Electronic control of a transmission
First Claim
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1. A recreational vehicle including:
- a chassis;
a ground engaging member configured to support the chassis;
a power source supported by the chassis, the power source including at least one of an engine and an electric motor;
an ignition in communication with the power source and the ignition having an on-state and an off-state;
a transmission driven by the power source;
a sub-transmission coupled to the transmission, the sub-transmission having a plurality of selectable gear settings including a park gear setting and at least one of a forward gear setting, a reverse gear setting and a neutral gear setting;
an actuator operative to change the gear setting of the sub-transmission;
a shifter including a signal output operative to provide a shift request signal indicative of a request to change the gear setting of the sub-transmission;
at least one sensor configured to detect at least one first speed value selected from a group of a ground speed of the vehicle and a speed of a component of the vehicle; and
a controller including a processor, the controller being in communication with the actuator, the at least one sensor, and the shifter, wherein the controller controls the actuator to set the gear setting to the park gear setting in response to determining that all of a first set of park condition signals are satisfied, wherein the first set of park condition signals comprise;
the ignition being in the off-state, the sub-transmission having a gear setting other than the park gear setting and the at least one sensor indicating that the first speed value is at or below a threshold.
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Abstract
A recreational vehicle is provided including a power source, such as an engine or an electric motor, and a transmission having a variable gear ratio. A sub-transmission coupled to an output of the transmission includes a plurality of selectable gear configurations including park gear and at least one of a forward gear, a neutral gear and a reverse gear. An electronic controller is operative to electronically control the gear configuration of the sub-transmission in response to a set of conditions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A recreational vehicle including:
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a chassis; a ground engaging member configured to support the chassis; a power source supported by the chassis, the power source including at least one of an engine and an electric motor; an ignition in communication with the power source and the ignition having an on-state and an off-state; a transmission driven by the power source; a sub-transmission coupled to the transmission, the sub-transmission having a plurality of selectable gear settings including a park gear setting and at least one of a forward gear setting, a reverse gear setting and a neutral gear setting; an actuator operative to change the gear setting of the sub-transmission; a shifter including a signal output operative to provide a shift request signal indicative of a request to change the gear setting of the sub-transmission; at least one sensor configured to detect at least one first speed value selected from a group of a ground speed of the vehicle and a speed of a component of the vehicle; and a controller including a processor, the controller being in communication with the actuator, the at least one sensor, and the shifter, wherein the controller controls the actuator to set the gear setting to the park gear setting in response to determining that all of a first set of park condition signals are satisfied, wherein the first set of park condition signals comprise;
the ignition being in the off-state, the sub-transmission having a gear setting other than the park gear setting and the at least one sensor indicating that the first speed value is at or below a threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of operating a recreational vehicle including:
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providing a controller for the recreational vehicle; receiving, at the controller, an indication of a vehicle ignition being in one of an on-state and an off-state; receiving, at the controller, an indication of a sub-transmission setting selected from the group including a park gear setting and at least one of a forward gear setting, a reverse gear setting and a neutral gear setting; receiving, at the controller, an indication of at least one first speed value selected from a group of a ground speed of the vehicle and a speed of a component of the vehicle; and emitting, by the controller, a signal to place the sub-transmission in a park setting when all of a first set of park conditions are satisfied, the first set of park conditions including; 1) the ignition being in the off state, 2) the sub-transmission having a gear setting other than the park gear setting; and 3) the first speed value being at or below a threshold. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification