Selector mechanism for an automatic transmission vehicle

A selector mechanism for an automatic transmission comprising in combination a longitudinally movable operating member for operative attachment to an automatic gearbox, a control lever pivotable about a first, transverse, axis and a second, longitudinal, axis and arranged to control movement of the operating member, guide means for said control lever defining first and second generally longitudinally extending paths, an interconnection between the paths at one end of each path such that the paths extend generally in the same direction from said interconnection, a first driving means and a second driving means each operatively connected to the control lever on opposite sides of said first axis such that generally longitudinal movement of the control lever along one of said first and second paths produces corresponding movement of said first and second driving means in mutually opposite generally longitudinal directions, a first driven means and a second driven means operatively connected to said operating member, said first driving means being moved into operative engagement with said first driven means in response to positioning said control lever in said first path and said second driving means being moved into operative engagement with said second driven means in response to positioning said control lever in said second path whereby movement of the control lever from a position remote from the interconnection on the first path, along said first path towards said interconnection causes movement of the operating member in one direction and thereafter movement of the control lever along said second path away from said interconnection causes further movement of the operating member in the same direction, wherein said interconnection is a transverse connecting path and movement of the control lever along the connecting path produces no movement of the operating member, wherein the first path, the second path and the connecting path are incorporated in a gate for constraining the movement of the control lever and wherein the operating member and associated mechanism are disposed in the casing, a seal mechanism being provided between the gate and casing comprising a disc rotatably mounted on the gate to provide a barrier, the disc having a groove extending along a diameter thereof and within which there is slidably retained a sliding member, one end of the control lever passing freely through a hole in the sliding member and through a slot in the disc coaxial with the groove, the arrangement being such that during the control lever movement along the said paths the disc is rotated thereby by engagement with the sliding member with the groove, relative movement of the sliding member in the groove accommodating the substantially linear movement of the lever along the said paths.