SHIFT SWITCHING DEVICE

• US 20100168956A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueno, Koki
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/34
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/1232 Bringing the control into a predefined state, e.g. giving priority to particular actuators or gear ratios
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/1268 Electric parts of the controller, e.g. a defect solenoid, wiring or microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/1272 the failing part is a part of the final output mechanism, e.g. shift rods or forks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/48 Signals to a parking brake or parking lock; Control of parking locks or brakes being part of the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1926 Speed responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2003 Electrical actuator

Abstract

An HV-ECU executes a program including a step (S102) of turning on a fail-safe permission flag if a select sensor is abnormal (YES in step S100), and a step (S108) of transmitting a non-P request signal to a P-ECU if the position of a shift lever is read as the N position (YES in S104) and a predetermined time Tn(2) elapses (YES in S106).

Claims

1. A shift switching device comprising a first detection unit detecting a position of a shift lever moving along a shift gate in a first direction and a second detection unit detecting a position of the shift lever in a second direction, for switching a shift position of a transmission mounted in a vehicle based on the position in the first direction and the position in the second direction, wherein

said shift position includes at least a parking position and a shift position different from said parking position,

a position corresponding to the shift position different from said parking position is set in said shift gate,

said shift switching device further comprises a processing unit specifying a shift position based on detection results of said first detection unit and said second detection unit, and

said processing unit determines whether or not said first detection unit is abnormal, and in a case where said processing unit determines that said first detection unit is abnormal, and said shift lever is moved to the shift position different from said parking position by manipulation of a driver, said processing unit changes a the shift position specified based on the detection results of said first and second detection units to a shift position releasing said parking position.

2. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where said first detection unit is abnormal and in addition said specified shift position is said parking position, said processing unit changes the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever to the shift position releasing said parking position.

3. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein

a reference position serving as a starting point of manipulation of said shift lever is set in said shift gate, and

in a case where said first detection unit is abnormal and in addition the position of said shift lever is maintained at said reference position until a predetermined time elapses, said processing unit changes the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever to the shift position releasing said parking position.

4. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein

said shift position further includes a neutral position and a plurality of shift positions related to driving of the vehicle, and

in a case where said first detection unit is abnormal, said processing unit changes at least one of said plurality of shift positions corresponding to the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said second direction when said first detection unit is abnormal, to said neutral position.

5. The shift switching device according to claim 4, wherein said neutral position corresponds to a position at one end of a range in which said shift lever is movable in said first direction.

6. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit determines whether or not said first detection unit is abnormal based on a detection result of said first detection unit.

7. The shift switching device according to claim 6, wherein

said first detection unit outputs a voltage corresponding to the position of said shift lever in said first direction, and

said processing unit determines whether or not said first detection unit is abnormal based on a state of said output voltage.

8. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said first direction is not a position corresponding to the shift position of the transmission in relation to the position in said second direction, said processing unit determines that said first detection unit is abnormal.

9. The shift switching device according to claim 8, wherein

said shift position further includes a neutral position, and

in the case where the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said first direction is not the position corresponding to the shift position of the transmission in relation to the position in said second direction, said processing unit changes the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever to the neutral position.

10. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein

if the position of said shift lever is maintained until a predetermined first time elapses, said shift switching device switches the shift position of said transmission to the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever, and

in a case where said first detection unit is abnormal, if the position of said shift lever is maintained until a predetermined second time longer than said first time elapses, said shift switching device switches the shift position of said transmission to the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever.

11. The shift switching device according to claim 1, wherein said shift lever is a momentary-type shift lever.

12. A shift switching device comprising first detection means detecting a position of a shift lever moving along a shift gate in a first direction and second detection means detecting a position of the shift lever in a second direction, for switching a shift position of a transmission mounted in a vehicle based on the position in the first direction and the position in the second direction, wherein

said shift position includes at least a parking position and a shift position different from said parking position,

a position corresponding to the shift position different from said parking position is set in said shift gate, and

said shift switching device includes

specifying means for specifying a shift position based on detection results of said first detection means and said second detection means,

abnormality determination means for determining whether or not said first detection means is abnormal, and

changing means for changing, in a case where said first detection means is determined as abnormal and said shift lever is moved to the shift position different from said parking position by manipulation of a driver, a the shift position specified based on the detection results of said first and second detection means to a shift position releasing said parking position.

13. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein said changing means includes means for changing, in a case where said first detection means is abnormal and in addition said specified shift position is said parking position, the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever to the shift position releasing said parking position.

14. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein

a reference position serving as a starting point of manipulation of said shift lever is set in said shift gate, and

said changing means includes means for changing, in a case where said first detection means is abnormal and in addition the position of said shift lever is maintained at said reference position until a predetermined time elapses, the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever to the shift position releasing said parking position.

15. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein

said shift position further includes a neutral position and a plurality of shift positions related to driving of the vehicle, and

said changing means includes means for changing, in a case where said first detection means is abnormal, at least one of said plurality of shift positions corresponding to the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said second direction when said first detection means is abnormal, to said neutral position.

16. The shift switching device according to claim 15, wherein said neutral position corresponds to a position at one end of a range in which said shift lever is movable in said first direction.

17. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein said abnormality determination means includes means for determining whether or not said first detection means is abnormal based on a detection result of said first detection means.

18. The shift switching device according to claim 17, wherein

said first detection means includes means for outputting a voltage corresponding to the position of said shift lever in said first direction, and

said abnormality determination means includes means for determining whether or not said first detection means is abnormal based on a state of said output voltage.

19. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein said abnormality determination means includes means for determining that said first detection means is abnormal in a case where the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said first direction is not a position corresponding to the shift position of the transmission in relation to the position in said second direction.

20. The shift switching device according to claim 19, wherein

said shift position further includes a neutral position, and

said changing means includes means for changing the shift position corresponding to said shift lever to the neutral position in the case where the position of said shift lever specified by the position in said first direction is not the position corresponding to the shift position of the transmission in relation to the position in said second direction.

21. The shift switching device according to claim 12, further comprising:

means for switching the shift position of said transmission to the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever if the position of said shift lever is maintained until a predetermined first time elapses, and

means for switching, in a case where said first detection means is abnormal, the shift position of said transmission to the shift position corresponding to the position of said shift lever if the position of said shift lever is maintained until a predetermined second time longer than said first time elapses.

22. The shift switching device according to claim 12, wherein said shift lever is a momentary-type shift lever.