Ball-joint selector assembly having an internal sensor and detent mechanism

A selector assembly comprising:

• a housing having a spherical cavity and a detent cavity that extends outward from the spherical cavity;
• a Hall sensor that is positioned within a sensor cavity of the housing, wherein the Hall sensor is in communication with the spherical cavity, wherein the sensor cavity and the Hall sensor are positioned outside of the spherical cavity;
• and
• a selector that slidably operates within the housing about a center point of the spherical cavity, the selector comprising:
• a selector body that includes a spheroid member, a stalk, a detent sleeve, a first pivot and a second pivot, wherein the spheroid member slidably operates within the spherical cavity and about the center point;
• a magnet attached to the spheroid member that is in electromagnetic communication with the Hall sensor;
• and
• a detent pin disposed within the detent sleeve, wherein the detent pin is biased toward and slidably engages a detent surface of the detent cavity to define a plurality of selector positions of the selector, wherein,
• operation of the selector within the spherical cavity and along the detent surface defines the plurality of selector positions that are communicated to a controller via the magnet and the Hall sensor;
• the selector is rotationally fixed with respect to a longitudinal axis that extends through the stalk;
• and
• the first pivot includes a first rotational axis and the second pivot includes a second rotational axis that is perpendicular to the first rotational axis, the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis extending through the center point.

A selector assembly comprising:

• a housing having a selector cavity that includes a spherical cavity and a detent cavity;
• and
• a Hall sensor that is positioned within a sensor cavity of the housing, wherein the Hall sensor is in communication with the spherical cavity;
• and
• a selector that slidably operates within the selector cavity about a center point of the spherical cavity, the selector comprising:
• a spheroid member that is contained within the spherical cavity and slidably engages a guide surface of the housing, wherein the spheroid member includes a magnet that is in electromagnetic communication with the Hall sensor;
• a stalk that extends from the spheroid member and protrudes from the housing;
• a first pivot having a first rotational axis that extends through the center point of the spherical cavity;
• a second pivot having a second rotational axis that extends through the center point of the spherical cavity, the second rotational axis being perpendicular with respect to the first rotational axis, wherein the selector is rotationally fixed with respect to a longitudinal axis that extends through the stalk, the longitudinal axis being perpendicular to the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis;
• a detent sleeve that is integral with the spheroid member;
• and
• a detent pin disposed within the detent sleeve, wherein the detent pin is biased toward and slidably engages a detent surface of the detent cavity to define a plurality of selector positions of the selector, wherein operation of the selector within the spherical cavity and along the detent surface defines the plurality of selector positions that are communicated to a controller via the magnet and the Hall sensor.