Patent ID: 8258779
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: F16H

Abstract:
1. A rail position sensing system for sensing a position of shift rail which is slidable in a rail bore in a housing, the rail position sensing system, comprising: a groove formed in the shift rail, the groove including a curved bottom surface, a first ramp surface extending from one side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail, and a second ramp surface extending from a second side of the bottom surface to an outer peripheral surface of the shift rail; the housing including a sensor bore, the sensor bore having an axis which intersects the rail; a sensor housing mounted in the sensor bore, the sensor housing having an end facing towards the shift rail and spaced apart therefrom; a magnet mounted inside the sensor housing near said end, the magnet generating a magnetic field, a portion of the rail which includes the groove extending into the magnetic field, movement of the rail producing changes in said magnetic field; and a Hall effect sensor mounted inside the sensor housing near said end so that the Hall effect sensor detects changes in said magnetic field through a range of positions of the shift rail.