SHIFT CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20090062064A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamio, Shigeru, Hoshino, Keiji, KAMADA, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US12/198,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062064A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/34
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/1208 with diagnostic check cycles; Monitoring of failures
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/122 Avoiding failures by using redundant parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/1284 the failing part is a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/105 consisting of electrical switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/12 Detecting malfunction or potential malfunction, e.g. fail safe in control of hydrostatic gearing F16H61/4192; Circumventing or fixing failures

Abstract

A shift control apparatus is provided with a shift intention detecting device that electrically detects a shift intention of a driver; a shift driving device electrically controlled based on the shift intention; a shift mechanism; a first position information detecting device that detects, without contact, position information of the mechanical displacement of the shift mechanism; a shift position determining device that determines the shift position based on the position information; a second position information detecting device that detects the position information in a different way than the first position information detecting device does; a malfunction determining device that determines whether the position information detected by the first position information detecting device is erroneous; and a switching device that switches from control based on the first position information detecting device to control based on the second position information detecting device when it has been determined that the position information detected by the first position information detecting device is erroneous.

Claims

1. A shift control apparatus comprising:

a shift intention detecting device that electrically detects a shift intention of a driver;

a shift driving device that is electrically controlled based on the shift intention of the driver;

a shift mechanism that is mechanically displaced into any one of a plurality of shift positions by the shift driving device;

a first position information detecting device that detects, without contact, position information of the mechanical displacement of the shift mechanism;

a shift position determining device that determines the shift position based on the position information;

a second position information detecting device that detects the position information of the mechanical displacement of the shift mechanism in a different way than the first position information detecting device does;

a malfunction determining device that determines whether the position information detected by the first position information detecting device is erroneous; and

a switching device that switches from control based on the first position information detecting device to control based on the second position information detecting device when it has been determined that the position information detected by the first position information detecting device is erroneous.

2. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the malfunction determining device determines that the position information detected by the first position information detecting device is erroneous when a difference between the position information detected by the first position information detecting device and the position information detected by the second position information detecting device continues to be greater than a predetermined reference for more than a predetermined period of time.

3. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is a rotation angle, and the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor that continuously detects the rotation angle of a magnet, and the second position information detecting device is a rotary encoder that outputs a pulse according to an amount of rotational displacement of a shaft of the shift mechanism.

4. The shift control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor having a Hall element.

5. The shift control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor having a magnetoresistive element.

6. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is a rotation angle, and the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor that continuously detects the rotation angle of a magnet, and the second position information detecting device is a magnescale that outputs a pulse according to the rotation angle of a shaft of the shift mechanism.

7. The shift control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor having a Hall element.

8. The shift control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first position information detecting device is a noncontact rotation angle sensor having a magnetoresistive element.

9. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is a linear displacement amount, and the first position information detecting device is a gap sensor that continuously detects the position of a member that moves linearly, and the second position information detecting device is a rotary encoder that outputs a pulse according to an amount of rotational displacement of a shaft of the shift mechanism.

10. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information is a linear displacement amount, and the first position information detecting device is a gap sensor that continuously detects the position of a member that moves linearly, and the second position information detecting device is a magnescale that outputs a pulse according to a rotation angle of a shaft of the shift mechanism.

11. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift driving device is feedback-controlled based on a position voltage output from the first position information detecting device.

12. The shift control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if a malfunction is detected in the first position information detecting device by the malfunction determining device at a time other than during a shift, a shift is not performed thereafter.