Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, Ag.

Willy Beig

Gunter Schwarz

Alfred Schobinger

A gear selector for a motor vehicle has a gear shift lever which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis to activate micro switches that select the desired gear ratio and is rotatable in the plane of its longitudinal axis about a pivot mounted to the steering column to activate micro switches for effecting forward or reverse movement of the vehicle. The gear selector contains a lockout device that prevents movement of the gear selector between the forward and reverse positions when the vehicle is operating in one of the higher gears.

Rotation reversing switch for motor vehicle gear units

A reversing or direction-selector switch for a transmission of a motor vehicle having an electro-hydraulically controlled transmission unit which can be switched over from forward to reverse drive by the switch. According to the invention, a switch lever has a one-piece construction with at least a pair of cams for actuation of sensitive switches (microswitches) and forms a pivot body from which the lever arm of the switch lever is mounted and also is provided with a guide for receiving an indexing means, for example, a ball detent for releasably positioning the lever in one of the selected positions thereof.

Reversing switch for motor vehicle transmission

A shift lever for the selective actuation of power tools on a utility carries a rotary and axially shiftable knob which can be indexed by ball checks in a plurality of angular positions to establish different speed ratios of the vehicular transmission by actuating respective microswitches through cams bearing upon mobile bodies which are lodged in apertures of a stationary collar surrounding an extension of the knob. A rocker switch on that knob can be flipped by the fingers of the operator to switch between forward and reverse drive.

Switching mechanism for fluid-operated gear shifters

A gear shifter for an automotive vehicle, especially one of the heavy-duty type, comprises a shaft lever which is pivotally mounted on a supporting arm clamped to the vehicular steering column, the lever being swingable in a plane perpendicular to the column between three positions representing neutral, forward drive and reverse drive. A knob on the free end of the shift lever is rotatable about the longitudinal lever axis into four different angular positions representing as many speed ratios or 'gears'. Two sets of ball checks inside the shift lever serve to index that lever in any of its three pivotal positions and to index the knob in any of its four rotary positions. Two microswitches internally carried by the lever in the vicinity of its swing axis are operable by stationary cams in the 'forward' and 'reverse' positions, respectively, for transmitting corresponding commands to an electrical control system in the vehicular transmission; similar commands, establishing the several speed ratios, are emitted by four other microswitches which are grouped inside the lever about its longitudinal axis and are operable by cams carried on the rotary knob.

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Friedrichshafen, Germany

Willy Beig