be such that there will be no risk for self-locking, i. e. for the operating shaft 5 to be pinched inside the cavities. In the illustrated example, the angle between the supporting surfaces is about rectangular, but it could be varied within a wide range. Both supporting surfaces within each pair of supporting surfaces should thus simultaneously form supporting surfaces for the exterior surface 27 of the operating shaft, and a prerequisite therefor is that the operating shaft will not first"reach the bottom"against the transition sections 32,33 between the supporting surfaces. Consequently, the transition portion 32,33 of each cavity should have a smaller radius of curvature than that of the operating shaft 5, whereby an intermediate distance 34,35 will always be maintained between the respective transition portion and the exterior surface 27 of the operating shaft. Besides this, the only further requirement on the cavity dimensions and shape is substantially that

they can receive the operating shaft 5 with a suitably balanced clearance or intermediate distance to the cavity walls. As can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the other wall sections 36,37,38,39,40,41 of the cavities are located at such a distance from the opposing wall sections inside the cavities that the operating shaft 5 is received with a certain play relative to its exterior surface 27.

As can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the two cavities 23,24 in the illustrated embodiment are shaped such that their V-shapes are opposed to each other. More precisely, the supporting surfaces 28,29 are tumed so as to converge towards each other in the upwards direction, towards the spring member 17 and the position- maintaining members 11-14, whereas the supporting surfaces 30,31 in the other cavity 24 converge in the downwards direction relative to said members. The torque described above will create mutually opposed forces on the respective shaft sleeve, 25,26 and, more precisely, a downward force, see arrow 42 in Fig. 2, on the shaft collar 25, and an upward force, se arrow 43 in Fig. 3, on the shaft sleeve 26. This will result in the two pairs of mutually converging supporting surfaces 28,29,30,31 always striving to contact the operating shaft 5, more particularly its exterior surface 27. Consequently, no play will occur at the active contact surfaces, to be experienced by the operator, but the operating device will be supported by its operating member 1"without play"on the operating shaft 5 in the operating console 2. It should be pointed out, however, that, strictly regarded, there is no surface contact but rather a point contact between the contact surfaces and, more particularly, this contact occurs in precisely the discussed sections ll-ll and ill-lil, as the operating member, through the torque, is in principle subjected to a minor pivoting relative to the operating shaft, however without any practical import. The pivot centre 22 will thus define a centring point for one of the sleeves, 25. The other shaft sleeve 26 is centred correspondingly in a second centring point 26'. With time, the point contact will transform into surface contact due to wearing of the contact surfaces, which in practice will have no substantial influence on the function.

From Fig. 2 can be gathered more particularly how the position-maintaining members 11-14 are arranged. The moving position-maintaining member 11, i. e. the pin 11, exhibits a rounded end surface 44 that, through the action of the spring member 17, will always strive to abut resiliently against any internal surface of the

console 2, either those guide surfaces 46 defined by the respective fixed position- maintaining members 12,13,14, or the intermediate guide surfaces 47. The end surface 44 will abut against said surfaces during the selection movements of the operating lever 3 in either direction of selection, se arrows 48 and 49 in Fig. 2. All fixed position-maintaining members as well as the intermediate guide surfaces 47 are configured so as to be angled in relation to an imaginary radial plane through the pin 11, whereby the torque will be maintained in all positions.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, the fixed position-maintaining members 12,13,14 are shaped like cavities or recesses having rounded transition surfaces 50. The recesses and the transition portions are shaped so as to define distinct detent or index positions each determining a certain operational function of the operating device but allowing pivotal motion of the lever 3 whilst overcoming the resilient force of the spring member 17. When the operating device consists of a gear selector of the type used with automatic gearboxes, the gear ratio positions will basically comprise a forward drive position D, neutral position N and a reverse position R.

Through selecting the recess shape in such a way that the pin end surface 44 will not reach their bottom, but will be supported by two supporting surfaces converging onto each other, there will be, in analogy with the play absorption at the operating shaft, no play in the contact between the position-maintaining members.

In the illustrated embodiment, a further source of play is eliminated by the principle of the invention, that is, between the moving position-maintaining member 11 and its anchoring in the operating member 1. The moving position-maintaining member 11 or the pin will transfer the positions set against the console 2 to the operating member 1 via its anchoring in the associated elongated cavity 15. Conversely, the operating member will transfer its pivoting motion around the operating shaft 5, caused by the operator movement of the lever knob 4, to the pin 11 via the cavity 15 and, more particularly, its supporting surfaces against the exterior surface 53 of the pin, see Fig. 4. As can be seen from this figure, the exterior surface of the pin is only hinted by a dashed line, showing a circular circumference, i. e. a cylindrical exterior surface, whereas the cavity 15 is shaped entirely in analogy with the cavities 23,24 for the operating shaft 5. Conversely, the reduced-diameter portion 20 around the guide pin portion 19 of said pin configured in analogy with the cavities around the

operating shaft, see Fig. 5. More particularly, the cavity 15 and the reduced- diameter portion 20 are non-circular in shape, in the illustrated example having supporting surfaces 54,55,56,57 or supporting points, converging in pairs on each other, securing a play-free contact against the respective exterior surface by the supporting surfaces being two in each section and partially opposing each other. In a transition portion 54'between the supporting surfaces, an intermediate clearance 55'is created to the pin and its extension, respectively, so as to prevent"bottoming".

The torque caused by the spring force of the movable position-maintaining member 11 in co-operation with the angled guide surfaces of the position-maintaining members 12,13,14, will create a force effect in the cavity 15 adjacent to the anchoring of the pin, substantially in the direction of the arrow 58, whereas an opposed force, see arrow 59 in Fig. 5, wilt occur in this section, i. e. between the guide pin 19 and the reduced-diameter portion 20. Through the supporting surfaces 54,55 converging in the direction of force, according to arrow 59, and the cavity of Fig. 5 being turned in the opposite direction, making the associated supporting surfaces 56,57 converge in the opposite direction, i. e. in the same direction as arrow 59, a play-free contact against the supporting surfaces is warranted at all times. Hereby, besides the elimination of play between the operating member and the operating shaft, a play-free position retention of the operating member in its selected operating position is also secured, providing a distinct feeling and reducing the risk of vibration.

The invention is not limited to the above description and the embodiment examples illustrated in the drawings, but may be varied within the scope of the accompanying claims. It is for example conceivable to achieve a similar effect in case the tuming torque is replaced by a linear force, for example against the operating shaft, whereby the cavities 23,24 will not have their converging supporting surfaces opposed to each other. For the sake of clarity, a very simple operating device has been selected, whereas in practice, an operating device like e. g. a gear selector device may be provided with a substantially more complex movement pattern, which is possible whilst utilising the play-eliminating principle according to the invention.

Further, it has not been described how the movements and positions of the operating device are transferred to the mechanism to be operated. This is simply

achieved by a wire or a link arm being connected to the operating member, spaced from the geometrical axis of the operating shaft, allowing the pivoting motion to be transferred into a linear, reciprocating motion, which is transferred to e. g. a gearbox.

Alternatively, the movements and positions of the operating member can be sensed electrically or optically, and be transmitted as signals to the gearbox. It is also conceivable to transfer the movements and positions of the operating member hydraulically to the gearbox.