US 4,507,736 AGranted

Transmission gear shift control system

AssigneeWABCO Fahrzeugbremsen GmbH

InventorAlfred Klatt

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A gear shift control system for a motor vehicle in which a micro-computer is fed signals representative of the output speed of the transmission and the selected gear position. This information allows the computer to recognize when the engine speed is within an optimum range. A latching mechanism associated with the gear shift lever is controlled by the computer to lock the gear shift lever. Such an arrangement avoids accidental improper shifting on the part of the operator to prevent engine damage due to over or under speeding of the engine, particularly in arrangements where the respective gear positions of the gear shift lever are arranged in line, as opposed to the conventional H configuration. The computer may be stored with several programs that can be selectively activated to vary the locking point of the gear shift lever within the optimum speed range, depending on the intent to operate the vehicle in a "speedy" or "economical" mode, for example.

Claims7

Dependent claims

Gear shift control apparatus for the transmission of a motor vehicle including a gear shift lever, means for producing a code signal representative of different positions of the gear shift lever, and evaluation means for selecting and controlling the setting of the gears of said transmission in accordance with said code signal, wherein the invention comprises:

(a) a gear shift latch to lock the gear shift lever in any one of said different positions;
(b) a speed sensor associated with the transmission output shaft to provide a signal according to the output speed of said transmission;
(c) a position sensor to provide a signal according to the gear position in which said transmission is currently operating;
(d) said evaluation means further including electronic means responsive to said speed sensor and said position sensor signals, and to said code signal for providing a signal corresponding to a projected engine speed, and for further providing an output signal for effecting operation of said latch to lock said gear shift lever when said projected engine speed signal lies outside the limits of a predetermined speed range.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.