Parking lock mechanism for gate type automatic transmission shift control device

A gate type shift control device for an automatic transmission for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a housing having a gate opening and a vertical side wall;
• a shift lever swingable, along said gate opening, in a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction of a vehicle body and shiftable into a plurality of positions including a parking position and a parking lock released position;
• a pair of first projections formed on an inner surface of a side wall of said housing;
• said first projections being vertically spaced from each other and located adjacent a portion of said gate opening corresponding to the parking lock released position of said shift lever;
• a second projection formed on said shift lever in a way as to protrude radially therefrom and capable of passing through an interval between said first projections when said shift lever is shifted from the parking position into the parking lock released position;
• a lock lever mounted on said inner surface of said side wall in a way as to be swingable along said inner surface and between a first position where it abuts upon said first projections to prevent shift of said shift lever from the parking position to the parking lock released position and a second position where it is spaced away from said first projections to allow said second projection to pass through the interval between said first projections and thereby allow shift of said shift lever from the parking position to the parking lock released position;
• and
• an actuator for actuating said lock lever to move into said second position when energized in response to depression of a brake pedal and allowing said lock lever to move into said first position when deenergized.