APPARATUS OF AN AUTOMATIC GEARBOX FOR GENERATING A STARTUP SIGNAL

• US 20080119325A1
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Horsak, Gunther, Kolb, Alfred
• Application Number:
  US11/943,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20080119325A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/111
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/103 according to the vehicle transmission or clutch status
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/105 consisting of electrical switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/50 Signals to an engine or motor

Abstract

An apparatus of an automatic gearbox for generating a startup signal according to which starting of an engine, which interacts with the gearbox, is made possible or prevented. The apparatus having a position sensor (1) for detecting the position of a gearshift lever of the an automatic gearbox, and the position sensor (1) measuring distance and providing a measurement signal based on the distance measured. A transducer device (2) converts the measurement signal, from the position sensor, into a digital signal. A hardware circuit (5) generates a startup signal from the digital signal provided by the transducer device.

Claims

1-4. -4. (canceled)

5. An apparatus of an automatic gearbox for generating a startup signal, according to which starting an engine, which interacts with the automatic gearbox, is one of prevented and made possible, the apparatus comprising:

a position sensor (1) for determining a position of a selector lever of an automatic gearbox, the position sensor (1) measuring a path and providing a measurement signal based on the measured path;

a transducer device (2) for converting the measurement signal of the position sensor (1) into a digital signal; and

a hardware circuit (5) for generating the startup signal based on the digital signal provided by the transducer device (2).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transducer device (2) comprises a first transducer (3) and a second transducer (4), the first transducer (3) converting a pulse width modulated measurement signal of the position sensor (1) into an analog signal, and the second transducer (4) converting the analog signal provided by the first transducer (3) into the digital signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a software circuit (6) is provided in parallel to the hardware circuit (5) and generates a further startup signal directly from the measurement signal of the position sensor (1), the startup signal provided by the hardware circuit (5) and the further startup switch signal provided by the software circuit (6) are united, via an OR-gate (7), into a combined startup signal, and based on the combined startup signal the engine is one of prevented from starting and enabled to start.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a device (8) overwrites the combined startup signal, provided by the OR-circuit (7), with the further startup switch signal, provided by the software circuit (6), when the software circuit (6) detects that startup of the engine is enabled although conditions for enablement are not available.