Gear change device for motor-vehicles

Gear change device for motor vehicles, comprising:

• at least one primary shaft, connectable to the driving shaft of a motor vehicle by a clutch device,
• at least one secondary shaft, having an output pinion for meshing with a gear wheel of a differential,
• a plurality of pairs of gear wheels corresponding to a plurality of forward gears and at least one reverse gear, wherein a first gear wheel of each pair of gear wheels is rigidly connected in rotation with a first shaft of said at least one primary shaft or said at least one secondary shaft while a second gear wheel of each pair of gear wheels is freely rotatable on a second shaft of said at least primary shaft or said at least one secondary shaft;
• the other of said primary or secondary shafts,
• a plurality of gear selector devices for coupling in rotation each of said freely rotatable wheels with the shaft on which it is mounted,
• said device also comprising:
• a braking member to stop the rotation of said first shaft before engagement of the first gear, said braking member comprising a braking lever pivotally mounted on an axis parallel to the axis of said first shaft and carrying a braking pad configured to make contact with a surface of a cooperating part connected in rotation with said first shaft, and
• control means for pushing said lever towards a braking position wherein said braking pad makes contact with said surface of said cooperating part, said braking lever pivotally mounted on a support structure about a separate axis with respect to the axes of said at least one primary shaft and said at least one secondary shaft and actuating means comprise:
• an electrically-driven actuator, and
• a pusher member movable by said electrically-driven actuator along a substantially tangential direction with respect to the primary shaft, towards an operative position in which said pusher member interposes with a wedge-like action between the braking lever and a fixed abutment wall, so as to press the brake pad against said cooperating part.