Dial shifter

A shifter mechanism for a transmission of a motor vehicle, the transmission controlled by a transmission controller, comprising:

• a dial shifter that can be manually advanced selectively in a first direction and a second direction;
• a sensor that detects a movement of the dial shifter;
• a central processing unit for instructing the transmission controller to select a shift position of the transmission from a plurality of shift positions in a prescribed order according to a detection signal of the sensor, wherein the central processing unit is configured to cause the selected shift position to be changed in the prescribed order in correspondence to a rotational displacement of the dial shifter in each single shifting operation under normal condition, and to limit the selected shift position to be changed beyond a prescribed shift position depending on an initial shift position and an amount of the rotational movement of the dial shifter in a single shifting operation, and wherein the shift positions include a non-forward travel position, a D (drive) position for a normal forward travel and an additional forward travel position S for a special purpose arranged in that order in the first direction, and the central processing unit is configured to limit the change in the shift position from the non-forward travel position in a single shifting operation in the first direction to the D (drive) position without regard to the rotational displacement of the dial shifter beyond the D (drive) position;
• and
• wherein the central processing unit is further configured to accept a change in the shift position from the D (drive) position to the forward travel position S in a second shifting operation in the first direction after an elapse of a specified amount of time.

A shifter mechanism for a transmission of a motor vehicle, the transmission controlled by a transmission controller, comprising:

• a dial shifter that can be manually advanced selectively in a first direction and a second direction, the dial shifter comprising:
• a rotatable shifter knob;
• and
• a rotation mechanism in communication with the rotatable shifter knob and about which the rotatable shifter knob rotates;
• a sensor that detects a movement of the dial shifter;
• a central processing unit for instructing the transmission controller to select a shift position of the transmission from a plurality of shift positions in a prescribed order according to a detection signal of the sensor;
• wherein the central processing unit is configured to cause the selected shift position to be changed in the prescribed order in correspondence to a rotational displacement of the dial shifter in each single shifting operation under normal condition, and to limit the selected shift position to be changed beyond a prescribed shift position depending on an initial shift position and an amount of the rotational movement of the dial shifter in a single shifting operation;
• wherein the shift positions include a non-forward travel position, a D (drive) position for a normal forward travel and an sport mode forward travel position S arranged in that order in the first direction;
• wherein the central processing unit is configured to limit the change in the shift position from the non-forward travel position in a single shifting operation in the first direction to the D (drive) position without regard to the rotational displacement of the dial shifter beyond the D (drive) position;
• and
• wherein the transmission may be shifted from the D (drive) position to the sport mode forward travel position S in a second shifting operation in the first direction after the selection of the D (drive) position is completed in a first shifting operation, defined by an elapse of a specified amount of time, without regard to the rotational displacement of the dial shifter beyond the D (drive) position.