Claims:1. A gear shift collapsible device (200) comprising:
a gear knob (202) attached to an upper end of a gear shift lever (204);
an inner shaft (204b) placed inside an outer shaft (204a) to form the gear shift lever (204);
at least one slot (206) formed on an extended portion of the outer shaft (204a); and
at least one ring (208) provided in an interference fit between the inner shaft (204b) and the outer shaft (204a) under normal working condition,
wherein the ring (208) enters inside the slot (206) to break the connection between the outer shaft (204a) and inner shaft (204b) of the gear shift lever (204) during impact.
2. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein diameter of the outer shaft (204a) is more than diameter of the inner shaft (204b) of the gear shift lever (204).
3. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a space (210) is formed between top end of the inner shaft (204b) and top end of the outer shaft (204a) of the gear shift lever (204).
4. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slot (206) is provided with a diameter greater than a diameter of the outer shaft (204a).
5. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance (d) between the ring and the slot is varied based on the space (210) formed between top end of the inner shaft (204b) and top end of the outer shaft (204a) of the gear shift lever (204).
6. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein length (L) of the slot (206) is varied depending on an amount of peak impact energy reduction.
7. The gear shift collapsible device (200) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the length (L) of the slot (206) is smaller than a space (210) formed between top end of the inner shaft (204b) and top end of the outer shaft (204a) of the gear shift lever (204).

Description:[0001] The present disclosure, in general, relates to a gear shifting device and more particularly to a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Generally, the gear shift knob is provided at the end of the gear shift lever used to manually change the gears. The gear shift knob is usually made of hard plastic consisting of a threaded steel insert that joins with the gear shift lever. Such a construction is quite rigid and leads to severe injuries in case an occupant's head is impacted in the event of an accident or crash.
[0004] In the event of a crash, the occupant impacts the interior components of the automobile and get injured. The impact on the head is more damaging. So the components in the trajectory of the head are required to be soft and be able to absorb the impact energy. The gear knob is a solid protruding object that comes in the head impact trajectory, especially if it is mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need to soften the construction to achieve better energy absorption and reduce the probability of severe head injuries.
[0006] Most of the prior arts are related to a shift lever device for a motor vehicle capable of absorbing vibrations and preventing vibration transmission to a vehicle body.
[0007] None of the prior art focuses on the design of the gear shifting device that helps in occupants' safety.
[0008] In order to solve the problem, there is a need to provide a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed hereinbelow.
[0010] It is a general or primary object of the present disclosure to provide a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety.
[0011] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety which absorbs the impact energy and reduces the probability of severe head injuries due to gear knob in case of an accident.
[0012] It is a further object of the present disclosure to provide a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety which is highly effective, simple in construction, and cost-effective in nature.
[0013] These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0014] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a gear shift collapsible device for occupant's safety. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0015] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a gear shift collapsible device comprising a gear knob attached to an upper end of a gear shift lever, an inner shaft placed inside an outer shaft to form the gear shift lever, atleast one slot formed on an extended portion of the outer shaft, and atleast one ring provided in an interference fit between the inner shaft and the outer shaft under a normal working condition wherein the ring enters inside the slot to break the connection between the outer shaft and the inner shaft of the gear shift lever during impact and absorbs impact energy to reduce occupant’s injury.
[0016] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides the gear shift collapsible device in which the diameter of the outer shaft is more than the diameter of the inner shaft of the gear shift lever.
[0017] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides the gear shift collapsible device in which a space is formed between top end of the inner shaft and top end of the outer shaft of the gear shift lever.
[0018] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides the gear shift collapsible device in which length (L) of the slot provided on the outer shaft of the gear shift lever is varied depending on an amount of peak impact energy reduction.
[0019] In an aspect, the length (L) of the slot provided on the outer shaft of the gear shift lever is smaller than the space formed between top end of the inner shaft and top end of the outer shaft of the gear shift lever.
[0020] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides the gear shift collapsible device in which the distance (d) between the ring and the slot is varied based on the space formed between top end of the inner shaft and top end of the outer shaft of the gear shift lever.
[0021] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates the gear shift device in accordance with the prior art;
[0024] FIG. 2A illustrates the gear shift collapsible device in the normal working condition before impact in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG.2B illustrates the gear shift collapsible device in the collapsed condition after impact in accordance with the present disclosure; and
[0026] FIG.3 illustrates the normal and the post-impact condition of the proposed gear shift collapsible device in which the two slots and two rings are provided in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0028] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0029] As per the conventional gear shift device, the occupant suffers severe injuries on the head when the occupant’s head is impacted on the knob in the event of an accident.
[0030] To overcome the issues related to the existing gear shift device, the present disclosure herein provides a gear shift collapsible device.
[0031] FIG.1 shows a conventional design of a gear shift device having a solid/tubular rod or shaft structure. The gear shift device 100 comprises a knob 102 attached to an upper end of a gear shift lever104 and a lower end of the gear shift lever104 is attached to the gear shift lever assembly (GSLA) unit 106.
[0032] In this type of gear shift device, during a vehicle collision, when the occupant’s head gets hit on the knob of the gear shift device, it leads to severe head injury. FIG.1 also shows the hip point 110 and the head 108 of the occupant that gets collided with the gear knob 102 of the conventional gear shift device 100.
[0033] FIG.2A shows the proposed structure of the gear shift collapsible device 200 before impact. The gear shift collapsible device 200 comprises a gear knob 202 and a gear shift lever 204 to absorb impact energy and reduce the occupant’s head injury. The gear shift lever 204 is divided into an outer shaft 204a and an inner shaft 204b. A portion of the outer shaft 204a is extended in an outward direction to form a slot 206 with a greater diameter than a diameter of the outer shaft 204a. In an aspect, length (L) of the slot 206 provided on the outer shaft 204a of the gear shift lever 204 is varied depending on an amount of peak impact energy reduction. The length (L) of the slot 206 is smaller than a space 210 formed between top end of the inner shaft 204b and top end of the outer shaft 204a of the gear shift lever 204, so as to avoid the contact of the top end of inner shaft 204b with the top end of the outer shaft 204a.
[0034] The diameter of the inner shaft 204b is less than that of the outer shaft 204a and is inserted inside the outer shaft 204a. A ring 208 is provided in an interference fit between the inner shaft 204b and the outer shaft 204a in a normal condition such that the gear shift lever 204 acts as a single unit. Further, a space 210 is formed between top end of the inner shaft 204b and top end of the outer shaft 204a of the gear shift lever 204 for movement of the outer shaft 204a along with the gear knob 202 during head impact and absorb impact energy.
[0035] FIG. 2B shows the post-impact condition of the proposed gear shift collapsible device 200. During the collision, the outer shaft 204a is pushed in a downward direction by the occupant’s head. The ring 208 comes in the slot 206 and thus the connection between the outer shaft 204a and inner shaft 204b of the gear shift lever 204 is broken thus reducing peak G values. As a result, the impact energy is absorbed reducing the head injury of the occupant.
[0036] FIG. 3 further illustrates the normal and the post-impact condition of the proposed gear shift collapsible device 200 in which two slots 206a, 206b and two rings 208a, 208b are provided, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. Mainly, the two rings are provided to make the connection between the outer shaft 204a and the inner shaft 204b more rigid and stable during normal working condition of the gear shaft collapsible device 200. In an aspect, the distance (d) between the two rings 208a, 208b and the two slots 206a, 206b are same.
[0037] Under normal condition, both the rings 208a, 208b are provided in the interference fit between the inner shaft 204b and the outer shaft 204a, and the gear shift lever204 acts as a single unit. But, during the collision, both the rings 208a, 208b come in the slots 206a, 206b, and thus the connection between the outer shaft 204a and inner shaft 204b of the gear shift lever204 is broken thus reducing peak G values. As a result, the impact energy is absorbed reducing the head injury of the occupant.
[0038] Although, as shown in FIG. 3, two slots and two rings are provided in the gear shift lever, those skilled in the art can appreciate that any number of slots and corresponding number of rings can be employed based on the requirement without deviating from the scope of the subject matter of the present disclosure.
[0039] Thus, with the gear shift collapsible device described in the present disclosure, various technical problems of the state of the art are resolved. Further, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its scope.
[0040] Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.
[0041] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.