| 摘要 |
<p>A locking mechanism and system for a vehicle shifter in which the shifting lever (10) is locked in a park lock position until the brakes of the automotive vehicle are applied and/or the steering lockout mechanism located in the steering column of the vehicle is released by the ignition key of the vehicle. In one embodiment the pawl (29) of the shifting lever (10) is restrained by a lockout arm (15) through which the brake mechanism and the lockout cable extending to the steering column are connected. In another embodiment, the lockout cable is eliminated by providing two electrical control modules (37c, 50) operatively connected to the brake mechanism and the ignition key switch which controls the steering lockout mechanism. These two modules are connected in a circuit so that the shifting lever cannot be shifted out of park to other gear positions until the brake is applied and the steering lockout mechanism is released by the ignition key switch. This system prevents the return of the ignition switch to the lock position until the shifting lever is in the park position. In other embodiments a manual apparatus (70-73) is provided for retracting the lock pin of a control module to unlocked position. In still another embodiment, a structure (74,75) is provided for overriding the extension of the lockout pin of a control module by exerting a greater than normal force on the shifting lever. <IMAGE></p> |
