Remote control mechanism

Abstract

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.