Apparatus for electronically controllable transmission

• US 9,388,897 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SL Corporation
• Original Assignee: SL Corporation
• Inventors: Bak, Jeong-Ho, Kim, Byung-Ki
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRATHER, GREGORY T
• Application Number:
  US13/586,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20120318090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 744/731, 744/731.2, 744/732.1, 744/732.5, 744/732.6, 744/733, 744/733.2, 744/733.3, 744/71.XY, 324/160, 324178-179, 324/207.2, 324/252, 338/32.H
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/0273 Cardan or gimbal type joints for supporting the lever
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/0204 for automatic transmissions with means for range selection and manual shifting, e.g. range selector with tiptronic
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/044 consisting of electrical switches or sensors range selectors with electric switches or sensors F16H59/105
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2003 Electrical actuator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20116 Resiliently biased interlock

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for electronically controllable transmission, and more particularly, an apparatus for electronically controllable transmission, the apparatus capable of shifting gears by moving a shift lever and sensing the magnetic flux density of a magnet, which moves in accordance with the rotation of the shift lever, by using a three-dimensional (3D) hall sensor. The apparatus includes: a shift lever including one end which is connected to a magnet and shifting gears by moving the shift lever; a shift lever body which is connected to the shift lever and is allowing the shift lever to move around shift axis or select axis; and a sensor unit including a 3D sensor which is mounted fixedly in the place intersecting the shift axis and select axis within the shift lever body and can sense the movement of the magnet around an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis as the magnet moves, wherein the 3D sensor is mounted at a tilted angle for providing at least two of three output signals with linearity.

Claims

1. An apparatus for an electronically controlled transmission, the apparatus comprising:

a gear shift lever configured to rotate about a pivot point;

a magnet fixed to the gear shift lever; and

a single three-dimensional hall sensor fixedly mounted in a location adjacent the gear shift lever with a gap between the magnet and the three-dimensional hall sensor, and configured to detect gear positions of the gear shift lever by providing an indication of a position of the magnet in each of an X-axis, a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a vertical Z-axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis,

wherein a first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor is perpendicular to a second outer surface of the three-dimensional hall sensor, the first and second outer faces which are configured to receive magnetic flux density generated by movement of the magnet, and

wherein the three-dimensional hall sensor is fixedly turned at an angle with respect to the magnet such that the magnetic flux density is introduced into both the first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor and the second outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gear positions comprise automatic gear positions of the gear shift lever and manual gear positions of the gear shift lever.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet moves in a curved plane in response to the pivoting movement of the gear shift lever.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output signal resulting from the magnetic flux density introduced into the first outer face and an output signal resulting from the magnetic flux density introduced into the second face have linearity according to a distance the shift lever moves.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein only one of the North and South poles of the magnet faces the three-dimensional hall sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shift lever has a gate pattern including a first path, a second path meeting the first path at a first point, and a third path meeting the second path at a second point.

7. An apparatus for an electronically controlled transmission, the apparatus comprising:

a gear shift lever configured to rotate about a pivot point;

a magnet fixed to the shift lever; and

a single three-dimensional hall sensor fixedly mounted in a location adjacent the shift lever with a gap between the magnet and the three-dimensional hall sensor and configured to detect gear positions of the gear shift lever by providing an indication of a position of the magnet in each of an X-axis, a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a vertical Z-axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis,

wherein the shift lever has a gate pattern including a first path, a second path meeting the first path at a first point, and a third path meeting the second path at a second point,

wherein a first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor is perpendicular to a second outer surface of the three-dimensional hall sensor, the first and second faces which are configured to receive magnetic flux density generated by movement of the magnet, and

wherein the three-dimensional hall sensor is fixedly turned at an angle with respect to the magnet such that the magnetic flux density is introduced into both the first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor and the second outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gear positions comprise automatic gear positions of the gear shift lever and manual gear positions of the gear shift lever.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the magnet moves in a curved plane in response to the pivoting movement of the shift lever.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein two of the first, second, and third paths extend vertically and the remaining one extends horizontally.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein two of the first, second, and third paths extend horizontally and the remaining one extends vertically.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein only one of the North and South poles of the magnet faces the three-dimensional hall sensor.

13. An apparatus for an electronically controlled transmission, the apparatus comprising:

a gear shift lever configured to rotate about a pivot point;

a shift lever body which the gear shift lever is fixed to and which is configured to pivotably move in response to pivotable movement of the gear shift lever;

a magnet fixed to a portion of the shift lever body; and

a single three-dimensional hall sensor fixedly mounted with a gap between the magnet and the three-dimensional hall sensor, and configured to detect gear positions of the gear shift lever by providing an indication of a position of the magnet in each of the X-axis, the Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a vertical Z-axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis,

wherein a first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor is perpendicular to a second outer surface of the three-dimensional hall sensor, the first and second outer faces which are configured to receive magnetic flux density generated by movement of the magnet,

wherein the three-dimensional hall sensor is fixedly turned at an angle with respect to the magnet such that the magnetic flux density is introduced into both the first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor and the second outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor,

wherein the shift lever body includes a select guide and a shift guide, each which guides the gear shift lever to move in a select direction or a shift direction,

wherein the select guide and the shift guide are pivotably connected by a shaft to move in the shift direction or the select direction which are perpendicular to each other, and

wherein the magnet is fixed to the select guide or the shift guide.

14. An apparatus for an electronically controlled transmission, the apparatus comprising:

a gear shift lever configured to rotate about a pivot point;

a shift lever body which the gear shift lever is fixed to and which is configured to pivotably move in response to pivotable movement of the gear shift lever;

a magnet fixed to a portion of the shift lever body; and

a single three-dimensional hall sensor fixedly mounted with a gap between the magnet and the three-dimensional hall sensor, and configured to detect gear positions of the gear shift lever by providing an indication of a position of the magnet in each of the X-axis, the Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a vertical Z-axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis,

wherein the shift lever has a gate pattern including a first path, a second path meeting the first path at a first point, and a third path meeting the second path at a second point,

wherein a first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor is perpendicular to a second outer surface of the three-dimensional hall sensor, the first and second faces which are configured to receive magnetic flux density generated by movement of the magnet, and

wherein the three-dimensional hall sensor is fixedly turned at an angle with respect to the magnet such that the magnetic flux density is introduced into both the first outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor and the second outer face of the three-dimensional hall sensor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein (a) two of the first, second, and third paths extend vertically and the remaining one extends horizontally or (b) two of the first, second, and third paths extend horizontally and the remaining one extends vertically.