Lever assembly for an electronically controllable vehicle transmission

An electronic shift control lever assembly that provides signals indicating a driver's desired gear selection to a transmission controller for a transmission of a vehicle, the vehicle having a steering wheel supported by a steering column for steering the vehicle, the steering wheel having at least one steering wheel opening through which the driver of the vehicle may look, the shift control lever assembly comprising:

• an elongated lever element coupled to and extending in an outward direction away from the steering column, the lever element having an outer end portion spaced from the steering column;
• the outer end portion of the lever element being movable to at least first and second positions by the driver to respectively signal an upshift or downshift gear selection by the driver, the shift control lever assembly providing a signal to the transmission controller which indicates the position of the lever element and thereby whether the driver desires an upshift or a downshift;
• the outer end portion of the lever including a mode selector movable between a plurality of positions to select a respective one of a plurality of transmission modes, the transmission mode corresponding to the position of the mode selector, the shift control lever assembly providing signals to the transmission controller indicating the transmission mode of the mode selector;
• the outer end portion of the lever including a first surface exposed to the driver through the steering wheel opening;
• and
• visual indicia on the first surface indicative of the position of the mode selector, the visual indicia being viewable by the driver through the steering wheel opening.

An electronic shift control lever assembly that provides signals indicating a driver's desired gear selection to a transmission controller for a transmission of a vehicle, the vehicle having a steering wheel supported by a steering column for steering the vehicle, the shift control lever assembly comprising:

• a lever mounting bracket including a base portion and a lever supporting portion, the base portion comprising a collar mounted to the steering column and surrounding the steering column, a lever supporting portion projecting outwardly from the collar and away from the steering column;
• a lever pivotally coupled to the lever supporting portion and extending in an outward direction away from the steering column;
• and
• the lever being pivoted relative to the lever supporting portion to at least first and second positions, such pivoting movement being accomplished by the driver to signal a gear selection.

An electronic shift control lever assembly that provides signals indicating a driver's desired gear selection to a transmission controller for a transmission of a vehicle, the vehicle having a steering wheel supported by a steering column for steering the vehicle, the shift control lever assembly comprising:

• a lever element coupled to and extending in an outward direction away from the steering column, the lever element having an outer end portion spaced from the steering column;
• the outer end portion of the lever element being movable by a driver from a first position to at least a gear upshift indicating position and a gear downshift indicating position, to thereby signal a gear selection;
• a signal generating circuit coupled to the lever element and operable to provide signals indicative of the lever element position, such signals being made available to the transmission controller of the vehicle;
• and
• the outer end portion of the lever element being positioned within reach of the driver's fingertips while the driver's hands are in contact with the steering wheel such that the outer end portion is movable by the driver from said first position to the gear upshift and downshift indicating positions while the driver's hands are in contact with the steering wheel.