GEAR SELECTOR SYSTEM

• US 20110296942A1
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Wu, Peter E., Robinette, Richard E., Vernacchia, Mark A., Koski, Jack P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/473.12
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/047 with essentially straight linear movement for gear selection, e.g. straight selection movement using detent mechanism for improving feeling up-down shift by repeated movements F16H2059/0239
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/243 Cams or detent arrays for guiding and providing feel
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/105 consisting of electrical switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20018 Transmission control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2003 Electrical actuator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2011 with detent, recess, notch, or groove

Abstract

A gear selector assembly for selecting a gear position of a transmission includes an internal mode switch having detent lever, a plurality of magnetic field sensors, a control module, a first power supply and a second power supply. The detent lever has a plurality of detents and a magnetized track, where the magnetized track includes a plurality of magnetized elements that are indicative a particular gear selector position. The magnetic field sensors are associated with each of the magnetized elements for sensing changes in a magnetic field of the magnetized track. The control module is in communication with each of the field sensors. Each of the field sensors sends an output current to the control module and the value of the output current is variable. The value of the output current is indicative of at least one of the following: the direction of the magnetic field from the corresponding magnetic track, a short circuit, and an open circuit.

Claims

1. A gear selector assembly for selecting a gear position of a transmission, comprising:

an internal mode switch including a detent lever having a plurality of detents and a magnetized track, wherein the magnetized track includes a plurality of magnetized elements that are indicative a particular gear selector position based on the direction of a magnetic field, and wherein each detent corresponds to one of the gear selector positions and the detent lever is rotatable to select one of the desired gear selector positions;

a plurality of magnetic field sensors that are associated with each of the magnetized elements for sensing changes in the magnetic field of the magnetized track, where each field sensor corresponds to one of the magnetized elements of the magnetized track;

a control module in communication with each of the field sensors, wherein each of the field sensors sends an output current to the control module and the value of the output current is variable, wherein the value of the output current is indicative of at least one of the following;

the direction of the magnetic field from the corresponding magnetic track, a short circuit, and an open circuit; and

a first power supply and a second power supply that provide power to the field sensors, wherein a portion of the field sensors are powered by the first power supply and the remaining field sensors are powered by the second power supply.

2. The gear selector assembly of claim 1 wherein the control module includes a control logic for converting the output current to an output voltage.

3. The gear selector assembly of claim 2 wherein the control module includes a control logic for translating the output voltage of each field sensor to a binary bit value, and wherein a bit pattern indicating the gear selector position is created.

4. The gear selector assembly of claim 3 wherein the bit pattern includes five bits that each have a binary value of either 0 or 1, and wherein the five bits are S, R1, R2, D1 and D2.

5. The gear selector assembly of claim 4 wherein a complementary bit is substituted if one of the bits corresponds to a field sensor that has a known electrical fault.

6. The gear selector assembly of claim 4 wherein the control module includes an error correction logic and a plurality of predefined bit patterns, and wherein the error correction logic corrects the bit pattern if one and only one of the bits of the bit pattern is different from one of the predefined bit patterns.

7. The gear selector assembly of claim 4 wherein if the value of the output current indicates one of a short circuit and an open circuit for one of the five bits, the control module includes a control logic for substituting the complement of the binary value for the corresponding bit.

8. The gear selector assembly of claim 4 wherein the field sensors corresponding to the bits R1 and D1 are powered by the first power supply and the field sensors corresponding to the bits S, R2 and D2 are powered by the second power supply.

9. The gear selector assembly of claim 4 wherein the binary values for the bits R1 and D1 are complementary to the binary values for the bits R2 and D2.

10. The gear selector assembly of claim 9 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 0011 respectively for a Park gear selector position.

11. The gear selector assembly of claim 9 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 1001 respectively for a Reverse gear selector position.

12. The gear selector assembly of claim 9 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 1100 respectively for a Neutral gear selector position.

13. The gear selector assembly of claim 9 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 0110 respectively for a Drive gear selector position.

14. A gear selector assembly for selecting a gear position of a transmission, comprising:

an internal mode switch including a detent lever having a plurality of detents and a magnetized track, wherein the magnetized track includes a plurality of magnetized elements that are indicative a particular gear selector position based on the direction of a magnetic field, and wherein each detent corresponds to one of the gear selector positions and the detent lever is rotatable to select one of the desired gear selector positions;

a plurality of magnetic field sensors that are associated with each of the magnetized elements for sensing changes in the magnetic field of the magnetized track, where each field sensor corresponds to one of the magnetized elements of the magnetized track;

a control module in communication with each of the field sensors, wherein each of the field sensors sends an output current to the control module and the value of the output current is variable, wherein the value of the output current is indicative of at least one of the following;

the direction of the magnetic field from the corresponding magnetic track, a short circuit, and an open circuit; and

a first power supply and a second power supply that provide power to the field sensors, wherein a portion of the field sensors are powered by the first power supply and the remaining field sensors are powered by the second power supply, and wherein the control module includes a control logic for converting the output current to an output voltage, and

wherein the control module includes a control logic for translating the output voltage to a binary bit pattern that indicates if a particular gear selector position is selected, and the bit pattern includes five bits that each have a binary value of either 0 or 1, and the five bits are S, R1, R2, D1 and D2.

15. The gear selector assembly of claim 14 wherein if the value of the output current indicates one of a short circuit and an open circuit for one of the five bits, the control module includes a control logic for substituting the complement of the binary value for the corresponding bit.

16. The gear selector assembly of claim 14 wherein the field sensors corresponding to the bits R1 and D1 are powered by the first power supply and the field sensors corresponding to the bits S, R2 and D2 are powered by the second power supply.

17. The gear selector assembly of claim 14 wherein the binary values for the bits R1 and D1 are complementary to the binary values for the bits R2 and D2.

18. The gear selector assembly of claim 17 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 0011 respectively for a Park gear selector position.

19. The gear selector assembly of claim 17 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 1001 respectively for a Reverse gear selector position.

20. The gear selector assembly of claim 17 wherein the binary values for the bits R1, D1, R2, and D2 are 1100 respectively for a Neutral gear selector position.