Some embodiments relate to a method for setting a cruising mode of a vehicle, wherein a human/machine interface is arranged on a steering wheel of the vehicle for shifting a transmission of the vehicle, this human/machine interface comprising at least one first and at least one second switch segment and at least one switch, wherein the switch segments are arranged on the at least one switch, and in the event that the at least one first and the at least one second switch segment of the at least one switch are activated at the same time the cruising mode is set for the vehicle.

A position detection device includes two detection systems that are respectively fed from power supply systems different from each other, and displace together with a shift lever. Each detection system can output detection patterns with four digits. A detection pattern when being located at a given position is different from a detection pattern when being located at another position. In any detection pattern, outputs of certain two digits among the four digits are set so as to be identical to each other, and to be different from outputs of two other digits. Alternatively, outputs of certain three digits among the four digits are set to be identical to each other, and to be different from an output of another digit.

A controller drives a shifting actuator to move a first engagement member from an original position of a first engagement portion in one direction along a relative motion path and acquires first position information representing a first position, the first position being a position where the first engagement portion moved in the one direction contacts a second engagement portion. The controller drives the shifting actuator to move the first engagement member from the original position in the other direction along the relative motion path and acquires second position information representing a second position where the first engagement portion moved in the other direction contacts the second engagement portion. The controller calculates a center position of the first engagement portion on the relative motion path from the acquired first position information and the acquired second position information, compares the calculated center position to the original position.

A motor vehicle has a control element for selecting a vehicle operating mode from a plurality of defined vehicle operating modes. Furthermore, the motor vehicle has at least one drive motor and an electronically controllable, automated transmission, which is operable in at least one automatic program and in at least one manual program. The motor vehicle also has an electric control arrangement and at least one button for triggering a changeover from an automatic program to a manual program. The electronic control arrangement is configured such that, upon activation of the button for triggering a manual program for a predefined minimum duration by the driver, an operating mode, which is not selectable via the control element based on dynamics, independent of the activation of the control element, is automatically activatable and displayable on the display instead of a selectable operating mode.

In an electronic control unit, a traveling mode switching control unit switches a traveling mode from an N mode to a B mode when a shift lever is operated to a B operation position while the traveling mode is the N mode and the vehicle is traveling forward. Accordingly, during forward coast traveling in the N mode, the traveling mode is switched from the N mode to the B mode by an operation in one direction of the shift lever to a B operation position without requiring operations in two directions of the shift lever to a D operation position. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a driver from experiencing difficulty in operating the shift lever at the time of switching the traveling mode from the N mode to the B mode during forward coast traveling in the N mode.

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 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 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.

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.