RANGE SWITCH DEVICE

• US 20150000449A1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: YOSHIDA, Kazuhiro, SAKAGUCHI, Koji
• Application Number:
  US14/315,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20150000449A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/473.12
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/326 Actuators for range selection, i.e. actuators for controlling the range selector or the manual range valve in the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/105 consisting of electrical switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/32 Electric motors actuators or related electrical control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2003 Electrical actuator

Abstract

A range switch device has a range switch control without an abutment control of a motor. The range switch control detects an encoder count at a slack removed rotation position of the motor during a rotation to a target rotation position at a shift range switch time. Then, the range switch control sets the target rotation position based on the slack removed rotation position of the motor and a by-design rotation amount of the motor, in which the slack removed rotation position is detected by an encoder count that marks an output change start time of a rotation sensor and a by-design rotation amount between pre- and post-switching rotation positions regarding pre- and post-switching shift ranges.

Claims

1. A range switch device comprising:

a range switch mechanism having a plurality of shift ranges;

a motor driving an operating shaft of the range switch mechanism to switch a shift range between one of the plurality of shift ranges;

an encoder sensing a rotation of the motor and outputting a pulse signal in synchronization with the rotation of the motor;

a controller controlling the motor to rotate, based on an encoder count of the output of the pulse signal from the encoder, to a target rotation position that corresponds to a target shift range to switch the shift range to the target shift range;

a rotation sensor outputting an output signal according to a rotation angle of the operating shaft of the range switch mechanism which is rotated by the motor; and

a target rotation position setting part detecting a slack removed position of the motor and setting the target rotation position when the motor rotates to switch to the target rotation position, wherein

the slack removed position is defined as a rotation position of the motor based on an encoder count that indicates a start of a changing of the output signal from the rotation sensor, and

the target rotation position of the motor is set based on (a) the slack removed position of the motor and (b) a by-design rotation amount of the motor between a pre-switching shift range and the target shift range.

2. A range switch device comprising:

a range switch mechanism having a plurality of shift ranges;

a motor driving an operating shaft of the range switch mechanism to switch a shift range between one of the plurality of shift ranges;

an encoder sensing a rotation of the motor and outputting a rotation position of the motor as an encoder count;

a controller controlling the motor to rotate, based on the encoder count, to a target rotation position that corresponds to a target shift range to switch the shift range to the target shift range;

a rotation sensor outputting a signal indicative of a rotation angle of an operating shaft of the range switch mechanism which is rotated by the motor;

a slack amount learning part that learns, when a preset learn condition is fulfilled, an amount of slack in a rotation transmission system that transmits a rotation of the motor based on

(i) a first encoder count of the rotation sensor at a first output change start time when the motor rotates relative to the initial position along a first rotation direction, and

(ii) a second encoder count of the rotation sensor at a second output change start time when the motor rotates relative to the initial position along a second rotation direction that is opposite to the first rotation direction; and

a target rotation position setting part that sets, when the motor is caused to rotate to switch the shift range, the target rotation position according to a learned value of the amount of slack.