Electric shift selector mechanism for transmission

A vehicle shifter mechanism capable of being operatively linked by electronic control signals with a multiple speed power transmission drive gear system for manually controlling the transmission, the shifter mechanism comprising:

• a support;
• an elongated shift lever, including a handle portion on its upper end, mounted on said support at an intermediate portion of said lever for movement about longitudinal and transverse pivot axes intersecting at a common point coincident with the principal axis of said shift lever;
• a generally U-shaped north-south rocker member having a pair of upstanding legs pivotally mounted on said support for swinging movement in a longitudinal direction about said transverse pivot axis, said north-south rocker member legs interconnected by a transversely extending bight portion;
• a generally U-shaped east-west rocker member having a pair of upstanding legs pivotally mounted on said support for swinging movement in a transverse direction about said longitudinal pivot axis, said east-west rocker member legs interconnected by a longitudinally extending base portion positioned in spaced subjacent relation to said north-south bight portion, said base portion supporting a longitudinally extending caming track thereon;
• position sensor means associated with each said transverse and longitudinal pivot axis to provide an electrical signal in accordance with the angular position of each said respective north-south and east-west rocker member;
• a receiving element on the lower end of said lever slidably supporting a selector stem portion for reciprocal travel on the principal axis of said lever, said receiving element including first spring biasing means for biasing a cam follower on the free end of said slidable stem portion axially away from said common point;
• a gate limiting plate mounted on said support intermediate said north-south rocker member bight portion and said east-west rocker member base portion, said gate limiting plate formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending through shift slots interconnected by a crossover select through slot defining a predetermined shift pattern for said lever;
• each said shift slot and said common point defining a longitudinal shift plane along which transmission speed ratios being identified at the shift slot fore and aft ends by said transverse axis position sensor means;
• said selector stem extending through a transverse slot in said north-south rocker member bight portion for predetermined longitudinal movement in a selected one of said gate limiter plate longitudinal through slots while said cam follower is adapted for longitudinal travel in said camming track;
• said first spring biasing means operative to urge said cam follower into continual pressure contact with said camming track as said shift lever is manipulated through said gate limiting plate shift pattern, said camming track being formed with a predetermined contour in longitudinal cross section operative to preload said cam follower such that it is releasably captured at predetermined gate limiting plate shift pattern locations corresponding to said identified fore and aft shift slot ends and an intermediate neutral position;
• and
• second spring biasing means operative to bias said east-west rocker member into a predetermined transversely centered position.