Automotive Selector Lever with Moving Display for Mode Indication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mono-stable selector levers in automotive automatic transmissions lack clear indication of the selected mode due to their design, where the lever always returns to a single rest position, making it difficult for drivers to determine the current mode of operation, especially in low-light conditions.
Innovation Solution
A selector arrangement with a resilient bias that returns to a stable position, combined with a display that moves to indicate the current selection, ensuring the selector is adjacent to the displayed indication of the chosen mode, providing clear visual feedback of the selected mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mono-stable selector lever is used that always returns to a single rest position, then the selector operation becomes simplified and reliable, but the driver cannot determine the current mode of operation by the lever position
Solution Approach 1:
A display element is introduced as an intermediary between the selector lever and the mode indication. The display element moves in response to selector lever displacement to show the current mode, while the lever itself maintains its simple mono-stable return-to-center operation. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing information without complicating the lever mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The display element creates a visual copy or representation of the selected mode that is independent of the physical lever position. Instead of relying on the lever's physical position to indicate mode, a separate display element mirrors the selection state, allowing the lever to remain simple while still providing clear mode indication.
2Ease of operation
If the display indication moves relative to the return position to show current selection, then clear visual feedback is provided, but the display mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The display element is merged with the selector lever assembly, sharing the same housing and mounting structure. The display element is positioned to move with the lever during selection, and both are contained within a single gate structure. This merging reduces overall complexity by consolidating components rather than adding separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The display element serves multiple functions: it indicates the current mode selection, shows available modes, and provides visual feedback during the selection process. By making the display element multi-functional, the design avoids adding separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining clear visual feedback.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1E
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3A~3E
AI summary
A selector (1) may be displaced from a return position to make a selection from a number of available possibilities and then returned to the return position. The selector includes a display (3) operative to display an indication of a current selection at a position adjacent the return position. The selector may be an automotive automatic transmission selector. The display may display an indication of some or all of the available selections together, and the positions of the indications move relative to the return position as a selection is made, so that an indication of the chosen selection is displayed adjacent the return position.