Shift control mechanism to manually shift an automatic transmission

摘要

A shift control mechanism for manually shifting an automatic transmission includes a housing having a shift control pattern The shift control pattern has a longitudinal portion defining a plurality of automatic transmission operating settings and a transverse portion at one end of the longitudinal portion for manually shifting the transmission. The shift control mechanism additionally includes a shift lever manually movable along the shift control pattern for selecting the automatic transmission operating settings and for manually shifting the transmission. A switch is provided which is actuated by moving the shift lever in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal portion in the transverse portion to send a signal to manually upshift or downshift the automatic transmission. A centering mechanism centers the shift lever within the transverse portion.