System for switching electric vehicle between operating states

A system for switching an electric vehicle between a plurality of vehicle operating states, the system comprising:

• a base;
• a shifter handle movable in a vertical direction between a retracted state and an extended state and including a knob and a shaft, the knob mounted to a top portion of the shaft, a bottom portion of the shaft being pivotably coupled to the base;
• a plurality of electronic actuators coupled to the shaft;
• and
• a controller in communication with the plurality of actuators, the controller configured to:
• determine a selected shifter operating mode from among a plurality of shifter operating modes, the plurality of shifter operating modes including a first shifter operating mode and a second shifter operating mode;
• generate, in response to the selected shifter operating mode being the first shifter operating mode, a first set of output signals to the plurality of actuators to control the plurality of actuators to permit movement of the shifter handle relative to the base in a first predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the first predetermined virtual pathway, the plurality of actuators are configured to move in response to the shifter handle moving along the first predetermined virtual pathway to permit movement of the shifter handle in the first predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the first predetermined virtual pathway;
• generate, in response to the selected shifter operating mode being the second shifter operating mode, a second set of output signals to the plurality of actuators to control the plurality of actuators to permit movement of the shifter handle relative to the base in a second predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the second predetermined virtual pathway, the second predetermined virtual pathway being different than the first predetermined virtual pathway;
• and
• switch the electric vehicle between the plurality of vehicle operating states based on movement of the shaft,
• wherein the knob includes a body and a crown, the body being mounted to the shaft, the crown being coupled to the body and rotatable relative to the body, wherein the controller is configured to determine the selected shifter operating mode based on a rotational position of the crown, and
• wherein the controller is configured to control movement of the shifter handle between the retracted state and the extended state.

A method for switching an electric vehicle between a plurality of vehicle operating states, the method comprising:

• determining a selected shifter operating mode from among a plurality of shifter operating modes, the plurality of shifter operating modes including a first shifter operating mode and a second shifter operating mode;
• generating, in response to the selected shifter operating mode being the first shifter operating mode, a first set of output signals to a plurality of actuators to control the plurality of actuators to permit movement of a shifter handle relative to a base in a first predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the first predetermined virtual pathway, the plurality of actuators are configured to move in response to the shifter handle moving along the first predetermined virtual pathway to permit movement of the shifter handle in the first predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the first predetermined virtual pathway;
• generating, in response to the selected shifter operating mode being the second shifter operating mode, a second set of output signals to the plurality of actuators to control the plurality of actuators to permit movement of the shifter handle relative to the base in a second predetermined virtual pathway while inhibiting movement of the shifter handle outside of the second predetermined virtual pathway, the second predetermined virtual pathway being different than the first predetermined virtual pathway;
• and
• switching the electric vehicle between the plurality of vehicle operating states based on movement of the shifter handle.