Sparton Corporation

Grand Haven Stamped Products

Grand Haven Stamped Products, Division of Jsj Corporation

Donald R Rempinski

Donald R Britt

Charles E Barnum

Mikhail Livshits

Gerald J Lafferty, Jr

David M Sovis

Ronald Bazany

Phong T Tran

John T Lewis

Anil Mandala

An interlock device includes a housing and a toggle interlock mechanism with an extendable interlock pin. The interlock device also includes a preassembled switch, an electromechanical device, and a lead frame interconnecting the switch and electromechanical device. The lead frame conductors are formed as one piece, but are separated after assembly into the housing. The conductors and mating components include mating non-releasable contacts that telescope together in a manner that forms a robust assembly and that facilitates automation of the assembly process. A method related to the above is also disclosed.

Interlock device with stamped lead frame

A shifter for shifting a vehicle transmission includes a base adapted for attachment to a vehicle including a pivot-defining mount, and a shift lever having an elongated bottom section pivoted to the mount, and a top section slidably engaging the bottom section for movement between a normal operating position for shifting between gears and a depressed-position for shifting into reverse gear. A reverse lockout device including a stationary locking member is attached to the base and a movable lockout member is slidably mounted on the shift lever. A linkage connects a bottom of the top section of the shift lever to the movable lockout member, the linkage being elongated and extending closely adjacent the elongated bottom section for compact operation next to the elongated bottom section when the top section is depressed. In one form, the linkage comprises a pair of parallel links on opposing sides of the elongated bottom section of the shift lever. In another form, the linkage comprises a plurality of links connected in series to form a snake-like chain that rides on the bottom section of the shift lever, some of the links having a ball on one end and others having a socket on the other end for engaging the ball.

Manual transmission shifter with reverse lockout device

A shifter for an automatic transmission includes a base, a detent member attached to the base, and a shift lever pivotally attached to the base by a ball and socket pivot for multi-axial movement along a configured shift pattern. The shift pattern includes a first shift path segment for shifting the transmission in an automatic mode, a second shift path segment for shifting the transmission in a manual mode, and a transverse path segment for moving between the first and second path segments. In one form the shift pattern is H-shaped, and the shifter includes a pair of switches connected to a vehicle shift control circuit for upshifting and downshifting as the shift lever is selectively moved along the second shift path segment. In the shifter with the H-shaped pattern, an upper and lower leg are pivoted to the base. The lower leg is configured to interconnect with a linkage for operating the automatic transmission, and the upper leg is configured to engage the shift lever when the shift lever is in the first shift path segment but disengage the shift lever when the shift lever is in the second shift path segment. In another form the shift pattern is S-shaped, and the shifter is adapted to, in the manual mode, shift the automatic transmission to specific forward gears (eg first, second, third or overdrive gears) as the shift lever is moved to particular positions along the second shift path segment. The shifter preferably includes a brake-ignition-transmission-shift-interlock system including a bell crank pivoted to the detent member to control movement of the shift lever out of the park position.

Automatic transmission shifter with manual shift mode

A two-piece sheave assembly is provided for a tire lift/carrier winch. The sheave assembly includes a molded plastic, one-piece sheave component that is molded to include a first sheave side plate, an integral sheave center hub with a cable-wrapping track thereon and optionally an integral annular toothed driven ring gear for mating with a toothed drive gear of the winch. The molded plastic sheave component is attached to a second sheave side plate, which may be metal, to form the two-piece sheave assembly. Apertures for the winch drive shaft and the pivotable cable end fitting are integrally molded in the first sheave component.

Sheave assembly for a tire lift/carrier winch

A clutch for a tire lift/carrier winch includes a drive plate and a driven plate having a plurality of elongate springs thereon. The driven plate includes circumferentially spaced driven end portions which are positioned in driving engagement with circumferentially spaced drive portions of the drive plate to permit rotation of the driven plate upon rotation of the drive plate when the load on the cable winding spool is within a prescribed limit. However, when the load on the cable winding spool exceeds the prescribed limit, the elongate springs on the driven plate function as cantilevered spring segments deflectable about respective fulcrums in such a manner as to prevent rotation of the driven plate upon rotation of the drive plate.

Clutch for tire lift/carrier winch

A sheave plate and cable assembly for a tire lift/carrier winch comprises a sheave plate having spaced apart side faces defining a plate thickness therebetween and having an outer peripheral edge interconnecting the side faces and including an arcuate cable-wrapping track thereon. The end of a cable extends into the sheave plate between the side faces and is captured therein by the sheave plate which is die cast therearound. A portion of the cable end extends into the sheave plate in arcuate manner about the axis of rotation of the sheave plate and terminates in a flattened head portion. The thickness of the captured cable end is less than the plate thickness whereby the cable end is confined between the side faces of the sheave plate and does not extend beyond the side faces into adjacent side plates of the sheave assembly.

Sheave plate and cable assembly for a tire lift/carrier winch

The sheave and cable assembly includes a center sheave plate having an arcuate, cable-wrapping track and an exterior shoulder truncating the cable-wrapping track to accommodate a cable end fitting that is supported between adjacent sheave side plates for rotation relative to the sheave. The end fitting includes an outer, arcuate cable-wrapping shoulder which is generally contiguous with the cable-wrapping track on the center sheave plate when the end fitting is in a 'cable wrap/unwrap' position in cooperative relation to the sheave center plate. This position of the cable end fitting permits wrapping of the cable on the track by rotation of the sheave in one direction and paying off (unwrapping) of the cable by rotation of the sheave in the opposite direction. When the cable is payed off the track and the sheave is rotated in a 'wrong' direction (i.e., what normally is the cable unwrapping direction) in an attempt to wrap the cable on the track, the cable end fitting is rotatable to an 'anti-reverse' position in non-cooperative relation to the center sheave plate. In the 'anti-reverse' position, a shoulder on the cable end fitting bindingly engages the exterior shoulder on the sheave center plate to resist wrapping of the cable on the cable-wrapping track by rotation of the sheave in the 'wrong' direction (cable unwrapping direction). This anti-reverse action of the cable end fitting supplements or replaces anti-reverse action provided by an anti-reverse pawl on the winch housing.

Sheave and cable assembly for a tire lift/carrier winch

The pivot axis of a locking lever is used as the main gage or reference point relative to which the dimensions of components of the shift control mechanism are taken and, together with the geometry of the bellcrank, provide a transmission shift control mechanism that has no need for adjustment of the components involved upon assembly of the shift control mechanism with the ignition lock mechanism in the vehicle.

Transmission shift control mechanism with park lock

The transmission shift control mechanism includes a shift lever with a pushbutton mechanism for releasing a detent mechanism so that the shift lever can be moved from the 'Park' position to other operative positions. A shift lever locking mechanism prevents movement of the shift lever from the 'Park' position when the ignition lock mechanism is actuated to the 'Lock' position and also prevents actuation of the ignition lock mechanism to the 'Lock' position when the shift lever is in other than the 'Park' position. The locking mechanism includes a pivotal locking lever, such as a bellcrank, having one arm operably connected to the push-pull cable of the vehicle ignition lock mechanism and a locking arm movable to block release of the detent mechanism upon actuation of the ignition lock mechanism to the 'Lock' position with the shift lever in 'Park'. A locking pin is provided on the base of the shift lever mechanism and is movable along the locking arm of the locking lever to a cooperative position wherein the locking arm can pivot past the locking pin to a locking position upon actuation of the ignition lock mechanism to the 'lock' position to prevent movement of the shift lever from 'Park'. When the shift lever is out of 'Park' after unlocking the ignition mechanism, the locking pin moves to a non-cooperative position to block the locking arm and prevent actuation of the ignition mechanism to the 'lock' position.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Haven, MI, United States of America

Donald R Rempinski