Vehicle control apparatus

• US 8,301,350 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Yuji, Sato, Tsuyoshi, Nishimura, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US12/720,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20100168954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/29.5, 701/62, 701/63, 475/117
• US Class Current: 701/62
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/72 dependent on oil characteristics, e.g. temperature, viscosity
• 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 61/686 with orbital gears

Abstract

In a control apparatus of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is a failsafe control that blocks power transmission from a drive source to drive wheels by releasing clutches of an automatic transmission when there is a shift switching failure. In consideration of the fact that when a working oil temperature of the automatic transmission is low (below the freezing point, for example), the viscosity of the working oil is high and response for power blocking is poor, in a case where an oil temperature at the time of a shift switching request is low (steps ST2 and ST3), the power transmission is blocked by releasing the clutches of the automatic transmission at the same time as the shift switching request (step ST11). Thus, a clutch release delay occurring when there is a shift switching failure at a low oil temperature is prevented.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a vehicle in which a by-wire shift-switching apparatus that switches a shift range using an actuator is mounted, comprising:

means for blocking power transmission from a drive source to drive wheels of the vehicle;

means for detecting a working oil temperature of the blocking means; and

means for detecting a failure of the by-wire shift-switching apparatus;

wherein, in a case where the working oil temperature is lower than a preset threshold, the power transmission is blocked regardless of a result of the detecting means.

2. The control apparatus of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the working oil temperature is at least the preset threshold, the power transmission is blocked based on the detecting means detecting a failure of the by-wire shift-switching apparatus.

3. The control apparatus of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the blocking means includes releasing a frictionally engaging element of a hydraulic automatic transmission mounted in the vehicle in order to block the power transmission.

4. The control apparatus of the vehicle according to claim 3, comprising means for detecting a working oil temperature of the hydraulic automatic transmission,

wherein, when a current shift range is a drive range or a reverse range, in a case where the working oil temperature of the hydraulic automatic transmission at a time of a shift switching request is lower than the preset threshold, the power transmission is blocked by releasing the frictionally engaging element of the hydraulic automatic transmission at a same time as the shift switching request, and in a case where the working oil temperature of the hydraulic automatic transmission is at least the preset threshold, the power transmission is blocked by releasing the frictionally engaging element of the hydraulic automatic transmission when a failure of the by-wire shift-switching apparatus is detected.

5. A control apparatus of a vehicle in which a by-wire shift-switching apparatus that switches a shift range using an actuator is mounted, comprising:

means for blocking power transmission from a drive source to drive wheels of the vehicle;

means for detecting a working oil temperature of the blocking means; and

means for detecting a failure of the by-wire shift-switching apparatus;

wherein, in a case where the working oil temperature is lower than a preset threshold, the power transmission is blocked before a failure of the by-wire shift-switching apparatus is detected.