FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a shift knob for a shift lever and
more particularly, to a shift knob assembly for a vehicle employing a coupling
mechanism which is capable of providing variable insertion and extraction load
5 during coupling and de-coupling of a shift lever with the shift knob.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A gear shift assembly is a drivetrain of a vehicle. Various components of
the gear shift assembly such as shift lever, gear box, shift knob etc. work together
10 to provide swift transmission of the vehicle from low speed to high speed and
vice-versa. It is of importance to have a refined gear shift assembly which has
best functional as well as physical characteristics. Further, minimum assembly
time for manufacturing a gear shift assembly is always desired. In other words, it
is required to couple the various components, such as shift lever, gear box, shift
15 knob etc. of the gear shift assembly in minimal time with minimal defects. One of
the significant sub-assemblies of the gear shift assembly is sub-assembly of the
shift lever and the shift knob. The significance of such sub-assembly can be
appreciated from the fact that the driver controls the transmission of the vehicle by
only using this sub-assembly.
20
Conventionally, the shift knob is coupled at a top end of the shift lever. The
coupling of the shift knob and the shift lever is carried out by male female coupling
mechanism, where a male threaded portion on the top end of the shift lever is
formed and a corresponding female threaded portion is formed on an inner
25 portion of the shift knob. Such coupling of the shift knob with the shift lever
requires a lot of time to complete and also has orientation related issues of the
2
knob. Similarly, the de-coupling of the shift knob from the shift lever is also a time
consuming process.
There have been a lot of research and developments in respect of finding
5 an alternative to aforesaid conventional coupling mechanism of the shift knob and
the shift lever. One of the improved fastening method enables fastening of the
shift knob with the shift lever by installing the shift knob on the shift lever in a snap
fit manner. Another improved coupling structure between the shift lever and the
shift knob has been disclosed, which reduces the press force required for
10 fastening the shift knob with the shift lever.
Though the aforesaid improved coupling mechanisms for fastening the
shift knob with the shift lever talk about reducing the coupling time and/or reducing
the force required for fastening the shift knob with the shift lever however, such
15 technologies still require excessive insertion and extraction load which lead to
abnormalities and/or damages to the shift knob and the shift lever during repair
and/or replacement.
Usually, the extraction load needs to be on higher side, for example
20 300N, in order to prevent de-coupling of the shift knob from the shift lever during
gear changing operation carried out by the driver and the proportional insertion
load has to be approximately 200N as per the existing technologies. Such a high
insertion load requires substantially undesired amount of time for coupling the
shift knob with the shift lever. In addition to the undesired coupling time, the high
25 extraction load amounts to damage the shift knob and/or shift lever due to
excessive force applied to de-couple the shift knob and the shift lever for any
3
5
10
repair or maintenance requirements.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the prior arts to have a shift knob
which overcomes the aforesaid problems and shortcomings.
However, there remains a need in the art for an improved coupling
mechanism of the shift knob and the shift lever which allows varying the insertion
and/or the extraction load independently and enables easy repair, replacement,
maintenance of the shift knob and/or the shift lever while meeting the requirement.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shift knob
assembly for a vehicle which allows varying the insertion and/or the extraction
load independent of each other and reduces process time and efforts of coupling
15 and de-coupling of the shift knob and the shift lever. Further, another object of the
present invention is to provide a shift knob assembly for a vehicle which is easy to
repair and/or replace, requires less maintenance and prevent wear and tear of the
shift knob and/or the shift lever during repair and/or replacement operation.
20 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention aim to provide a shift knob
assembly for a vehicle. The present invention eliminates interdependency of the
insertion and extraction load required during the coupling and de-coupling of the
shift knob and the shift lever. In other words, the present invention allows varying
25 the insertion load required for coupling the shift knob with the shift lever without
4
altering the value of extraction load required for de-coupling the shift knob from
the shift lever. Further, the proposed shift knob assembly comprises an insert
having beveled edges enclosed by a ring insert and facilitates swift coupling and
de-coupling of the shift knob and the shift lever. Also, the present invention
5 prevents undesired wear and tear to the shift knob and the shift lever during the
de-coupling process, thereby the disclosed shift knob assembly is easy to repair
and/or replace and also requires less maintenance. The shift knob assembly for
the vehicle is provided with the features of claim 1, however the invention may
additionally reside in any combination of features of claim 1 .
10
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the shift knob
assembly for the vehicle comprises, an outer shell, an insert having a lower neck
portion and a ring insert configured to enclose the lower neck portion of the insert.
Further, the lower neck portion of the insert is configured to have a plurality of
15 beveled edge and a plurality of catching protrusion to couple the ring insert. The
insert is configured to receive a shift lever.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the outer
shell is configured to have a predetermined shape, preferably, conical, square,
20 rectangular or oval shape. Further, the outer shell is made of, but not limited to, a
polymeric material.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
comprise a hollow center to receive the shift lever.
5
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality
of beveled edge of the lower neck portion of the insert having a bevel angle in the
range of 0O - 150O. This feature facilitates coupling of the ring insert with the lower
5 neck portion of the insert before over molding of the outer shell.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the ring insert
comprises a plurality of catching grooves corresponding to the plurality of catching
protrusion of the lower neck portion of the insert and a plurality of profile
10 corresponding to the plurality of beveled edge of the lower neck portion of the
insert. Further, the ring insert comprise a hollow center.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the ring insert
is attached with the insert by means of the plurality of profile of the ring insert and
15 the plurality of beveled edge of the lower neck portion of the insert and supported
by the plurality of catching grooves of the ring insert and the plurality of catching
protrusion of the lower neck portion of the insert.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
20 and the ring insert are coupled to form a sub-assembly and the outer shell is over
molded on the sub-assembly.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
and the ring insert are made of, but not limited to, a polymeric material.
25
While the present invention is described herein by way of example using
6
embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that
the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described,
and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further,
some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in
5 certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the
embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and
detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular
form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modification/s,
equivalent/s and alternative/s falling within the scope of the present invention as
10 defined by the appended claim. The headings used herein are for organizational
purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or
the claim. As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a
permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory
sense (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" means "at least one”
15 unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used
herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as
limiting in scope. Language such as "including", "comprising", "having",
"containing" or "involving" and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and
encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject
20 matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components,
integers or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with
the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion
7
of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the likes are included in the
specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention.
It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters form part of the
prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the
5 present invention.
In this disclosure, whenever an element or a group of elements is
preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising”, it is understood that we also
contemplate the same composition, element or group of elements with transitional
10 phrases “consisting of”, “consisting”, “selected from the group of consisting of,
“including” or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition, element or group of
elements and vice versa.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
15 So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present
invention can be understood in detail, a more particular to the description of the
invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments,
some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however,
that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention
20 and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may
admit to other equally effective embodiments.
These and other features, benefits and advantages of the present
8
invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like
reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a shift knob assembly for a vehicle in
5 accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Fig. 2a is a front view of an insert of the shift knob assembly for the
vehicle in accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present
invention.
Fig. 2b is a cross-sectional view of the insert taken along line A-A of fig.
10 2a.
Fig. 2c is a top view of the insert of the shift knob assembly for the vehicle
as shown in fig. 2a.
Fig. 3a is a top view of a ring insert of the shift knob assembly for the
vehicle in accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present
15 invention.
Fig. 3b is a sectional view of the ring insert taken along line B-B of fig. 3a
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the shift knob assembly for the vehicle as
shown in fig. 1
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of coupling mechanism of the insert and the ring
20 insert of the shift knob assembly for the vehicle in accordance with one of the
preferred embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments
25 with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein reference numerals used in
9
the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the
description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms
and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather,
the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete
5 and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the
following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various
aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be
treated as examples only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In
addition, a number of materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the
10 implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary, and are not
intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 is an exploded view of the shift knob assembly (100) for the
vehicle in accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present
15 invention. As shown in figure 1 , the shift knob assembly (100) comprise an outer
shell (102), an insert (104) and a ring insert (106).
The outer shell (102) is configured to have a predetermined shape,
enabling a driver to grasp and operate the gear changing operation. Further, the
20 outer shell (102) has hollow inner portion which accommodates a sub-assembly
of the insert (104) and the ring insert (106) within.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the outer
shell (102) is having, but not limited to, a conical or square or rectangular or oval
10
shape. Further, the outer shell (102) is made of, but not limited to, a polymeric
material.
The insert (104) comprises a hollow center (112) into which one end of a
5 shift lever (108) is inserted for coupling. The one end of the shift lever (108) is
inserted from a proximal end (P) of the insert (104).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the other end
of the shift lever (108) is connected with a transmission portion (not shown) and
10 facilitates transfer of shift load from the shift lever (108) to the transmission portion
for performing gear change operation.
The ring insert (106) is configured to enclose the insert (104). Further, the
ring insert (106) comprise a hollow center (118) which facilitates insertion of the
15 shift lever (108) into the hollow center (112) of the insert (104).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
(104) and the ring insert (106) are coupled to form the sub-assembly and the outer
shell (102) is then molded over the sub-assembly providing final shape to the shift
20 knob assembly (100).
Figure 2a is an front view of the insert (104) of the shift knob assembly
(100) for the vehicle in accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the
present invention.
25
As shown in figure 2a, the insert (104) comprises a distal end (D), the
11
proximal end (P), an upper portion (110’), a lower neck portion (110) at its proximal
end (P). The lower neck portion (110) comprises a plurality of catching protrusion
(114) and a plurality of beveled edge (E).
5 In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality
of catching protrusion (114) is formed along with the upper portion (110’) of the
insert (104). The insert (104) is formed by molding a single piece of a polymeric
material without any joints in the insert (104).
10 In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality
of beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104) having a
bevel angle in the range of 0o - 150o.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
15 (104) is made of, but not limited to, a polymeric material.
Figure 2b is the cross-sectional view of the insert (104) taken along line
A-A of figure 2a. Figure 2c is the top view of the insert (104) of the shift knob
assembly (100) for the vehicle as shown in figure 2a.
20
Figure. 3a is the top view of the ring insert (106) of the shift knob
assembly (100) for the vehicle in accordance with one of the preferred
embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3b is the sectional view of the ring
insert (106) taken along line B-B of figure 3a.
25
As shown in figure 3a and figure 3b, the ring insert (106) comprise a
12
plurality of catching grooves (116), a plurality of profile (120) and a hollow center
(118).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality
5 of catching grooves (116) are formed to correspond with the plurality of catching
protrusion (114) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104). Further, the
plurality of profile (120) of the ring insert (106) corresponds with the plurality of
beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104).
10 In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the hollow
center (118) of the ring insert (106) is configured to allow the shift lever (108) to
couple within the insert (104).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the ring insert
15 (106) is made of, but not limited to, a polymeric material.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the shift knob assembly (100) for the
vehicle as shown in figure 1. As shown in figure 4, the outer shell (102), the insert
(104) and the ring insert (106) combines to form the shift knob assembly (100).
20
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the insert
(104) is formed by molding a single piece of polymeric material. The ring insert
(106) is coupled with the insert (104) by means of the plurality of profile (120) of
the ring insert (106) and the plurality of beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion
25 (110) of the insert (104) and supported by the plurality of catching grooves (116) of
the ring insert (106) and the plurality of catching protrusion (114) of the lower neck
13
5
portion (110) of the insert (104). In this manner the ring insert (106) and the insert
(104) combine to form the sub-assembly. Thereafter, the outer shell (102) is
molded onto the sub-assembly in order to form the complete shift knob assembly
(100).
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the coupling mechanism of the insert (104)
and the ring insert (106) of the shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle in
accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.
10 As shown in figure 2a and figure 5, the lower neck portion (110) of the
insert (104) is coupled with the ring insert (106) by means of the plurality of
catching protrusion (114) and plurality of catching grooves (116). Further, the
plurality of beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104) and
the plurality of profile (120) of the ring insert (106) provide a flexible coupling
15 mechanism, i.e. reversed tapered coupling mechanism, which allows to have
variable insertion and extraction load. Further, the insertion load can be varied
without varying the extraction load and vice-versa. Also, the gap between the
upper portion (110’) and the lower neck portion (110) of the insert can be
maintained as such even after molding the outer shell (102) onto the
20 sub-assembly of the insert (104) and the ring insert (106) which enables precise
functioning of the shift knob assembly (100) without developing any abnormalities
within the inner portion of the shift knob assembly (100).
As discussed above, in the aforesaid shift knob assembly (100) the ring
25 insert (106) and the insert (104) are coupled before over molding of the outer shell
(102). The said coupling of the ring insert (106) and insert (104) is enabled by the
14
plurality of beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104) and
the corresponding plurality of profile (120) of the ring insert (106). Further, the
coupling of the ring insert (106) with the insert (104) prevents molding material,
during over molding of outer shell (102), to enter inside the insert (104) and
5 hampering the locking mechanism of the shift knob assembly (100) with the shift
lever (108). The existing technologies are not able to prevent said damage to the
locking mechanism of the shift knob with the shift lever and thereby not able to
provide desired insertion and/or extraction load.
10 Further, the insertion load and extraction load can be controlled by the
disclosed shift knob assembly (100) by varying the bevel angle of the plurality of
beveled edge (E) of the lower neck portion (110) of the insert (104). For example,
at a bevel angle of 0o the insertion load is between 180N-200N and extraction
load is between 420N-450N, whereas at a bevel angle of 15.5o the insertion load
15 is between 160N-180N and extraction load is between 340N-360N for the vehicle.
The above-mentioned shift knob assembly for the vehicle besides
enabling easy variations in insertion and extraction load independent of each
other, enhances the productivity and durability by minimizing the insertion force
20 during fastening of the knob to the shift lever. In addition, since the shift lever and
the knob are easily coupled, it is possible to minimize a fatigue/hardship required
for maintenance of the shift lever and the knob.
The exemplary implementation described above is illustrated with specific
25 shapes, dimensions and other characteristics, but the scope of the invention also
includes various other shapes, dimensions, and characteristics. For example,
15
particular shape and size and attachment of the plurality of catching protrusion,
plurality of catching grooves, insert, ring insert. Further, the shape and size of the
outer shell may vary as per the requirement. Also, the components as described
above could be manufactured in various other ways and could include various
5 other materials, including various other plastics and also various metals.
Similarly, the exemplary implementations described above include
illustration that there would be coupling mechanism of the knob with shift lever
which enables varying insertion and/or extraction load of the knob. Further, the
10 insertion/extraction load may be varied by varying the dimensions of the lower
neck portion of the insert and the ring insert, in particular by changing the beveled
angle of the beveled edge of the lower neck portion of the insert.
Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled
15 in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles
associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to
other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the
embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be provided
broadest scope consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features
20 disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on
to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit
and scope of the present invention and appended claims.
25
16
We Claim:
1. A shift knob assembly (100) for a vehicle comprises:
an outer shell (102)
5 an insert (104) having a lower neck portion (110)
a ring insert (106) configured to enclose said lower neck portion (110) of
said insert (104)
wherein said lower neck portion (110) of said insert (104) is configured to
have a plurality of beveled edge (E) and a plurality of catching protrusion (114) to
10 couple said ring insert (106)
wherein said insert (104) is configured to receive a shift lever (108).
2. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
1, wherein said outer shell (102) is configured to have a predetermined shape.
3. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
15 1, wherein said insert (104) comprises a hollow center (112) to receive said shift
lever (108).
4. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
1, wherein said plurality of beveled edge (E) of said lower neck portion (110) of
said insert (104) having a bevel angle in the range of 0O - 150O.
20 5. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
1, wherein said ring insert (106) comprise a plurality of catching grooves (116)
corresponding to said plurality of catching protrusion (114) of said lower neck
portion (110) of said insert (104) and a plurality of profile (120) corresponding to
said plurality of beveled edge (E) of said lower neck portion (110) of said insert
25 (104).
17
6. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
5, wherein said ring insert (106) is attached with said insert (104) by means of said
plurality of profile (120) of said ring insert (106) and said plurality of beveled edge
(E) of said lower neck portion (110) of said insert (104) and supported by said
5 plurality of catching grooves (116) of said ring insert (106) and said plurality of
catching protrusion (114) of said lower neck portion (110) of said insert (104).
7. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
6, wherein said ring insert (106) comprises a hollow center (118).
8. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
10 6, wherein said insert (104) and said ring insert (106) are coupled to form a
sub-assembly and said outer shell (102) is over molded on said sub-assembly.
9. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
8, wherein said insert (104) and said ring insert (106) are made of a polymeric
material.
15 10. The shift knob assembly (100) for the vehicle as claimed in claim
8, wherein said outer shell (102) is made of a polymeric material.