Rotary shifter assembly

A shifter assembly for changing gears in a vehicle transmission, said shifter assembly comprising:

• a housing;
• a shift rod rotatably supported in said housing and selectively movable between a plurality of radial positions;
• a disc in rotational communication with said shift rod for concurrent movement with said shift rod between said radial positions, with a plurality of elongated arcuate slots formed in said disc, each of said arcuate slots having a closed periphery, and each of said arcuate slots defining respective spaced first and second ends;
• a plurality of solenoids disposed in said housing adjacent said disc with each of said solenoids having a plunger selectively movable between a first position spaced from said disc and a second position disposed within said closed periphery of one of said arcuate slots;
• said arcuate slots being spaced equally from each other and all of said arcuate slots of said shifter assembly being radially aligned about a common reference circle such that said plungers are located about said common reference circle, with rotation of said shift rod being selectively limited by at least one of said plungers in said second position engaging one of said ends of one of said arcuate slots.

A shifter assembly for changing gears in a vehicle transmission, said shifter assembly comprising:

• a housing;
• a shift rod rotatably supported in said housing and selectively movable between a plurality of radial positions;
• a disc supported for rotation about an axis, said disc disposed in rotational communication with said shift rod for concurrent movement with said shift rod between said radial positions with said disc defining a plurality of elongated gates each having a closed periphery and defining respective spaced first and second ends;
• and
• a plurality of solenoids disposed in said housing adjacent said disc with each of said solenoids having a plunger selectively movable, in a direction parallel to said axis, between a first position spaced from said disc and a second position disposed within said closed periphery of one of said gates;
• said gates being spaced equally from each other and all of said gates of said shifter assembly being radially aligned about a common reference circle such that said plungers are located about said common reference circle, with rotation of said shift rod being selectively limited by at least one of said plungers in said second position engaging one of said ends of one of said gates.