Automatic Transmission Shifter Mechanism for Seamless Manual Gear Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic transmission shifters lack a seamless manual shift function, particularly when transitioning between gears, which limits driver control and replicates the experience of driving a manual transmission vehicle.
Innovation Solution
An automatic transmission shifter mechanism that allows lateral movement to switch between automatic and manual shifting modes, using a shifter assembly with sensors and detent plates to enable free gear shifting without disengaging lockout functions, allowing operators to shift gears manually by moving the shifter laterally from an overdrive mode into a sport mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lockout features are provided to prevent accidental shifting, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates when manual shifting is desired
Solution Approach 1:
The shifter mechanism dynamically changes its locking characteristics based on the selected range. In low range, the lockout feature remains active to prevent accidental shifting. In high range, the lockout is automatically disengaged to allow free manual shifting between gears. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by providing safety when needed and ease of operation when desired.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the shifter mechanism by switching between low range and high range modes. When transitioning to high range, the lockout parameter is changed from engaged to disengaged state, allowing the operator to shift freely between gears without having to disengage lockout controls, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If lockout function is engaged to prevent accidental shifting, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional controls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the lockout control function with the range selection operation. The same lever movement that selects high range also automatically disengages the lockout function. This integration eliminates the need for separate lockout controls, reducing device complexity while maintaining safety through the preserved low range lockout feature.
Solution Approach 2:
The shifter lever serves multiple functions: it selects between low and high ranges, and when in high range, it also serves as the manual shifting mechanism. The lockout feature is universally applied to low range positions but automatically disabled in high range, allowing one control element to manage both safety and manual shifting operations, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If automatic transmission mode is used, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates when manual control is desired
Solution Approach 1:
The shifter mechanism dynamically switches between automatic transmission mode (low range with lockout) and manual shifting mode (high range with lockout disengaged). This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to the driver's needs, providing ease of operation through automatic mode when desired and manual control adaptability when the driver wants to replicate manual transmission experience or respond to specific driving conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by transitioning between low and high ranges. In high range, the parameters are adjusted to allow free movement between gears without lockout engagement, enabling manual control while maintaining the automatic transmission's ease of operation for range selection. This parameter change provides both ease of operation and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic transmission shifter mechanism that is selectable between an automatic transmission mode and a manual shifting mode, including a shifter assembly, a pin attached to the shifter assembly, a first slotted plate to selectively receive a first portion of the shifter assembly, and a detent plate configured to receive the pin at different gear positions, wherein selected shifter assembly positions in the automatic transmission mode are maintained by the pin being located within a corresponding detent of the detent plate, and wherein movement of the first portion of the shifter assembly into the first slotted plate causes the pin to move out of range of detents in the detent plate such that an operator can shift between drive gears in the manual shifting mode.