FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See section 10; rule 13]
TITLE: “AN ACTUATION DEVICE FOR SHIFTING GEARS IN A GEARBOX OF A
VEHICLE”
Name and Address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS LIMITED of Bombay house, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai
400 001, Maharashtra, INDIA.
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure, in general, relates to a field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to shifting of gears. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure discloses an actuation device for shifting gears in a gearbox of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Vehicles are equipped with a gearbox which is connected to a flywheel of an engine via a clutch to transmit torque to wheels of the vehicle. Generally, two types of gearboxes have been predominantly used, namely manual gearbox and an automatic gearbox. The manual gearbox require manual inputs from an operator of the vehicle to shift between gears, while the automatic gearbox changes gears based on vehicle operating conditions or other prerequisite parameters.
Typically, gear shifting in the manual gearbox requires effort from the operator. The operator need to operate a gear lever provided in a cabin of the vehicle by depressing a clutch pedal to engage the clutch to shift (i.e., either upshift or downshift) to the required gear. Movement of the gear lever in the desired way results in a linear displacement, which is transmitted to the gearbox to facilitate shifting of gears. However, shifting of gears in the manual gearbox requires effort from the operator and the effort required for shifting the gears increases with increase in capacity of the engine and gearbox.
Considering the above, with advancements in technology, shift by wire systems and automatic manual transmissions have evolved. In shift by wire systems, a wire is coupled between the shift lever and the gearbox which transmits signals from the shift lever to the gearbox for facilitating gear shifting. Further, in automatic manual transmissions a control unit is configured to operate the gearbox based on the vehicle operating conditions. Typically, to shift gears in the gearbox of a vehicle equipped with shift by wire systems and the automatic manual transmission, a gear actuating unit is coupled to the gearbox. The conventional gear actuating units include multiple actuating means and corresponding shifting elements connected to the gears of the gearbox. The multiple shifting elements makes the gear actuating unit bulky as each of the multiple shifting elements are configured to displace in a predefined axis to shift the gears in the gearbox. Additionally, the gear actuating unit is generally operated by pneumatic means which are prone to leakages and demand for periodic maintenance, thereby escalating maintenance cost. Further, the hydraulic and large number of components in the gear actuating unit may lead to complex manufacturing and servicing of the vehicle. Moreover, the gear shifting by the conventional gear actuating unit would not be seamless due to delay in gear shifting as large number of components are needed to be actuated to operate the multiple shifting elements, which is undesired.

Furthermore, the large number of components and the pneumatic or hydraulic means to operate the gear actuating unit are prone to failure over prolonged usage which leads to failure of the gearbox, which is undesired.
Present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the known arts.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a device as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the device as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an actuation device for shifting gears in a shift tower of a gearbox is disclosed. The actuation device includes a housing which is adapted to movably receive a shifter shaft of the shift tower of the gearbox. Further, the actuation device includes a first driving member connected at one end to the shifter shaft and other end of the first driving member is coupled to a first actuator. The first driving member configured to axially displace the shifter shaft corresponding to actuation of the first actuator. The actuation device also includes a second driven member which is defined with a pair of protrusions. The pair of protrusions define a gap to receive a shift finger. Additionally, the second driven member is adapted to receive a second driving member, where the second driving member is coupled to a second actuator. The second driving member is configured to displace the second driven member to displace the shift finger for rotating the shifter shaft based on actuation of the second actuator. An axial displacement of the shifter shaft within the actuation device selects a gate and rotation of the shifter shaft shifts a gear in the gearbox.
In an embodiment, the actuation device includes a first driven member configured to connect the first driving member with the shifter shaft.
In an embodiment, the actuation device includes a cartridge disposed in the housing. The cartridge is adapted to receive the shifter shaft and the first driven member and is configured to guide axial displacement of the first driven member corresponding to activation of the first actuator.
In an embodiment, the shift finger is coupled to the shifter shaft at one end and defined in-between the pair of protrusions at the other end.

In an embodiment, a portion of the shifter shaft is defined with a plurality of external splines and the shift finger is defined with a plurality of internal splines. The internal splines of the shift finger and the external splines of the shifter shaft engage to couple the shift finger and the shifter shaft.
In an embodiment, the second actuator and the second driving member in the actuation device are connected to each other through a gearing arrangement.
In an embodiment, the first actuator and the second actuator in the actuation device is a rotary actuator.
In an embodiment, the housing of the actuation device is coupled to a portion of the shift tower of the gearbox.
In an embodiment, the first actuator and the second actuator in the actuation device are communicatively coupled to a control unit.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Fig. 1a illustrates a perspective view of an actuation device for shifting gears in a gearbox, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 1b illustrates a perspective view of the actuation device coupled to a shift tower of a gearbox, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the actuation device of Fig. 1b, coupled to a shift tower of a gearbox, in accordance with an another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the actuation device of Fig. 1a.
Fig. 4a illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the actuation device of Fig. 1a.
Fig. 4b illustrates a rear cross-sectional view of the actuation device of Fig. 1a.
Fig. 5a illustrates a perspective view of a first driven member, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 5b illustrates a perspective view of an end of a shifter shaft, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 5c illustrates a perspective view of the shifter shaft, in accordance with an another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 6a and 6b illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a cartridge, respectively, in accordance with an another embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a shift finger positioned between a pair of protrusions of a second driven member, in accordance with an another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, systems, assemblies and mechanisms for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent

constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, to its system, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non¬exclusive inclusions, such that a system or a device that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, an actuation device for shifting gears in a gearbox of a vehicle is disclosed. The actuation device may include a housing, which may be coupled to a shift tower of the gearbox and may be adapted to movably receive a shifter shaft of the shift tower. Further, the actuation device may include a first driving member connected at one end to the shifter shaft through a first driven member and the other end of the first driving member may be coupled to a first actuator. The first driving member may be configured to axially displace the shifter shaft corresponding to actuation of the first actuator. Furthermore, the actuation device may include a cartridge rigidly disposed in the housing and adapted to receive the shifter shaft and the first driven member. The cartridge may be configured to enable axial displacement of the first driven member along the length of the cartridge. Additionally, the actuation device may include a shift finger connected at one end to the shifter shaft and an other end, opposite to the one end may be positioned between a pair of protrusions defined on a second driven member. The second driven member may be coupled to a second driving member which in turn may be coupled to a second actuator. The second driving member may be configured to axially displace the second driven member to displace the shift finger for rotating the shifter shaft based on actuation of the second actuator. Further, the actuation device may include a control unit, which may be communicatively coupled to a gear shift lever positioned in a cabin of the vehicle or a Transmission Control Unit (TCU). The control unit may be configured to provide actuation signals to the actuation device to shift (i.e., upshift or down-shift) the desired gear corresponding to operation of the gear shift lever by an operator or based on signals from the TCU depending on the vehicle operating parameters.
In an operational embodiment, to select a desired gear, the operator may operate the gear shift lever. The control unit may generate the actuation signal to the actuation device (thus, the first

actuator and the second actuator), corresponding to the operation of the gear shift lever. The first actuator upon receiving the actuation signal may rotate the first driving member such that, the first driven member may displace in the axial direction which may result in axial displacement of the shifter shaft. The axial displacement of the shifter shaft may facilitate a desired gate selection in the gearbox. Further, the second actuator upon receiving the actuation signal may be configured to rotate the second driving member such that, the second driven member may be axially displaced. The axial displacement of the second driven member results in a rotational motion exerted to the shift finger thereby rotating the shifter shaft. The rotation of the shifter shaft may be configured to facilitate a desired gear shift in the gearbox.
This construction and configuration of the actuation device may be simple and compact construction which results in low-cost manufacturing and easy maintenance Additionally, the actuation device eliminates direct mechanical connection between the gearbox and the shift lever thereby reduces the vibration and facilitates smooth gearshifts. Furthermore, the actuation device eliminates use of hydraulic and pneumatic systems for shifting gears in the vehicle, unlike conventional systems.
An actuation device (100) may be coupled to the shift tower of the gearbox of the vehicle and may be configured to operate the gearbox thereby shift gears of the vehicle. The actuation device (100) of the present disclosure may be employed in vehicles which adapt automatic manual transmission (AMT) or any other type of automatic transmission and shift by wire system for shifting gears. In an embodiment, the term “shift gears” may be inferred as both up-shifting and down-shifting of gears, which is performed by the actuation device (100) based on requirement. Further, the actuation device (100) may be communicatively coupled to a gear shift lever in a cabin of the vehicle or Transmission Control unit (TCU) through a control unit. The control unit may be configured to receive operational signals from the shift lever or the TCU, and generates an actuation signal to the actuation device to shift to desired gears, based on the operational signals from the gear shift lever and the TCU.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figs. 1-7. It is to be noted that the device may be employed in any vehicle including but not limited to a passenger vehicle, a utility vehicle, commercial vehicles, and any other vehicle.
Figs. 1a, 1b and 3 are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which illustrate perspective view and exploded view of an actuation device (100) for shifting gears in a shift tower (26) of the gearbox (not shown). The actuation device (100) may include a housing (1) disposed

on or coupled to the shift tower (26) of the gearbox of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the housing (1) may be removably coupled to the shift tower (26) of the gearbox by suitable fastening means. The housing (1) may be adapted to movably receive a shifter shaft (2) of the shift tower (26) of the gearbox. In an embodiment, the shifter shaft (2) of the shift tower (26) of the is configured to displace (i.e., displace axially and rotationally) to shift gears in the shift tower (26) based on displacement.
The Fig. 2 illustrates the actuation device (100) coupled to the shift tower (26) of the gearbox. The shifter shaft (2) extending from the housing (1) of the actuation device (100) may be coupled with a gear shifting finger (22). The gear shifting finger (22) may be configured to extend into the shift tower (26) of the gearbox. The gear shifting finger (22) may be configured to align with a desired shifter dog of the gearbox upon axial displacement of the shifter shaft (2). Further, the gear shifting finger (22) may be configured to engage with the desired shifter dog and may be adapted to displace the desired shifter dog for shifting the gear in the shift tower (26) of the gearbox.
Referring now to Figs. 3, 4a and 4b, the actuation device (100) may include a first driving member (3). One end of the first driving member (3) may be connected to an end the shifter shaft (2) and the other end, opposite the one end of the first driving member (3) may be coupled to a first actuator (5). In an embodiment, the first driving member (3) and the shifter shaft (2) may be connected through a first driven member (4) (best seen in Fig. 5a). As seen in Fig. 5c, the first driven member (4) may be disposed at one end of the shifter shaft (2), and configured to receive a portion of the first driving member (3). As an example, the first driving member (3) may be but not limiting to a lead screw, with a plurality of external threads defined on an outer surface, and the first driven member (4) may be but not limiting to a nut, defined with a plurality of internal threads, whose profile is in conformity with the profile of the plurality of external threads on the first driving member (3). As seen in Figs. 5a, the first driven member (4) may include a first portion (24) or a first radial surface and a second portion (25) or a second radial surface extending from the first portion (24). The first portion (24) may be defined with a plurality of second protrusions (15) and the second portion (25) may be defined with a plurality of first protrusions (14).Further, as apparent from Fig. 5b the plurality of first protrusions (14) defined on the first driven member (4) may be adapted to be received at an end of the shifter shaft (2). Further, the shifter shaft (2) may be defined with a cavity and a plurality of internal protrusions (16) may be defined extending from the internal surface of the cavity. In an embodiment, the plurality of first protrusions (14) defined on the first driven member (4) may be configured to engage with spacings defined between the plurality of internal protrusions (16). In an embodiment, the cavity defined in the shifter shaft (2) may be configured to accommodate the first driving member (3). The plurality of first protrusions (14) of the first driven member (4) may lock with the plurality of internal protrusions (16) when the first driven member (4) may be subjected to rotation for a predetermined angle. This locking thereby

facilitates locking of the first driven member (4) with the one end of the shifter shaft (2). It should be noted that, Figs. 5a and 4b are for illustration only and cannot be construed as limitation as the first driven member (4) and the shifter shaft (2) may be defined and oriented with different profiles and different number of protrusions based on requirement, for locking the first driven member (4) with the one end of the shifter shaft (2). Further, the angle of rotation of rotation of the first driven member (4) for locking with the one end of the shifter shaft (2) may depend on the profile and the number of protrusions defined on the first driven member (4) and the shifter shaft (2).
Referring again to Figs. 3, 4a and 4b, actuation device (100) may include a cartridge (23) (best seen in Fig. 6a and 6b) rigidly disposed in the housing (1). The cartridge (23) may be adapted to receive the shifter shaft (2) and the first driven member (4). As seen in Fig. 6a and 6b, the cartridge (23) may be defined with a plurality of internal grooves (19) along a length of the cartridge (23). The plurality of internal grooves (19) may be adapted to receive a plurality of second protrusions (15) defined on the first portion (24) of the first driven member (4). The plurality of second protrusions (15) are disposed out of the shifter shaft (2) when the plurality of first protrusions (14) of the first driven member (4) may be locked with the plurality of internal protrusions (16) of the shifter shaft (2). In an embodiment, the plurality of internal grooves (19) of the cartridge (23) may be configured to guide axial displacement of the first driven member (4) [thus, the shifter shaft (2)] along a length of the cartridge (23) upon rotation of the first driven member (4) corresponding to actuation of the first actuator (5). In other words, upon actuation of the first actuator (5), the first driving member (3) may rotate, which results in axial displacement of the first driven member (4), which in turn results in axial displacement of the shifter shaft (2). The axial displacement of the first driven member (3) (thus, the shifter shaft) is guided by the internal grooves (19) defined in the cartridge (23).
Further, further to Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 the actuation device (100) may include a shift finger (6). The shift finger (6) may be defined with a connection portion (27) at one end and may be defined with an elongated portion (28) extending from the connection portion (27). The shift finger (6) may be coupled to the shifter shaft (2). That is, the connection portion (27) of the shift finger (6) may receive a portion of the shifter shaft (2) such that, the shift finger (6) is connected to the shifter shaft (2).. In an embodiment, the connection portion (27) of the shift finger (6) may be defined with a plurality of internal splines (18). The plurality of internal splines (18) may be adapted to engage and couple with a plurality of external splines (17) (best seen in Fig. 5c) which may be defined on a portion of the shifter shaft (2) proximal to the one end connected with the first driven member (4). In an embodiment, the engagement between the plurality of internal splines (18) and the plurality of external splines (17) facilitate tandem rotational displacement between the shift finger (6) and the shifter shaft (2), and permit independent axial displacement of the shifter shaft (2) and the shift finger (6) relative to each other. It should be noted that, Figs. 3 and 7 are for

illustration only and cannot be construed as limitation as the shift finger (6) and the shifter shaft (2) may be defined and oriented with different profiles and may employ different modes of connection based on requirement.
Referring again to Fig. 3, the actuation device (100) may include a second actuator (9) positioned perpendicular to the first actuator (5), and a second driving member (7). However, the position of the second actuator (9) shall not be constructed as a limitation. The second actuator (9) may be coupled to a second driving member (7) through but not limiting to a gearing arrangement (12). In an embodiment, the second actuator (9) may be directly connected to the second driving member (7), based on the configuration of the actuation device (100). As an example, the second driving member (7) may be but not limiting to a lead screw, which may be defined with external threads on the outer surface. In an embodiment, the gearing arrangement (12) may include a pinion (10) connected to the second actuator (9) which may be meshed with a gear (11) rigidly disposed on an end of the second driving member (7) [best seen in Fig. 4b]. The gearing arrangement (12) may be configured to transmit torque from the second actuator (9) to the second driving member (7). Further, the actuation device (100) may include a second driven member (8) (best seen in Fig. 7) adapted to receive the second driving member (7). As an example, the second driven member (8) may be but not limiting to nut, which may be defined with internal threads. In an embodiment, the second driving member (7) may receive the second driven member (8) such that, the internal threads of the second driven member (8) meshes with the threads defined on the second driving member (7). As apparent from Fig. 7, the second driven member (8) may be defined with a pair of protrusions (21). Further, a gap may be defined between the pair of protrusions (21) such that to the elongated portion (28) of the shift finger (6) may be received and rigidly contact the pair of protrusions (21), that is, the shift finger (6) may be coupled to the shifter shaft (2) at the connection portion (27) and defined in-between the pair of protrusions (21) at the elongated portion (28). In an embodiment, the second driven member (8) may be positioned between a pair of guiding members (13) [best seen in Fig. 4b] which may be defined in the housing (1). The pair of guiding members (13) enable axial displacement of the second driven member (8) along the length of the housing (1) and may restrict rotation of the second driven member (8) upon rotation of the second driven member (8) corresponding to activation of the second actuator (9).
In an embodiment, the second driven member (8) may include an outer shell and an inner conduit that may be fixed within the outer shell of the second driven member (8) such that the internal threads of the second driven member (8) may be defined on the internal surface of the inner conduit.

In an embodiment, second driven member (8) may include an engaging member (20). The engaging member (20) may be adapted to engage between the pair of guiding members (13) and enable axial displacement of the second driven member (8) along the length of the housing (1).
In an illustrated embodiment, the actuation device (100) may include two actuators and the same cannot be construed as limitation as the actuation device (100) may include more than or less than two actuators, based on requirement.
In an embodiment, the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) may be removably connected to the housing (1) through one of mechanical or thermal joint.
In an operational embodiment, the operator may operate a gear shift lever in the cabin of the vehicle. The control unit may generate the actuation signal to the actuation device (100) (thus, the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) that may be communicatively coupled to the control unit), corresponding to the operation of the gear shift lever. The actuation signals may be received by the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9). The first actuator (5) upon receiving the actuation signal may be configured to rotate the first driving member (3) in a first direction or in a second direction, based on the gate selected.. The rotation of the first driving member (3) may be transmitted to the first driven member (4) meshed with the first driving member (3). The rotational motion received by the first driven member (4) enables the first driven member (4) to displace in the axial direction along the length of the cartridge (23) due to the rigid connection of the plurality of second protrusions (15) of the first driven member (4) within the plurality of internal grooves (19) of the cartridge (23). The axial displacement of the first driven member (4) results in axial displacement of the shifter shaft (2) connected to the first driven member (4) thereby facilitating a desired gate selection in the shift tower (26) of the gearbox [as indicated by arrow in Fig. 4a]. Further, the second actuator (9) upon receiving the actuation signal may be configured to rotate the second driving member (7) in the first direction or in the second direction, based on gear to be shifted. The rotation of the second driving member (7) may be transmitted to the second driven member (8) meshed with the second driving member (7). The rotational motion received by the second driven member (8) enables the second driven member (8) to displace in the axial direction along the length of the housing (1) [as indicated by arrow in Fig. 7] due to the positioning of the second driven member (8) between the pair of guiding members (13). The axial displacement of the second driven member (8) results in a rotational motion exerted to the other end of the shift finger (6) such that the shifter shaft (2) connected to the one end of the shift finger (6) opposite to the other end of the shift finger (6) may be rotated [as indicated by arrow in Fig. 7]. The rotation of the shifter shaft (2) may be configured to facilitate a desired gear shift in the shift tower (26) of gearbox.

In an embodiment, the housing (1) may be made up of individual covers which may be removably fixed by mechanical fastening or thermal bonding. Further, each of the individual covers may be removed for servicing or maintenance and any other operation.
In an embodiment, a clip such as a circlip or any other fastening members for example, retainer rings, snap rings and the like, capable of securing may be employed to securely retain the first driving member (3), the second driving member (7), the pinion (10), the gear (11), the shift finger (6), the first driven member (4) and other moving members of the actuation device (100) in the operating position.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) may include at least one bearing which may be configured to rotatably support the first driving member (3) and the second driving member (7).
In an embodiment, the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) may be a rotary actuator. Further, in another embodiment, the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) may be a linear actuator configured to axially displace the first driving member (3) and the second driving member (7) such that the shifter shaft (2) may be coupled to the first driving member (3) and the second driving member (7) for axial displacement and rotation respectively.
In an embodiment, the control unit may be a centralized control unit of the vehicle or may be a dedicated control unit to the actuation device (100) associated with the control unit of the vehicle, for example, a transmission control unit. The control unit may also be associated with other control units including, but not limited to, a body control module (BCM), a central control module (CCM), a general electronic module (GEM), and the like. The control unit (CU) may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit may include a microprocessor and the like.
In an embodiment, actuation signals may be transmitted continuously to the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) to replicate real time gear shifting operation.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) is simple in construction which results in low-cost manufacturing and easy maintenance. Further, the actuation device (100) enables fine tuning and adjustment of the gear shifting operation.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) is compact and is configured to be retrofitted to a conventional manual gearbox.

In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) facilitates shift by wire gear shifting, where the pattern of gear shifting by the operator may be defined according to convenience of the operator. For example, the actuation device (100) may be configured to shift gears even when the pattern of gear shifting by the operator may be a conventional manual gear shifting pattern or a sequential pattern and the like.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) eliminates direct mechanical connection between the shift tower (26) of the gearbox and the shift lever in the cabin of the vehicle and thereby reduces the gear shift travel and the vibration of the shift lever experienced by the conventional manual gearbox. Further, the gear shifting is smooth and notchy gearshifts are eliminated.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) prevents human errors during gear shifting and protects the driveline from mis-use, thereby increasing the life of the gearbox.
In an embodiment, the actuation device (100) eliminates use of hydraulic systems for shifting gears in the vehicle.
It should be imperative that the construction and configuration of the device, the system and any other elements or components described in the above detailed description should not be considered as a limitation with respect to the figures. Rather, variation to such structural configuration of the elements or components should be considered within the scope of the detailed description.
Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite

articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 Actuation device
1 Housing
2 Shifter shaft
3 First driving member
4 First driven member
5 First actuator
6 Shift finger
7 Second driving member
8 Second driven member
9 Second actuator
10 Pinion
11 Gear
12 Gearing arrangement
13 Guiding member
14 First protrusion
15 Second protrusion
16 Internal protrusion
17 External splines
18 Internal splines
19 Grooves
20 Engaging member
21 Pair of protrusion
22 Gear shifting finger
23 Cartridge
24 First portion
25 Second portion
26 Shift tower
27 Connection portion
28 Elongated portion

We Claim:
1. An actuation device (100) for shifting gears in a shift tower (26) of a gearbox of a vehicle,
the actuation device (100) comprising:
a housing (1), adapted to movably receive a shifter shaft (2) of a shift tower (26) of the gearbox;
a first driving member (3) connected at one end to the shifter shaft (2) and other end to a first actuator (5), wherein the first driving member (3) is configured to axially displace the shifter shaft (2) corresponding to actuation of the first actuator (5);
a second driven member (8) defined with a pair of protrusions (21), wherein the pair of protrusions (21) define a gap to receive a shift finger (6); and
a second driving member (7) received by the second driven member (8) and coupled to a second actuator (9), wherein the second driving member (7) is configured to displace the second driven member (8) to displace the shift finger (6) for rotating the shifter shaft (2) based on actuation of the second actuator (9);
wherein axial displacement of the shifter shaft (2) selects a gate and rotation of the shifter shaft (2) shifts a gear in the shift-tower (26) of the gearbox.
2. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a first driven member (4) configured to connect the first driving member (3) with the shifter shaft (2).
3. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a cartridge (23) disposed in the housing (1), the cartridge (23) is adapted to receive the shifter shaft (2) and the first driven member (4), wherein the cartridge (23) is configured to guide axial displacement of the first driven member (4) corresponding to activation of the first actuator (5).
4. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shift finger (6) is coupled to the shifter shaft (2) at one end and defined in-between the pair of protrusions (21) at the other end.
5. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the shifter shaft (2) is defined with a plurality of external splines (17) and the shift finger (6) is defined with a plurality of internal splines (18), wherein the internal splines (18) and the external splines (17) engage to couple the shift finger (6) and the shifter shaft (2).
6. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second actuator (9) and the second driving member (7) are connected to each other through a gearing arrangement (12).

7. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) is a rotary actuator.
8. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (1) is coupled to a portion of the shift tower (26) of the gearbox.
9. The actuation device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first actuator (5) and the second actuator (9) are communicatively coupled to a control unit.
10. A vehicle comprising an actuation device (100) for shifting gears in a shift tower (26) of the gearbox as claimed in claim 1.