Abstract:
A vehicle includes a gear shifter operable to shift a manual transmission. An actuator is connected to the shifter and actuatable to bias the shifter to at least a first or second neutral position. The vehicle further includes a controller configured to bias the shifter, via the actuator, to one of the neutral positions based on a speed of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) to GB Application 1611588.3 filed Jul. 4, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a manual gear shift and in particular to a method of adjusting a notional neutral position of a gear lever forming part of a manual gear shift. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    It is well known to provide a gear shift having a gear lever for effecting a manual gear change of a multi-speed transmission. Examples of such gear shifts are known from, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,842, 5,560,253; European Patent Publication 1267240 and US Patent Publication 2015/0198238. 
         [0004]    Such gear shifts include a spring based biasing means to position the gear lever into a preferred neutral position. 
         [0005]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show in a diagrammatic manner one example of such a spring biased neutral gear shift. 
         [0006]    In  FIG. 1  a plan view is shown in which it can be seen that there are four forward gears arranged in an “H” pattern. First and second gear selected or engaged positions f 1  and f 2  are arranged so as to lie in a first plane and third and fourth gear selected positions f 3  and f 4  are arranged to lie in a second plane offset from the first plane. The first and second planes are arranged to extend in a Fore-Aft direction of a motor vehicle to which the gear shift is fitted. 
         [0007]    A transverse neutral plane joins the first and second planes and in this case is arranged at right angle to the first and second planes and extends in a Left-Right transverse direction of the motor vehicle. 
         [0008]    A reverse gear “R” is selectable by movement of the gear lever into a gate lying on a sub-plane arranged parallel to but offset from the first plane. 
         [0009]    In  FIG. 2  a gear lever  1  is shown at  1   a  positioned in the transverse neutral plane in a neutral position so as to align the gear lever  1  with the second plane and is shown in dotted outline at  1   b  in the transverse plane aligned with the first plane. 
         [0010]    Conventionally the gear lever  1  is biased so as to align it with the second plane by one or more springs indicated diagrammatically by the coil spring  2  acting between a fixed abutment  5  and an arm  3  extending from a pivot member  4  from which the gear lever  1  extends. The pivot member  4  allows the gear lever  1  to move in a fore-aft direction as well as a left-right direction so as to permit the various gears to be engaged. 
         [0011]    When the gear lever  1  is positioned in the transverse neutral plane with no external load applied it will automatically adopt the position la shown in  FIG. 2  and “N” in  FIG. 1  due to the effect of the coil spring which urges the arm  3  into abutment with a stop  6 . Therefore when changing between third and fourth gears no left or right load needs to be applied by a driver of the vehicle. 
         [0012]    However, when it is required to move from the second plane to the first plane such as, for example, when changing from third gear to second gear then the driver is required to apply a force to the gear lever against the action of the spring  2  to traverse along the transverse neutral plane in order to reach the first plane. A further stop  7  is provided to limit the leftward transverse motion of the gear lever  1  so as to provide good alignment of the gear lever  1  with the first plane. It will be appreciated that the stop  7  is moveable to as to permit reverse gear to the selected. 
         [0013]    Although such an arrangement is useable when only four forward gear ratios are available for selection it is less satisfactory when more than four ratios are provided. If, for example six forward gear ratios are selectable then some drivers find it difficult to select the correct ratio if a fixed neutral position is used irrespective of the plane with which the gear lever is biased to align with when in the transverse neutral plane. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0014]    It is an object of this invention to provide a method of automatically adjusting a gear lever neutral position so as to provide easier forward gear selection. 
         [0015]    According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of adjusting a neutral position of a motor vehicle gear lever forming part of a manual gear shift mechanism having a number of forward gear selected positions arranged in pairs on parallel planes linked via a common transverse neutral plane, the gear lever having a neutral position when in the transverse neutral plane the position of which is adjusted by an actuator acting on the gear lever via a compressible connection characterised in that the method comprises using the actuator to adjust the position of the neutral position in the transverse neutral plane based upon a current vehicle speed. 
         [0016]    The method may further comprise comparing a current vehicle speed with at least one vehicle speed threshold and adjusting the position of the gear lever neutral position in the transverse neutral plane is based upon the result of the comparison. 
         [0017]    The at least one vehicle speed threshold may be a predefined vehicle speed threshold. 
         [0018]    There may be a first plane containing first and second gear selected positions, a second plane containing third and fourth gear selected positions and a first vehicle speed threshold and the method may comprise adjusting the position of neutral in the neutral plane to align neutral with the first plane if the current vehicle speed is less than the first vehicle speed threshold and to align neutral with the second plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the first vehicle speed threshold. 
         [0019]    Alternatively, there may be a first plane containing first and second gear selected positions, a second plane containing third and fourth gear selected positions, a third plane containing fifth and sixth gear selected positions, a first vehicle speed threshold and a second vehicle speed threshold set higher than the first vehicle speed threshold and the method may comprise adjusting the position of neutral in the neutral plane to align neutral with the first plane if the current vehicle speed is less than the first vehicle speed threshold, to align neutral with the second plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the first vehicle speed threshold but less than the second vehicle speed threshold and to align neutral with the third plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the second vehicle speed threshold. 
         [0020]    As yet a further alternative, there may be a first plane containing first and second gear selected positions, a second plane containing third and fourth gear selected positions, a third plane containing fifth and sixth gear selected positions, a fourth plane containing seventh and eighth gear selected positions, a first vehicle speed threshold set lower than a second vehicle speed threshold and a third vehicle speed threshold set higher than the second vehicle speed threshold and the method may comprise adjusting the position of neutral in the neutral plane to align neutral with the first plane if the current vehicle speed is less than the first vehicle speed threshold, to align neutral with the second plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the first vehicle speed threshold but less than the second vehicle speed threshold, to align neutral with the third plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the second vehicle speed threshold but less than the third vehicle speed threshold and to align neutral with the fourth plane if the current vehicle speed is greater than the third vehicle speed threshold. 
         [0021]    The method may further comprise adjusting the position of neutral in the transverse neutral plane based upon a currently engaged gear and a position of an accelerator pedal. 
         [0022]    If the currently engaged gear is the higher of two forward gears in the current plane the position of neutral may be moved to a plane containing the next higher gear provided such a gear exists and the current speed is above a predefined speed threshold if the accelerator pedal is being pressed and is kept in the current plane if the accelerator pedal is not being pressed. 
         [0023]    If the currently engaged gear is the lower of two forward gears in the current plane, the position of neutral may be moved to a plane containing the next lower gear provided such a gear exists and the current speed is below a predefined speed threshold if the accelerator pedal is not being pressed and is kept in the current plane if the accelerator pedal is being pressed. 
         [0024]    The method may further comprise adjusting the position of neutral in the transverse neutral plane based upon a currently engaged gear and a position of a brake pedal. 
         [0025]    If the currently engaged gear is the lower of two forward gears in the current plane, the position of neutral may be moved to a plane containing the next lower gear provided such a gear exists and the current speed is below a predefined speed threshold if the brake pedal is being pressed and is kept in the current plane if the brake pedal is not being pressed. 
         [0026]    According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a gear lever neutral position adjustment system comprising a gear lever forming part of a manual gear shift mechanism having a number of forward gear selected positions arranged in pairs on parallel planes linked via a common transverse neutral plane, at least one actuator acting on the gear lever via a compressible connection to adjust a neutral position of the gear lever when the gear lever is in the transverse neutral plane and an electronic controller to control the operation of the actuator characterised in that the electronic controller is arranged to adjust the position of the neutral position in the transverse neutral plane based upon a current vehicle speed. 
         [0027]    The electronic controller may be further arranged to compare a current vehicle speed with at least one vehicle speed threshold and use the at least one actuator to adjust the position of the gear lever neutral position in the transverse neutral plane based upon the result of the comparison. 
         [0028]    The electronic controller may be further arranged to use the at least one actuator to adjust the position of neutral in the transverse neutral plane based upon a currently engaged gear and at least one of a position of an accelerator pedal and a position of a brake pedal. 
         [0029]    According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle having a multi-speed gearbox the selection of gears within which is made by a manual gear shift mechanism having a gear lever and a gear lever neutral position adjustment system constructed in accordance with said second aspect of the invention. 
         [0030]    The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing of which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic plan view of a conventional H-gate manual gear shift arrangement; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic side view of the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic plan view of an H-gate manual gear shift arrangement in accordance with this invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic side view of the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic plan view of a double H gate manual gear shift arrangement showing three possible gear lever neutral positions in accordance with the invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6A  is a diagrammatic side view of a first embodiment of a manual gear shift lever neutral adjusting mechanism for the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  in accordance with the invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 6B  is a diagrammatic side view of a second embodiment of a manual gear shift lever neutral adjusting mechanism for the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  in accordance with the invention; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic plan view of a triple H gate manual gear shift arrangement showing four possible gear lever neutral positions in accordance with the invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle having a gear lever neutral position adjustment system in accordance with the invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a high level flow chart of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position in accordance with the invention as applied to the H gate manual gear shift arrangement shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 10  is a high level flow chart of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position in accordance with the invention as applied to the double H gate manual gear shift arrangement shown in  FIGS. 5 to 6B ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 11  is a high level flow chart of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position in accordance with the invention as applied to the triple H gate manual gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0043]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  are graphs showing the relationship between vehicle speed and neutral position for cases where the motor vehicle is accelerating and decelerating respectively. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0044]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
         [0045]    With particular reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4  there is shown an H gear shift providing four forward gears and one reverse gear in accordance with this invention. 
         [0046]    First and second gear selected positions f 1  and f 2  are arranged so as to lie in a first engaged gear plane and third and fourth gear selected positions f 3  and f 4  are arranged to lie in a second engaged gear plane offset to the right from the first plane. The first and second engaged gear planes extend in a Fore-Aft direction of a motor vehicle to which the gear shift is fitted. 
         [0047]    A transverse neutral plane joins the first and second planes and in this case is arranged at a right angle to the first and second planes and extends in a Left-Right transverse direction of the motor vehicle. When a gear lever  11  is positioned in the transverse neutral plane a gearbox, the selection of gears within which is controlled by movement of the gear lever, is said to be in ‘neutral’ and no drive is transmittable by the gearbox. 
         [0048]    A reverse gear selected position “R” is selectable by movement of the gear lever  11  into a gate lying on a sub-plane arranged parallel to but offset to the left from the first plane. 
         [0049]    The part of the first and second planes forward from the transverse plane form respectively first and third gear gates and the part of the first and second planes rearward of the transverse plane form respectively second and fourth gear gates. 
         [0050]    Two notional neutral positions N 1  and N 2  are shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0051]    The notional neutral position N 1  is aligned with the first plane ( 1 - 2  plane) and the notional neutral position N 2  is aligned with the second plane ( 3 - 4  plane). 
         [0052]    The notional positions N 1  and N 2  are the positions that the gear lever  11  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) will adopt when in the transverse neutral plane with no external force applied by the driver of the motor vehicle. The positions are actual neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane but are desired neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in an ‘in gear’ or engaged position hence the use of the term “notional”. 
         [0053]    As will be described hereinafter the notional neutral position is adjusted in accordance with this invention based upon operation of the motor vehicle and, in particular, the velocity or forward speed of the motor vehicle. 
         [0054]      FIG. 4  shows a diagrammatic side view of a first embodiment of a manual gear shift lever neutral adjusting mechanism for the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  showing at position  11   a  a gear lever  11  aligned with the second plane corresponding to the N 2  position indicated on  FIG. 3 . 
         [0055]    The mechanism comprises the gear lever  11  that is rotatably supported by a pivot member  14  and an arm  13  connected to the lever  11  via the pivot member  14 . It will be appreciated that the pivot member  14  is rotatably supported by a housing or other structure not shown. 
         [0056]    First and second springs  12   c,    12   t  act upon the arm  13  in opposing directions so that the position of the arm  13  and hence the rotational position of the gear lever  11  is dependant upon a force balance acting on the arm  13 . 
         [0057]    The first spring  12   c  is a compression spring and is interposed between the arm  13  and a moveable abutment  15  the position of which is controlled by a linear actuator  19 . 
         [0058]    The second spring  12   t  is a tension spring interposed between the arm  13  and a fixed abutment  18 . 
         [0059]    When the position of the moveable abutment  15  is as shown in  FIG. 4  the gear lever  11  adopts the position indicated by the reference  11  a which aligns the gear lever  11  with the second plane including the third and fourth gear gates. 
         [0060]    If the moveable abutment  15  is moved to the right by the actuator  19  then the effect is to reduce the force in the first spring  12   c  and, due to the rotational mounting of the arm  13  will cause the arm  13  to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction until the force resulting from the extension of the second spring  12   t  balances the force produced by the first spring  12   c.  In  FIG. 4  this new balance position is shown as gear lever position  11   b  corresponding to the first plane that includes the first and second gear gates. A stop  17  is provided to assist with accurate alignment of the gear lever  11  with the first plane. It will be appreciated that the stop  17  is selectively releasable by a driver of the motor vehicle to permit the selection of reverse gear “R”. 
         [0061]    If the moveable abutment  15  is then moved back to the left by the actuator  19  then the effect is to increase the force in the first spring  12   c  and, due to the rotational mounting of the arm  13  will cause the arm  13  to rotate in a clockwise direction until the force resulting from the compression of the first spring  12   c  balances the force produced by the second spring  12   t  and the gear lever  11  returns to the position  11   a.    
         [0062]    The position of the gear lever  11  therefore mimics the motion of the moveable abutment  15  but it will be appreciated that when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane it can be moved by the driver from position N 1  to position N 2  if the neutral position has been set to N 1  or from N 2  to N 1  if the neutral position has been set to N 2  by applying a load to the gear lever  11  in the required direction. 
         [0063]    It will be appreciated that the spring forces acting on the arm  13  balance each other while the arm  13  is spaced away from the stops  16 ,  17  but are arranged to be slightly out of balance when the arm  13  is in contact with one of the stops  16 ,  17 . When the arm  13  is in contact with the stop  16  the force acting from the first spring  12   c  will be slightly more than that from the second spring  12   t  and when the arm  13  is in contact with the stop  17  the force acting from spring  12   t  will be slightly more than that from the spring  12   c.    
         [0064]    Therefore by controlling the actuator  19  to move the moveable abutment  15 , the neutral position when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane or a notional neutral position when the gear lever  11  is in a gear engaged position can be adjusted. 
         [0065]    With particular reference to  FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B  there is shown a double H gear shift providing six forward gears and one reverse gear. 
         [0066]    First and second gear selected positions f 1  and f 2  are arranged so as to lie in a first plane, third and fourth gear selected positions f 3  and f 4  are arranged to lie in a second plane offset to the right from the first plane and fifth and sixth gear selected positions f 5  and f 6  are arranged to lie on a third plane offset to the right from the second plane. The first, second and third planes extend in a Fore-Aft direction of a motor vehicle to which the gear shift is fitted. 
         [0067]    A transverse neutral plane joins the first, second and third planes and in this case is arranged at a right angle to the first, second and third planes and extends in a Left-Right transverse direction of the motor vehicle. 
         [0068]    As before reverse gear selected position “R” is selectable by movement of a gear lever  11  into a gate lying on a sub-plane arranged parallel to but offset to the left from the first plane. 
         [0069]    The part of the first, second and third planes forward from the transverse neutral plane form respectively first, third and fifth gear gates and the part of the first, second and third planes rearward of the transverse neutral plane form respectively second, fourth and sixth gear gates. 
         [0070]    Three notional neutral positions N 1 , N 2  and N 3  are shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0071]    The notional neutral position N 1  is aligned with the first plane ( 1 - 2  plane), the notional neutral position N 2  is aligned with the second plane ( 3 - 4  plane) and the notional neutral position N 3  is aligned with the third plane ( 5 - 6  plane). The notional positions N 1 , N 2  and N 3  are the positions that a gear lever  11  (shown in  FIG. 6A and 6B ) will adopt when in the transverse neutral plane with no external force applied by the driver of the motor vehicle. The positions are actual neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane but are desired neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in a gear engaged position hence the use of the term “notional”. 
         [0072]      FIG. 6A  shows a diagrammatic side view of a second embodiment of a manual gear shift lever neutral adjusting mechanism as applied to the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 5 . In  FIG. 6A  the gear lever  11  is shown at position  11   a  aligned with the second plane corresponding to the N 2  position indicated on  FIG. 5 . 
         [0073]    The mechanism is similar to that previously described with respect to  FIG. 4  with the exception that the second spring is in this case a compression spring  12   d  interposed between a fixed abutment  15   b  and the arm  13  and so is not described again in detail. As before the first and second springs  12   c,    12   d  act upon the arm  13  in opposing directions so that the position of the arm  13  and hence the rotational position of the gear lever  11  is dependant upon a force balance acting on the arm  13 . 
         [0074]    When the position of the moveable abutment  15  is as shown in  FIG. 6A  the gear lever  11  adopts the position indicated by the reference  11   a  which aligns the gear lever  11  with the second plane including the third and fourth gates. 
         [0075]    If the moveable abutment  15   a  is moved to the right by the actuator  19  then the effect is to reduce the force in the first spring  12   c  and, due to the rotational mounting of the arm  13  will cause the arm  13  to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction until the force resulting from the extension of the second spring  12   d  balances the force produced by the first spring  12   c.    
         [0076]    In  FIG. 6A  this new balance position is shown as gear lever position  11   b  corresponding to the first plane that includes the first and second gear gates. As before a removable stop  17  is provided to assist with accurate alignment of the gear lever  11  with the first plane. 
         [0077]    Conversely, if the moveable abutment  15   a  is moved from the position shown in  FIG. 6A  to the left by the actuator  19  then the effect is to increase the force in the first spring  12   c  and, due to the rotational mounting of the arm  13  will cause the arm  13  to rotate in a clockwise direction until the force resulting from the compression of the second spring  12   d  balances the force produced by the first spring  12   c.  In  FIG. 6A  this new balance position is shown as gear lever position  11   c  corresponding to the third plane that includes the fifth and sixth gear gates. As before a stop  16  is provided to assist with accurate alignment of the gear lever  11  with the third plane. 
         [0078]    The position of the gear lever  11  therefore mimics the motion of the moveable abutment  15   a  but it will be appreciated that when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane it can be moved by the driver from position N 1  to position N 2  or from N 1  to N 3  if the neutral position has been set to N 1  or from N 2  to N 1  or N 2  to N 3  if the neutral position has been set to N 2  or from N 3  to N 1  or from N 3  to N 2  if the neutral position has been set to N 3  by applying a load to the gear lever  11  in the required direction. 
         [0079]    Therefore by controlling the actuator  19  to move the moveable abutment  15   a  the notional neutral position can be adjusted. 
         [0080]    In  FIG. 6B  there is shown a diagrammatic side view of a third embodiment of a manual gear shift lever neutral adjusting mechanism as applied to the gear shift arrangement shown in  FIG. 5  that is in most respects the same as that previously described with reference to  FIG. 6A  and so will not be described again in detail. 
         [0081]    The third embodiment differs from that shown in  FIG. 6A  in that instead of a fixed abutment  15   b  and a moveable abutment  15   a  a single common moveable abutment  15   c  is used. 
         [0082]    With such an embodiment the forces produced by the first and second compression springs  12   c  and  12   d  remain the same unless the driver applied a force to the gear lever  11 . 
         [0083]    The position of the gear lever  11  as before mimics the position of the moveable abutment  15   c  that is to say, when the moveable abutment  15   c  is moved by the actuator  19  to the right from the second plane position  11   a  shown in  FIG. 6B  the gear lever  11  adopts the position  11   b  aligned with the first plane and when the moveable abutment  15   c  is moved by the actuator  19  to the left from the second plane position  11   a  shown in  FIG. 6B  the gear lever  11  adopts the position  11   c  aligned with the third plane. 
         [0084]    As before, when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane it can be moved by the driver from position N 1  to position N 2  or N 1  to N 3  if the neutral position has been set to N 1  or from N 2  to N 1  or N 2  to N 3  if the neutral position has been set to N 2  or from N 3  to N 1  or N 3  to N 2  if the neutral position has been set to N 3  by applying a load to the gear lever  11  in the required direction. 
         [0085]    With particular reference to  FIG. 7  there is shown a triple H gear shift providing eight forward gears and one reverse gear. 
         [0086]    First and second gear selected positions f 1  and f 2  are arranged so as to lie in a first plane, third and fourth gear selected positions f 3  and f 4  are arranged to lie in a second plane offset to the right from the first plane, fifth and sixth gear selected positions f 5  and f 6  are arranged to lie on a third plane offset to the right from the second plane and seventh and eighth gear selected positions f 7  and f 8  are arranged to lie on a fourth plane offset to the right from the third plane. The first, second, third and fourth planes extend in a Fore-Aft direction of a motor vehicle to which the gear shift is fitted. 
         [0087]    A transverse neutral plane joins the first, second, third and fourth planes and in this case is arranged at a right angle to the first, second, third and fourth planes and extends in a Left-Right transverse direction of the motor vehicle. 
         [0088]    As before a reverse gear selected position “R” is selectable by movement of the gear lever  11  into a gate lying on a sub-plane arranged parallel to but offset to the left from the first plane. 
         [0089]    The part of the first, second, third and fourth planes forward from the transverse neutral plane form respectively first, third, fifth and seventh gear gates and the part of the first, second, third and fourth planes rearward of the transverse neutral plane form respectively second, fourth, sixth and eighth gear gates. 
         [0090]    Four notional neutral positions N 1 , N 2 , N 3  and N 4  are shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0091]    The notional neutral position N 1  is aligned with the first plane ( 1 - 2  plane), the notional neutral position N 2  is aligned with the second plane ( 3 - 4  plane), the notional neutral position N 3  is aligned with the third plane ( 5 - 6  plane) and the notional neutral position N 4  is aligned with the fourth plane ( 7 - 8  plane). The notional positions N 1 , N 2 , N 3  and N 4  are the positions that a gear lever such as the gear lever  11  (shown in  FIGS. 4, 6A and 6B ) will adopt when in the transverse neutral plane with no external force applied by the driver of the motor vehicle. The positions are actual neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in the transverse neutral plane but are desired neutral positions when the gear lever  11  is in a gear engaged position hence the use of the term “notional”. 
         [0092]    As before, the mechanism used to move the notion neutral position is of a configuration that permits the gear lever when it is in the transverse neutral plane to be moved by the driver from position N 1  to positions N 2 , N 3  or N 4  if the neutral position has been set to N 1  or from N 2  to N 1 , N 3  or N 4  if the neutral position has been set to N 2  or from N 3  to N 1 , N 2  or N 4  if the neutral position has been set to N 3  or from N 4  to N 1 , N 2  or N 3  if the neutral position has been set to N 4  by the driver applying a load to the gear lever in the required direction to produce the required motion. To achieve this result the gear lever neutral adjusting mechanism includes one or more springs interposed between one or more actuators and the gear lever. 
         [0093]    Although the invention has been previously described with respect to three possible neutral adjusting mechanisms it will be appreciated that it is not limited to the specific mechanisms described which are provided by way of example. 
         [0094]    With reference to  FIG. 8  the is shown a motor vehicle MV having a gear lever neutral position adjustment system  20  in accordance with the invention for use in controlling the operation of a neutral adjusting mechanism such as the mechanisms shown in  FIGS. 4, 6A and 6B . The motor vehicle MV includes an engine  48  driving a multi-speed gearbox  49  the selection of gears within which is made by a manual gear shift mechanism  50  including the gear lever  11 . 
         [0095]    The neutral position adjustment system  20  comprises an electronic controller  25  having a number of inputs  30  and is arranged to control an actuator  19  used to adjust the position of a gear lever notional neutral position such as the notional neutral positions N 1 , N 2 , N 3  and N 4  previously discussed. 
         [0096]    In the case of this example the inputs  30  comprise a signal from an accelerator pedal position sensor  31  provided to sense the position of an accelerator pedal  30   a,  a signal from a brake pedal position sensor  32  provided to sense the position of a brake pedal  30   b,  a signal from a vehicle speed sensor  33  provided to sense the velocity or speed of the motor vehicle MV of which the system  20  forms a part. 
         [0097]    In a first embodiment of the neutral position adjustment system  20  configured for use with the H gate arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  to adjust the position of the notional neutral position based upon whether the speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater or less than a first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . In this embodiment, if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 1  shown on  FIG. 3  corresponding to the first plane. If the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 2  shown on  FIG. 3  corresponding to the second plane. 
         [0098]    With such an arrangement in most cases the driver only has to move the gear lever  11  in a forward or rearward direction because the neutral position is pre-aligned with a predicted required plane. 
         [0099]    In the case where the currently selected gear is second and the current vehicle speed ‘V’ exceeds the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 , the electronic controller  25  will use the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to N 2  ready for a change into third or fourth gear. 
         [0100]    In the case where the currently selected gear is third gear or fourth gear and the current vehicle velocity is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 , the electronic controller  25  will move the notional neutral position to N 1  ready for a change into second or first gear. 
         [0101]    It will be appreciated that the vehicle speed could be inferred from engine speed if an engaged gear sensor such as the engaged gear sensor  35  provided as one of the inputs  30 . Using the signal from the engaged gear sensor  35  and current engine speed as sensed by an engine speed sensor  36  a value for current vehicle speed can be calculated. 
         [0102]    The value of the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  will depend upon the gear ratios used for a particular vehicle but is likely to be in most cases circa 30 kph. 
         [0103]    In some embodiments the position of the accelerator pedal  30   a  and the brake pedal  30   b  can be used to supplement the vehicle speed comparison. For example if the vehicle speed is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  while first or second gear is engaged but the accelerator pedal  30   a  has been released and/or the brake pedal  30   b  is being pressed then the neutral position N 1  can be selected by the electronic controller  25 . 
         [0104]    Similarly, if the vehicle speed is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  while third or fourth gear is engaged and the accelerator pedal  30   a  is being pressed then the neutral position N 2  can be selected by the electronic controller  25 . 
         [0105]    That is to say, in some embodiments the motor vehicle parameter chosen to decide which neutral position to select can be based solely on vehicle speed and in other embodiments one or more additional vehicle operating parameters such accelerator position or brake pedal position can be combined with vehicle speed to produce the decision. 
         [0106]    In a second embodiment of the neutral position adjustment system  20  configured for use with the double H gate arrangement shown in  FIG. 5  to adjust the position of the notional neutral position based upon whether the speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater or less than respective first and second predefined vehicle speed thresholds v 1  and v 2 . 
         [0107]    In this embodiment: 
         [0108]    a/ if the current speed ‘V’ of the motor vehicle MV is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 1  shown on  FIG. 5  corresponding to the first plane; 
         [0109]    b/ if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33  but less than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 2  shown on  FIG. 5  corresponding to the second plane; and 
         [0110]    c/ if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 3  shown on  FIG. 5  corresponding to the third plane. 
         [0111]    Therefore with such an arrangement in most cases the driver only has to move the gear lever  11  in a forward or rearward direction because the neutral position is pre-aligned with a predicted required plane. 
         [0112]    As before other vehicle parameters could be combined with the vehicle speed to refine the decision as to where to position the notional neutral position. 
         [0113]    In a third embodiment of the neutral position adjustment system  20  configured for use with the triple H gate arrangement shown in  FIG. 7  to adjust the position of the notional neutral position based upon whether the speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater or less than first, second and third vehicle speed thresholds v 1 , v 2  and v 3 . 
         [0114]    In this embodiment: 
         [0115]    a/ if the current speed ‘V’ of the motor vehicle MV is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 1  shown on  FIG. 7  corresponding to the first plane; 
         [0116]    b/ if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33  but less than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 2  shown on  FIG. 7  corresponding to the second plane; 
         [0117]    c/ if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33  but less than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 3  shown on  FIG. 7  corresponding to the third plane; and 
         [0118]    d/ if the current speed of the motor vehicle MV is greater than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3  as sensed by the vehicle speed sensor  33 , the electronic controller  25  is arranged to control the actuator  19  to move the notional neutral position to the position N 4  shown on  FIG. 7  corresponding to the fourth plane. 
         [0119]    Therefore with such an arrangement in most cases the driver only has to move the gear lever in a forward or rearward direction because the neutral position is pre-aligned with a predicted required plane. 
         [0120]    As before other vehicle parameters could be combined with the vehicle speed to refine the decision as to where to position the notional neutral position. 
         [0121]    Although as previously described each transition is based upon a single vehicle speed threshold it will be appreciated that two thresholds could be provided for each transition. For example with reference to the gear arrangement shown in  FIG. 3 , when in the second plane the notional neutral position is moved from N 2  to N 1  when the vehicle speed (velocity V) is less than the speed threshold v 1  but a transition from the first plane to the second plane (N 1  to N 2 ) will not occur until the vehicle speed is greater than a speed threshold v 1 ′ which is set higher than v 1 . 
         [0122]    It will also be appreciated that the adjustment of the neutral position could be decided based upon an algorithm such as for example: 
         [0123]    Neutral Position=Function of Vehicle Speed, Accelerator Pedal Position, Brake Pedal Position and Currently engaged Gear. With such arrangement predefined fixed vehicle speed thresholds need not be used. 
         [0124]    With reference to  FIG. 9  there is shown a first embodiment of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position for an H gear selector arrangement as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0125]    The method starts at box  110  where an engine of a motor vehicle such as the motor vehicle MV is running and then advances to box  115  to check whether the current speed “V” of the motor vehicle is less than a first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . If V is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  the method advances to box  120  otherwise it advances to box  125 . 
         [0126]    In box  120  the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept so as to be with a first plane of the gear selector mechanism containing first and second gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 1  on  FIG. 3 . 
         [0127]    After executing the step of box  120  the method advances to box  140  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  150  otherwise it returns to box  115  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  140  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0128]    Referring back to box  115  if the current vehicle speed V is not less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  then the method advances from box  115  to box  125 . 
         [0129]    In box  125  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . If the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  when checked in box  125  the method advances to box  130  and the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept so as to be depending upon its current location with a second plane of the gear selector mechanism containing third and fourth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 2  on  FIG. 3 . 
         [0130]    From box  130  the method advances to box  140  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  150  otherwise it returns to box  115  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  140  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0131]    Referring back to box  125 , if current vehicle speed V is not greater than the predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  when checked in box  125  the method advances to box  140  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  150  otherwise it returns to box  115  and will continue so long as the result of the check in box  140  indicates that the engine is still running and a Key-off event has not occurred. 
         [0132]    With reference to  FIG. 10  there is shown a second embodiment of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position for a double H gear selector arrangement as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0133]    The method starts at box  210  where an engine of a motor vehicle such as the motor vehicle MV is running and then advances to box  215  to check whether the current speed “V” of the motor vehicle is less than a first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . If the vehicle speed V is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  the method advances to box  220  otherwise it advances to box  225 . 
         [0134]    In box  220  the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept, depending upon its current location, aligned with a first plane of the gear selector mechanism containing first and second gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 1  on  FIG. 5 . 
         [0135]    After executing the step of box  220  the method advances to box  250  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  290  otherwise it returns to box  215  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  250  results in a ‘NO’ outcome indicating that the engine is still running. 
         [0136]    Referring back to box  215  if the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  then the method advances from box  215  to box  225 . 
         [0137]    In box  225  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  but less than a second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  that is set higher than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . 
         [0138]    If the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  but less than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  when checked in box  225  the method advances to box  230  and the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept so as to be with a second plane of the gear selector mechanism containing third and fourth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 2  on  FIG. 5 . 
         [0139]    From box  230  the method advances to box  250  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  290  otherwise it returns to box  215  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  250  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0140]    Referring back to box  225 , if the current vehicle speed V is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  or more than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  when checked in box  225  the method advances to box  235 . 
         [0141]    In box  235  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  and if not the method advances to box  250  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  290  otherwise it returns to box  215  and will continue so long as the result of the check in box  250  indicates that the engine is still running and a Key-off event has not occurred. 
         [0142]    Returning to box  235 , if the current vehicle speed V is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2 , the method advances to box  240  where the notional neutral position is moved or kept so as to be with a third plane of the gear selector mechanism containing fifth and sixth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 3  on  FIG. 5 . 
         [0143]    From box  240  the method advances to box  250  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  290  otherwise it returns to box  215  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  250  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0144]    Referring now to  FIG. 11  there is shown a third embodiment of a method of adjusting a gear lever neutral position for a triple H gear selector arrangement as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0145]    The method starts at box  310  where an engine of a motor vehicle such as the motor vehicle MV is running and then advances to box  315  to check whether the current speed “V” of the motor vehicle is less than a first predefined speed threshold v 1 . If V is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  the method advances to box  320  otherwise it advances to box  325 . 
         [0146]    In box  320  the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept, depending upon its current location, so as to be aligned with a first plane of the gear selector mechanism containing first and second gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 1  on  FIG. 7 . 
         [0147]    After executing the step of box  320  the method advances to box  360  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  390  otherwise it returns to box  315  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  360  results in a ‘NO’ outcome indicating that the engine is still running. 
         [0148]    Referring back to box  315  if the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  then the method advances from box  315  to box  325 . 
         [0149]    In box  325  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  but less than a second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  that is set higher than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1 . 
         [0150]    If when checked in box  325  the current vehicle speed V is greater than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  but less than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  the method advances to box  330  and the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept so as to be aligned with a second plane of the gear selector mechanism containing third and fourth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 2  on  FIG. 7 . 
         [0151]    From box  330  the method advances to box  360  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  390  otherwise it returns to box  315  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  360  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0152]    Referring back to box  325 , if the current vehicle speed V is less than the first predefined vehicle speed threshold v 1  or more than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  when checked in box  325  the method advances to box  335 . 
         [0153]    In box  335  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  but less than a third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3  that is set higher than the first and second predefined threshold speeds v 1  and v 2 . 
         [0154]    If when checked in box  335  the current vehicle speed V is greater than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  but less than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3  the method advances to box  340  and the notional position of the neutral position is moved or kept so as to be aligned with a third plane of the gear selector mechanism containing fifth and sixth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 3  on  FIG. 7 . 
         [0155]    From box  340  the method advances to box  360  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  390  otherwise it returns to box  315  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  360  results in a ‘NO’ outcome. 
         [0156]    Referring back to box  335 , if the current vehicle speed V is less than the second predefined vehicle speed threshold v 2  or more than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3 , the method advances from box  335  to box  345 . 
         [0157]    In box  345  it is checked whether the current vehicle speed V is greater than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3  and if not the method advances to box  360  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  390  otherwise it returns to box  315  and will continue so long as the result of the check in box  360  indicates that the engine is still running and a Key-off event has not occurred. 
         [0158]    Returning to box  345 , if the current vehicle speed V is greater than the third predefined vehicle speed threshold v 3 , the method advances to box  350  where the notional neutral position is moved or kept so as to be aligned with a fourth plane of the gear selector mechanism containing seventh and eighth gear gates and so is positioned as shown by the reference N 4  on  FIG. 7 . 
         [0159]    From box  350  the method advances to box  360  where it is checked whether the engine is no longer running or whether a Key-off event has occurred and, if either of these events has occurred, the method ends at box  390  otherwise it returns to box  315  and will continue so long as the result of the test in box  360  results in a ‘NO’ outcome indicating that the engine is still running and there has not been a Key-off event. 
         [0160]    It will be appreciated that in the case of the three embodiments of methods of adjusting a gear lever neutral position as shown in  FIGS. 9 to 11  a single speed threshold is used irrespective of whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating. However, as previously referred to, different speed thresholds could be used for an accelerating vehicle compared to one that is decelerating and  FIGS. 12 a  and 12 b    illustrate one example of how such an approach can be applied to the second embodiment of the method shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0161]    In  FIG. 12A  the changes in neutral position are shown for an accelerating vehicle that is to say one in which the forward speed is increasing and in  FIG. 12B  the changes in neutral position are shown for a decelerating vehicle in which the forward speed is decreasing. For the accelerating case the change points are when the speed thresholds v 1  and v 2  are crossed but for the decelerating case the change in neutral position is a until further speed thresholds v 1 ′ and v 2 ′ that are lower than the first and second speed thresholds v 1  and v 2  are crossed. 
         [0162]    Although the decision on where to position the notional neutral position is based primarily on a comparison of a current vehicle speed with a predefined vehicle threshold and so requires no knowledge of the currently engaged gear it will be appreciated that other approaches can be used if knowledge of a currently engaged gear is available. 
         [0163]    For example, the current vehicle speed can be combined with information regarding the current gear, the position of an accelerator pedal and/or the position of a brake pedal. 
         [0164]    For example as applied to  FIG. 10 , if the vehicle is currently in third gear then the result from box  215  could be modified by using the test If V&lt;v 1  and either accelerator is not being pressed or brake pedal is being pressed then go to box  220  otherwise go to box  230 . 
         [0165]    Similarly, if the vehicle is currently in fourth gear then the result from box  235  could be modified by using the test If V&gt;v 2  and the accelerator is being pressed then go to box  240  otherwise go to box  230 . 
         [0166]    The overall effect of the invention is that a driver gets the sensation or perception that the gear selector mechanism is anticipating their intention and leading their hand in the direction they want requiring little or no extra effort. 
         [0167]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the invention has been described by way of example with reference to one or more embodiments it is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and that alternative embodiments could be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0168]    While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.