BALL CATCH FOR SECURING AN ACTUATOR ELEMENT, IN PARTICULAR A MOTOR-VEHICLE GEARSHIFT LINKAGE, IN ITS SHIFT POSITIONS

摘要

Proposed is a ball catch (7) for securing an actuator element which can be moved longitudinally and/or pivoted about a rotational axis, in particular a gearshift linkage for motor-vehicle gearboxes, the ball (23) engaging in a notch (6) in the actuator element. The ball catch (7) has a housing consisting of an outer part (9) and a thin-walled inner part (12, 14) housed in the outer part, with a control element (15) which can move longitudinally within the inner part and which is fitted with a ball cup (22) in which the ball (23) is mounted. The ball catch (7) also includes a biasing spring (25) one end of which rests against the housing (14), the other end tending to push the control element (15) out of thehousing. Located between the control element (15) and the housing so that they can move are roller bearings (30) mounted in a cage (17). The aim of the invention is to make available a ball catch of this kind in which the position of engagement and the pressure exerted by the ball (23) can be adapted to suit the particular conditions of installation of the actuator element on which the ball acts. To this end, the inner part of the housing is in two separate parts. The first part is designed as a sleeve (12) which has, at the end nearest the ball (23), an inwards-turned collar (24) which supports the control element (15) in the extended position. The second part consists of a cup-shaped bushing (14) with a floor (26) on which one end of the biasing spring (25) rests. The sleeve (12) and bushing (14) are mounted in a bore (11) in the outer part (9) of the housing so that they can move with respect to each other.