Steering wheel mounting for transmission shift controls

1. A steering wheel that has an axis of turning for steering a motor vehicle that has an engine, a drivetrain, a transmission that provides different gear ratios for coupling the engine to the drivetrain, and a transmission controller that in an automatic mode automatically shifts the transmission from one gear ratio to another in response to changing vehicle torque requirements and in a manual mode shifts the transmission from one gear ratio to another in response to manual actuation of a shift command device, the steering wheel comprising:

a module that contains both the shift command device and a mode selection device for selecting between the automatic and manual modes.

2. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mode selection device comprises a mode selection switch having a depressible actuator for causing the switch to issue a signal for changing the mode from one mode to the other.

3. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 2 wherein the depressible actuator is arranged to be depressed by the thumb tip of one hand of a driver while the driver's fingers of the same hand remain curled around a portion of a rim of the steering wheel that is radially outward of the depressible actuator relative to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

4. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 3 wherein the actuator is depressible in a direction generally parallel to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

5. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 2 wherein the shift command device comprises both an upshift command switch and a downshift command switch.

6. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 5 wherein an actuator for the upshift command switch and an actuator for the downshift command switch are disposed to respective circumferential sides of the mode selection switch actuator.

7. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 6 wherein the actuator for the upshift command switch is disposed circumferentially counterclockwise of the actuator for the mode selection switch as viewed by the driver.

8. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 7 wherein actuators for both the upshift command switch and the downshift command switch are depressible in a direction generally parallel to the axis of turning of the steering wheel, and the depressible actuator of the mode selection switch is also depressible in a direction generally parallel to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

9. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the module comprises additional control devices each having a respective depressible actuator and collectively occupying a zone from which an actuator for the mode selection switch and an actuator for the shift command device protrude radially further outward relative to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

10. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 9 wherein the shift command device comprises an upshift command switch and a downshift command switch each having a respective depressible actuator, the mode selection device comprises a mode selection switch having a depressible actuator, and the actuators of the upshift command switch, the downshift command switch, and the mode selection switch are arranged in circumferential succession about the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

11. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 10 wherein the actuator of the upshift command switch is disposed circumferentially counterclockwise of the actuator of the mode selection switch as viewed by the driver, and the actuator of the downshift command switch is disposed circumferentially clockwise of the actuator of the mode selection switch as viewed by the driver.

12. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of the actuators of the upshift command switch, of the mode selection switch, and of the downshift command switch, and the actuators of at least some of the additional control devices are depressible in a direction generally parallel to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

13. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the steering wheel comprises a hub, a rim, and spokes joining the rim to the hub, and the module is fastened to circumferentially adjacent spokes.

14. A steering wheel as set forth in claim 13 wherein the module is disposed in a zone of the steering wheel between 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions when the steering wheel is in a position that would be steering a vehicle in a straight line.

15. A motor vehicle comprising:

a steering wheel that can be grasped by a driver who is facing the steering wheel and turned about an axis of turning to steer the vehicle,

an engine,

a drivetrain,

a transmission that provides different gear ratios for coupling the engine to the drivetrain, and

a transmission controller that in a first mode automatically shifts the transmission from one gear ratio to another in response to changing vehicle torque requirements and in a second mode shifts the transmission from one gear ratio to another in response to actuation of a shift command device by a driver of the vehicle,

wherein a mode selection device for selecting between the first and second modes and the shift command device are both disposed on the steering wheel in the same semi-circumference of the steering wheel to one side of a diameter of the steering wheel that as viewed by the driver extends between 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions when the steering wheel is steering the vehicle in a straight line;

wherein the mode selection device and the shift command device are disposed in a module with each device comprising a respective depressible actuator, and the module comprises additional control devices each having a respective depressible actuator and collectively occupying a zone from which the actuators of the mode selection device and the shift command device protrude radially further outward relative to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

16. A motor vehicle as set forth in claim 15 wherein the shift command device comprises an upshift command switch and a downshift command switch each of which is actuated by its own respective depressible actuator, the mode selection device comprises a mode selection switch actuated by the actuator of the mode selection device, and the actuators of the upshift command switch, the downshift command switch, and the mode selection device are arranged in circumferential succession about the axis of turning of the steering wheel.

17. A motor vehicle as set forth in claim 16 wherein the actuator of the upshift command switch is disposed circumferentially counterclockwise of the actuator of the mode selection device as viewed by the driver, and the actuator of the downshift command switch is disposed circumferentially clockwise of the actuator of the mode selection device as viewed by the driver.

18. A motor vehicle as set forth in claim 16 wherein each of the actuators of the upshift command switch, of the mode selection device, and of the downshift command switch, and the actuators of at least some of the additional control devices are depressible in a direction generally parallel to the axis of turning of the steering wheel.