A device for detecting the position of a lever includes a member being connected on at least one of its ends to a cable end piece that is fitted sliding into a fixed sheath end piece. The device comprises a magnet fitted inside a pipe that constitutes the cable end piece and a Hall Effect Sensor positioned on one part of the sheath end piece in order to detect the movement between the cable end piece and the sheath end piece, which corresponds to a movement of the lever.

A system for a vehicle operable in a user-controlled driving mode and an automatic driving mode includes a hand-operated control element and a contact sensor configured to detect whether a driver of the vehicle is holding the control element. The system further includes a controller to monitor an alertness of the driver while the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element and/or switch operation of the vehicle between the user-controlled driving mode and the automatic driving mode depending on whether the driver is holding the control element.

A shift range switching device is provided for a vehicle. The device comprises a cover unit, a rotary unit, a control unit, and a body unit, wherein the rotary unit comprises a knob operation part exposed to the outside of the cover part, and a sensing part inserted in the knob operation part to be rotated by the knob operation part and to sense the rotation of the knob operation part. The control part comprises a parking button for shifting a transmission to a parking range, a display part for displaying the working range of the transmission and a sensor for sensing the rotation of the rotary unit. The body unit comprises a locking part coupled or decoupled from the sensing part to restrict the rotation of the rotary unit, and a cam into which one side of the sensing part is inserted to allow returning to the original position.

A shifter assembly selects a first mode and a second mode of a transmission for a vehicle. The shifter assembly includes a housing and a shift lever movably coupled to the housing and pivotable relative to the housing. The shift lever includes a body and a cap defining an aperture and being coupled to the body. The cap is rotatable relative to the body between a first and a second orientations. The shift lever further includes a toggle device partially received by the cap in the aperture with at least a portion of the toggle device being moveably coupled to the body between a rest and a depressed positions. The shift lever further includes an element mounted to the toggle device and rotatable with the cap between the first and the second orientations. The shift lever further includes a sensor system configured to interact with the element to detect rotation of the cap between the first and the second orientations.

A vehicle control system includes: an operation unit disposed in a vehicle and operable by a driver; an operation detection unit configured to detect an operation on the operation unit, and including a displacement unit that is displaced according to an operation amount of the operation unit, and a detection unit that detects a displacement amount of the displacement unit and that outputs a continuous signal according to the displacement amount; and a control unit that inputs the continuous signal detected by the detection unit and performs a predetermined control corresponding to the continuous signal is provided.

A gear shifter assembly for a vehicle is described herein. The gear shifter assembly includes a base to be fixed in a vehicle, a shifter yoke mounted to the base by a main pivot shaft, a shift lever mounted to the shifter yoke by a pivotal bearing arranged to allow pivotal movements about a second pivotal axis perpendicular to the first pivotal axis, and an intermediate joint that provides the pivotal bearing of the shift lever. The intermediate joint is attached to the lower end of the shift lever by receiving select pivot pins projecting from the shift lever in recesses of the intermediate joint. The intermediate joint comprises opposite through holes aligned with an aperture in the shift lever for receiving the main pivot shaft. The intermediate joint is made of material having a lower modulus of elasticity than the materials of the shift lever and the shifter yoke.

A clutch arrangement having a first coupler mounted for rotation with a first input gear, a second coupler mounted for rotation with a second input gear, and an input-gear selector mounted for rotation with an input shaft and positioned between the first and second couplers. The input-gear selector is movable on the input shaft relative to the first and second couplers. Engagement of the input-gear selector with the first coupler drives rotation of the first input gear with rotation of the input shaft, and engagement of the input-gear selector with the second coupler drives rotation of the second input gear with rotation of the input shaft.

A clutch arrangement having a first coupler mounted for rotation with a first input gear, a second coupler mounted for rotation with a second input gear, and an input-gear selector mounted for rotation with an input shaft and positioned between the first and second couplers. The input-gear selector is movable on the input shaft relative to the first and second couplers. Engagement of the input-gear selector with the first coupler drives rotation of the first input gear with rotation of the input shaft, and engagement of the input-gear selector with the second coupler drives rotation of the second input gear with rotation of the input shaft.

An operating element of a motor vehicle provided with a contact surface. The contact surface is provided with an element, controllable via actuators, that responds to the sense of touch of an operator, through which a feedback is provided to the operator about the currently engaged gear of the transmission of the motor vehicle.

A shifter assembly in a motor vehicle includes a shifter housing. A shifter lever having first and second ends is coupled to the shifter housing at the second end. The shifter lever is rotatable about a pivot axis and is translatable parallel to the pivot axis. The shifter assembly has first and second 2-Dimensional (2D) magnetic sensors, and first and second magnets. The first magnet is coupled to the shifter lever between the first and second ends, proximate the first sensor, and has a first magnetic field in radial alignment with the shifter lever. The second magnet is coupled to the shifter lever between the first and second ends, proximate the second sensor, and has a second magnetic field perpendicular to the first magnetic field. The first sensor detects an angular displacement of the first magnetic field, and the second sensor detects an axial displacement of the second magnetic field.