Patent ID: 7559822

Claim:
An electronic shift lockout system for a powered scale model vehicle, comprising: a radio control receiver, the receiver being adapted to output a throttle signal and a shift signal; a sensor adapted to provide a rotational speed signal corresponding to an actual rotational speed of at least a portion of a transmission for the vehicle; and a microcontroller electrically coupled to the receiver and the sensor, the microcontroller being adapted to control a forward/reverse shift of the transmission based on the rotational speed signal, the throttle signal, and the shift signal; wherein the microcontroller comprises a logic program adapted to control a method comprising: determining whether the rotational speed signal from the sensor is less than a threshold speed value; if the rotational speed signal is not less than the threshold speed value, making a throttle output signal the same as a throttle input signal, preventing the forward/reverse shift from being initiated, and repeating the step of determining whether the rotational speed signal is less than the threshold speed value; if the rotational speed signal is less than the threshold speed value, determining whether the throttle input signal is greater than a threshold throttle value; if the throttle input signal is greater than the threshold throttle value, making the throttle output signal the same as the throttle input signal, preventing the forward/reverse shift from being initiated, and repeating the step of determining whether the rotational speed signal is less than the threshold speed value, and repeating the step of determining whether the throttle input signal is greater than the threshold throttle value; if the throttle input signal is not greater than the threshold throttle value, starting a throttle delay timer, initiating the forward/reverse gear shift, and keeping the throttle output signal at or below the threshold throttle value independently of the throttle input signal while the throttle delay timer is running; determining whether a delay time has elapsed on the throttle delay timer; if the delay time has not elapsed, continuing the step of performing the forward/reverse gear shift if not completed and keeping the throttle output signal at or below the threshold throttle value regardless of the throttle input signal while the throttle delay timer is running; and if the delay time has elapsed on the throttle delay timer, making the throttle output signal the same as the throttle input signal.