US4521650A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Mounting apparatus for a control lever
Assignee: Munters Corp
•
Filing: 1982-04-19
•
Granted: 1985-06-04
•
Expires: 2002-04-19
Abstract
Abstract In the operator's station of many construction vehicles, there is a critical lack of space in which to mount the control levers (12) used to operate the vehicle. The use of mechanical linkages and motion translating devices between the control lever (12) and the actuator has required complicated mechanisms and excessive hardware for the mounting and positioning of the respectively connected components. The mounting apparatus (10) of this invention overcomes these problems by employing a detent mechanism (38) that functions as a rotational positioner between the control lever (12) and an actuating switch (60) assembly as well as an axial positioner used in the mounting of the respective components. The mounting apparatus (10) allows the control lever (12) and the actuating switch (60) to be mounted together for rotation about a single axis (X) to provide a very axially compact mechanism.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles W. Oswald
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 14:16
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05G; G05G5/00; G05G5/06; G05G5/065; F; F16; F16H; F16H59/00; F16H59/02; F16H59/04; F16H61/00; F16H61/24; F16H2059/047; F16H59/044; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/20; Y10T74/20012; Y10T74/20018; Y10T74/20177; Y10T74/20576; Y10T74/20636; Y10T74/2066; Y10T74/20714
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
A mounting apparatus (10) for a control lever (12), comprising: a support member (16) defining a generally cylindrical aperture (24) along a central axis (X); the control lever (12) defining a generally cylindrical portion (90) having a groove (92) disposed therearound and a plurality of indentations (93) on the cylindrical portion (90) spaced along said groove (92) in a common plane (A--A) normal to the central axis (X), the cylindrical portion (90), of the control lever (12) being rotatably received within the aperture (24) of the support member (16); and means (38) for positioning the control lever (12) both axially and circumferentially within the support member (16) by selected engagement with the groove (92) and the indentations (93).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
118 words
A mounting apparatus (10) for a control lever (12), comprising: a support member (16) defining a generally cylindrical aperture (24) along a central axis (X); the control lever (12) defining a generally cylindrical portion (90) having a groove (92) disposed therearound and a plurality of indentations (93) on the cylindrical portion (90) spaced along said groove (92) in a common plane (A--A) normal to the central axis (X), the cylindrical portion (90), of the control lever (12) being rotatably received within the aperture (24) of the support member (16); and means (38) for positioning the control lever (12) both axially and circumferentially within the support member (16) by selected engagement with the groove (92) and the indentations (93).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein said means (38) is disposed within a radially oriented passage (28) that is positioned in the support member (16) and opens onto the aperture (24).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein the means (38) includes: a detent assembly having a plunger (42) and a spherical element (40) associated therewith positioned in the passage (28); and biasing means (48) for urging the plunger and spherical element (40) toward engagement with the groove (92) and the indentations (93).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein the groove (92) and the indentations (93) are formed on an upraised rib (92) that is circumferentially disposed about the cylindrical portion (90).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein a non-thrust absorbing bearing (96,98) is positioned between said support member (16) and said cylindrical portion (90).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 4 wherein a bearing is positioned on each side of the rib (92).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein the indentations (93) are spaced from each other a preselected distance to provide rotationally indexed positioning of the lever (12) with respect to the axis (X).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 1 wherein the control lever (12) is biased in an axial direction and engagement of the means (38) with the groove (92) opposes the biasing force as the control lever (12) is rotated out of engagement with the indentations (93) to maintain the position of the control lever (12) with respect to the common plane (AA).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
170 words
In a mounting apparatus (10) having an axially biased control lever (12) rotatably mounted within a console (14) for movement with respect thereto, the improvement comprising: a support member (16) defining a generally cylindrical aperture (24) along a central axis (X) and a plurality of radially oriented passages (28) opening onto the aperture (24); the control lever (12) defining a generally cylindrical portion (90) having an upraised rib and a groove (92) disposed therearound and a plurality of indentations (93) formed along the groove (92) in a common plane (A--A) normal to the central axis (X), the cylindrical portion (90) of the control lever (12) being rotatably received within the aperture (24) of the support member (16); a sleeve bearing (96,98) positioned between said support member (16) and said cylindrical portion (90); and means (38) for positioning the control lever (12) both axially and circumferentially with support member (16) by selected engagement with the groove (92) and the indentations (93), said means (38) being substantially disposed within said passages (28).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
170 words
In a mounting apparatus (10) having an axially biased control lever (12) rotatably mounted within a console (14) for movement with respect thereto, the improvement comprising: a support member (16) defining a generally cylindrical aperture (24) along a central axis (X) and a plurality of radially oriented passages (28) opening onto the aperture (24); the control lever (12) defining a generally cylindrical portion (90) having an upraised rib and a groove (92) disposed therearound and a plurality of indentations (93) formed along the groove (92) in a common plane (A--A) normal to the central axis (X), the cylindrical portion (90) of the control lever (12) being rotatably received within the aperture (24) of the support member (16); a sleeve bearing (96,98) positioned between said support member (16) and said cylindrical portion (90); and means (38) for positioning the control lever (12) both axially and circumferentially with support member (16) by selected engagement with the groove (92) and the indentations (93), said means (38) being substantially disposed within said passages (28).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 9 wherein a pair of non-thrust absorbing bearings (96,98) are positioned between the support member (16) and the cylindrical portion (90) on opposite sides of the rib (92).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 9 wherein the means includes: a detent assembly having a plunger (42) and a spherical element (40) associated therewith, positioned in the passage (28); and biasing means (48) for urging the plunger and spherical element (40) toward engagement with the indentations (93).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 9 wherein the indentations (93) are circumferentially spaced from one another along said groove (92) in preselected increments.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 8 wherein a switch assembly (60) is mounted on said support member (16) in spaced relationship to said plane (A--A).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
60 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 13 wherein said switch assembly (60) further includes: a casing (64) having a plurality of electrical contacts (66) positioned therein; and a rotor (68) having a contact engaging member (70), said rotor (68) being rotatably received within said casing (64) for selective engagement of the contact engaging member (70) with the electrical contacts (66).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
62 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 14 wherein a second cylindrical portion (100) having a first end (101) connected to the first cylindrical portion (90) and a second end (104) connected to the rotor (68) of the switch assembly (60), is positioned along the axis (X) to provide movement of the rotor (68) in response to movement of the control lever (12).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 14 wherein the electrical contacts (66) of the switch assembly (60) are positioned within the casing (64) along a common radial arc in preselected increments corresponding to the incremental spacing of the indentations (93).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
64 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 14 wherein the electrical contacts (66) of the switch assembly (60) are connected to a control unit of a transmission having a plurality of gear ratios and movement of the contact engaging member (70) of the rotor (68) between each of the switch contacts (66) results in the shifting of the transmission from one gear ratio to another.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
The mounting apparatus (10) of claim 9 wherein the movement of the control lever (12) is rotationally indexed by the engagement of the means (38) with the indentations (93) and axially positioned with respect to the common plane by the engagement of the means (38) with the groove (92) upon movement of said means (38) out of engagement with said indentations (93).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
CA481915A
Cited
GB582687A
Cited
US3423549A
Cited
US3677096A
Cited
GB1408609A
Cited
US3871244A
Cited
US3996040A
Cited
FR2298827A1
Cited
EP0075693A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-06-03 | 1988-12-03 | 1989-06-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-06-03 | 1992-12-03 | 1993-06-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-06-03 | 1996-12-03 | 1997-06-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |