Patent ID: 8521376

Claim:
A device for monitoring a transmission, comprising: a first sensor; a second sensor; and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to: receive sensor data related to position of a first gear in the transmission, the sensor data including data from the first sensor and data from the second sensor; determine a first indicated position of the first gear from the data from the first sensor; determine a second indicated position of the first gear from the data from the second sensor; compare the first indicated position to the second indicated position; determine based on the comparison a gear engagement status of the gear wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are attached to a first shift rail in a shift rail transmission, wherein the transmission includes a plurality of gears including the first gear, and wherein the first shift rail moves a gear engagement element to selectively engage the first gear at a first end of a first shift rail travel path or to engage a second gear of the plurality of gears at a second end of the first shift rail travel path, wherein the first sensor is situated to indicate engagement of the first gear and the second sensor is situated to indicate engagement of the second gear, and wherein the control unit is further configured to: detect engagement of the first gear by using data from the second sensor as cross-check information for cross-checking the first indicated position determined from the data from the first sensor; and detect engagement of the second gear by using the data from the first sensor as cross-check information for cross-checking the second indicated position determined from the data from the second sensor.