Morse Controls Limited

Teleflex, Inc.

Teleflex Morse Ltd.

David J Crack

A pedal assembly () for electronically controlling an engine throttle (). The pedal assembly () includes a pedal housing (), a pedal arm () pivotally engaging the pedal housing (), and an electrical generator () supported by the pedal housing (). The pedal arm () is operable between an idle position () and a plurality of operable positions. When the pedal arm () is pivoted to a predetermined operable position (), a kickdown member () provides a kickdown feel to a user. The kickdown member () slides within a kickdown housing () to provide the kickdown feel. In particular, a plurality of detent members () springably move into and out from a plurality of detent pockets () to provide the kickdown feel.

Kickdown member for pedal assembly

A remote control mechanism has a gear lever 1 with a control knob 6 at its upper end and fastened at its lower end to a lever block member 7. The lever block member 7 is mounted on a first ball stud 9 so as to be pivotable about two mutually perpendicular axis 2, 3, such that pivotal movement of the gear lever 1 about the axis 2 effects translation of the cable core 17 of a push pull cable 4 attached to the bottom of the lever block member 7, thereby to execute a gear change. A second ball stud 20 is mounted on the lever block member 7 and is mounted in a complementary shaped surface of a bearing member 23, the external periphery of which is mounted for translational movement in an aperture 24 in one arm of a bell crank lever 25. The bell crank lever is pivotable about a fixed axis 26 such that pivotal movement of the gear lever 1 about the axis 3 causes rotation of the bell crank lever 25 about its axis 26 which effects translation of the cable core 28 of a push/pull cable 5 attached to the other arm of the bell crank lever 25, thereby executing a rail selection.

Remote control mechanisms

A remote control mechanism comprises a foot pedal 2 which is pivotable about an axis 3 to effect rotation of a quadrant gear 17 about the same axis. A pinion 19 meshes with the quadrant gear and is rotatably fast with a snail cam 20 which pivots about the pinion axis. The snail cam 20 has a continuously variable velocity ratio and has attached to it the core 4 of a cable 5 so that the core is translated within the cable casing 6 when the snail cam 20 is pivoted about the pinion axis in response to an operative pivotal movement of the foot pedal 2. Successive regions of the cam periphery 33 of the snail cam engage and pick up the cable core 4 as the snail cam is pivoted, the radius of pick-up decreasing as the snail cam is pivoted by the operative movement of the foot pedal 2. The cable core 4 operates an injection pump unit against a spring loading which increases the more the core is translated and the increasing velocity ratio of the snail cam 20 is matched to the increasing load on the cable core to give a substantially constant load feed on the foot pedal 2 throughout its range of travel.

A remote control mechanism has a gear lever 1 pivotable about mutually perpendicular axes 2 and 3 of which the latter is the longitudinal axis of a torque tube 19. When pivoted about the axis 3, the gear lever will rotate the torque tube 19 about its axis and cause, via a lever arm 23, a translational movement of the core 26 of a short push-pull cable 27 to effect a rail select movement of a gear select and shift finger. When the gear lever 1 is pivoted about the axis 2, an arm 7 fast with the gear lever will translate the core 8 of a relatively long push-pull cable 9 to cause the finger to shift the selected rail and so effect a gear change. The point of interconnection 10 of the core 8 with the arm 7 will make arcuate movement about the axis 3 of the torque 19 when the gear lever is pivoted about that axis in the rail select mode, and such arcuate movement will tend to cause unwanted rail shift translation of the core 8 with attendant possible baulking of the gear change system. To overcome this problem, the casing 11 of the cable 9 is made rotationally fast with the torque tube 19 by means of a rigid member 12 in which the cable casing is mounted and clamped against movement and to which the torque tube is affixed. Thereby, when the torque tube 19 is rotated by a rail select pivotal movement of the gear lever 1, the rail shift cable 9 will bodily move through the same arc of movement as the interconnection 10 between the cable core 8 and the lever arm 7 so obviating the undesirable tendency of the cable core to make an unwanted rail shift translation.

Remote control mechanism

A foot pedal controller 1 comprises a pedal 2 to which is attached a lever 3 pivotally mounted both in a mounting flange 4 and an anchor plate 10. Downward force applied to the pedal 2 causing pivotal motion of the lever 3 in an operational sense is resisted by a tension spring 14 connected between the anchor plate 10 and the lever. A flexible cable 18 comprises a core 19 translatable within a casing 20. The core 19 is operatively attached to the lever 3 by a retaining clip 26 which is snap fitted to the lever 3. The casing 20 is secured against translational movement to the anchor plate 10 by a plug-in cable hub 38 having a flange 40 abutting one side of the anchor plate and a pair of spring arms 45 which will deform radially inwardly when the cable hub is pushed into a receiving aperture 47 in the anchor plate and then spring radially outwardly to abut the other side of the anchor plate. The core 19 can be operated by the foot pedal 2 alone by having a lug 22 with an enlarged head 22 engaging in a countersink 32 in the retaining clip 26. Alternatively, a hand control can be fitted as well in which event the core 19 would be extended through the retaining clip 26 and a second casing would encase the core to a hand control member and have one end seat in that countersunk 32, by which either the foot pedal 2 or the hand control member can be selectively used to translate the core in a pull mode.

A control box includes a housing in which is pivoted a control lever having an aperture in its lower arm. The bent end of the core of a flexible cable is hooked into the aperture operatively to connect the control lever and the cable core. Swaged upon the cable casing is a cable hud having an annular groove fitted into a part-circular slot in the rear wall of the housing. The base of the housing is open and its peripheral wall is slotted at to provide guideways for a retainer slide of a resilient material which is slid into those slots to cover the open base. The rear end of the retainer slide includes a protuberance which, when the slide is fitted to the housing, will ride over a shoulder of the cable hub and snap home in the annular groove therein to engage the retainer slide with the cable hub. Such mutual engagement both positively retains the retainer slide in the housing and also anchors the cable casing to the housing, preventing the cable casing from making translational movement. The front end of the retainer slide has a longitudinal flange which is positioned to one side of and adjacent the bent end of the cable core, thereby acting as a stop to prevent the cable core from becoming detached from the control lever.

A control device 1 comprises an operator lever 2 fast at its lower end with a lever block 3 which carries a ball stud 4 of which the ball 7 is mounted for universal pivoting in a fixed ball housing 8. A cross shaft 13 is mounted for rotation about its axis in the lever block 3, and links 17 are pivotally connected to opposite ends of the cross shaft and each to an axially movable output member 20. The operator lever 2 can be pivoted about axes passing through the center of the universally pivoted ball 7 to cause axial movements of the output members, either together in the same direction or in opposite directions or one only at a time. A gate may be provided for the operator lever 2 to confine the ball 7 to pivot only about defined axes. A spring 24 may be provided which becomes loaded upon movement of each output member 20 either side of a neutral position to bias the output member and hence the operator lever 2 back to neutral. The output members 20 may operate push pull control cables.

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Chelmsford, United Kingdom

David J Crack