Method and apparatus for determining the position of a shift rail
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMark Diangelo, Edmond R. League
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and an assembly 40 for determining the axial and rotational position of a shift member 14. The assembly includes a pair of substantially identical and signal producing sensors 42, 44 which are respectively coupled to first and second members 50, 52. The member 14 is made to include projections 60, 62 which respectively engage members 50, 52 when the member 14 is respectively moved in an axial and rotational manner. In this manner, sensors 42, 44 produce signals which respectively indicate the amount by which the shift rail member 14 has been moved in an axial and a rotational manner and these signals are used to compute the current axial and rotational position of the shift rail member 14.
Claims19
An assembly which includes a selectively deformable third and fourth projection and which uses said selectively deformable third and forth projections to sense a rotary and an axial movement of a shift rail.
An apparatus for use in combination with a selectively movable member having a first and a second portion, said apparatus comprising:
- a first z-shaped member which is contacted by said first portion when said selectively movable member moves in a certain first manner and a second z-shaped member which is contacted by said second portion when said selectively movable member moves in a certain second manner;
- and
- a signal generation assembly which senses said contact of said z-shaped members and which generates a first signal upon said contact of said first z-shaped member by said first portion and a second signal upon said contact of said second z-shaped member by said second portion.
A method including the steps of providing gears;
- providing at least one z-shaped member;
- selectively engaging the provided gears in a desired manner while concomitantly forcing said at least one z-shaped member to be selectively contacted by said provided gears;
- and generating a first signal as said gears are being selectively engaged and said at least one z-shaped member is being selectively contacted by said provided gears.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.