US 5,566,581 A · Manual transmission and ignition interlock

Abstract

A manual transmission and ignition interlock is provided for a vehicle having a manual transmission operated by a shift lever. A solenoid is movable between positions blocking and unblocking movement of the vehicle ignition to OFF. A latch bar carried by the shift lever is biased to a latched position and can be moved to unlatched position by a pull-up ring on the shift lever. The latch bar is cammed downward against the spring bias out of latched position when it is extended through a slot in a latch retainer when the shift lever is moved to REVERSE, and then snaps up to latch the shift lever. Another solenoid has a plunger which extends to underlie the latch bar and trap it, thus locking the latched shift lever in REVERSE. In one embodiment, bi-stable solenoids are controlled by a controller that is provided with high and low current inputs from branch circuits that include control switches operated by ignition position. The controller extends the latch solenoid when the shift lever is moved to REVERSE and the ignition is moved to ACCESSORY. This closes a switch, causing the controller to retract the ignition solenoid and enable movement to OFF. In another embodiment, a control circuit uses conventional solenoids.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A shift lever lock for a vehicle having a manual transmission controlled by a shift 1ever movable between a purality of operating positions including REVERSE, comprising a latch bar movably mounted on the shift 1ever for movement between latched and unlatched positions, means biasing the latch bar to latched position, a latch receiver mounted on the vehicle for receiving the latch bar upon shift lever movement to REVERSE to latch the shift lever, an operator on the shift lever for moving the latch bar from latched to unlatched positions, and a lock device operable to lock the latch bar in latched position to prevent movement of the shift lever out of REVERSE.

A manual transmission and ignition interlock for a vehicle having a manual transmission operated by a shift lever movable among a plurality of gear positions including REVERSE, an ignition movable among OFF, ACCESSORY and RUN positions, and a power source, comprising

a first electrical device movable between positions blocking and unblocking movement of the ignition to OFF,
a latch bar carried by the shift lever for movement between latched and unlatched positions,
a latch retainer mounted on the vehicle for engaging the latch bar in latched position when the shift lever is in REVERSE,
a second electrical device movable between positions blocking and unblocking movement of the latch from latched to unlatched positions to lock the lever against movement out of REVERSE,
a position switch actuated by movement of the shift lever to REVERSE, and
control means including an electrical circuit connecting the power source, the first and second electrical devices, the control means, the position switch and the ignition, wherein
the control means responds to the combined movement of the lever to REVERSE and movement of the ignition to ACCESSORY to cause the second electrical device to move to blocking position and cause the first electrical device to move to unblocking position, thereby locking the shift lever in REVERSE and enabling movement of the ignition to OFF.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Manual transmission and ignition interlock

Life of this patent

Manual transmission and ignition interlock

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15