阅读说明：本技术 换档装置 (Gear shift device ) 是由 中村淳哉 于 2018-03-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种换档装置。该换档装置的控制部构成为基于非启动状态与启动状态的驱动部旋转角度的变化量、以及非启动状态与启动状态的切换机构部转动角度的变化量双方,在从非启动状态移至启动状态时进行与换档切换机构部相对于旋转驱动部的相对位置相关的学习处理。(The invention provides a gear shifting device. The control unit of the shift device is configured to perform a learning process regarding a relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit with respect to the rotational driving unit when the shift device is shifted from the non-activated state to the activated state, based on both a change amount of a rotational angle of the driving unit in the non-activated state and the activated state and a change amount of a rotational angle of the switching mechanism unit in the non-activated state and the activated state.)

1. A gear shift device is provided with:

a shift switching mechanism unit for switching shift positions;

a rotation driving unit configured to be switched between an activated state and a non-activated state and configured to generate a rotational driving force for rotationally driving the shift switching mechanism unit;

a drive unit rotation angle detection unit that detects a drive unit rotation angle generated by the rotational drive of the rotational drive unit;

a switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit that detects a switching mechanism unit rotation angle generated by rotational driving of the shift switching mechanism unit; and

a control unit for controlling the rotation driving unit,

the control unit is configured to perform a learning process regarding a relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit with respect to the rotary drive unit when the shift switching mechanism unit is shifted from the non-activated state to the activated state, based on both a change amount of the rotation angle of the drive unit in the non-activated state and the activated state and a change amount of the rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit in the non-activated state and the activated state.

2. The gear shift device according to claim 1,

the shift switching mechanism unit is configured to switch between a driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit is rotationally driven in accordance with rotational driving of the rotational driving unit and a non-driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit is not rotationally driven in accordance with rotational driving of the rotational driving unit,

the shift switching mechanism unit is configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotation driving unit performs rotation driving at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation.

3. The shift device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a driving force transmission mechanism including a driving section side member provided on the rotational driving section side and a driven section side member provided on the shift switching mechanism section side and rotating in accordance with rotation of the driving section side member, the driving force transmission mechanism transmitting a driving force from the rotational driving section side to rotationally drive the shift switching mechanism section,

the shift switching mechanism is configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotation driving unit is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation by providing a predetermined amount of clearance between the driving unit side member and the driven unit side member.

4. The shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores information on the rotation angle of the drive unit and information on the rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit;

the control unit is configured to stop power supply to the driving unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit after the information on the driving unit rotation angle and the information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle are stored in the storage unit when the control unit shifts to the non-activated state,

the control unit is configured to restart power supply to the driving unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit when the vehicle is shifted to the activated state, acquire information on the driving unit rotation angle and information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle stored in the storage unit, and acquire a change amount of the driving unit rotation angle between the inactivated state and the activated state and a change amount of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle between the inactivated state and the activated state.

5. The gear shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the control unit is configured to perform a learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit when returning from the non-activated state to the activated state, when a change amount of the drive unit rotation angle between the non-activated state and the activated state is equal to or greater than a drive unit threshold value, or when a change amount of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle between the non-activated state and the activated state is equal to or greater than a switching mechanism unit threshold value.

6. The gear shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit includes: a magnetic force generating part fixed without rotation, and a magnetic force detecting part rotating together with the shift switching mechanism part,

the magnetic force generating unit is arranged in an arc shape over a range wider than a rotation range of the shift switching mechanism unit.

7. The shifter of claim 3 wherein

The driving part side member has a first engaging part,

the driven part side member includes: and a second engaging portion that engages with the first engaging portion with the predetermined amount of clearance and transmits a driving force from the driving portion side member.

8. The gear shift device according to claim 7,

the first engaging portion is a long hole extending in an arc shape in the rotational direction,

the second engaging portion has an outer diameter having a length substantially equal to a length of the elongated hole in the width direction, and is a cylindrical projecting portion inserted into the elongated hole,

the predetermined amount of clearance has a length obtained by subtracting a length occupied by the cylindrical protrusion from a length of the long hole in the longitudinal direction.

9. The shift device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

a driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the rotational driving unit side to rotationally drive the shift switching mechanism unit,

the shift switching mechanism unit includes an output shaft portion connected to the driving force transmission mechanism and detecting a rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit by the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a gear shift device.

Background

A shift device including a shift switching mechanism unit for switching a shift position is known. Such a shift device is described in, for example, japanese patent No. 5605254.

Japanese patent No. 5605254 discloses a liquid crystal display device including: a control device including a motor (rotation driving unit) for moving the position of the manual lever, the control device being configured to move the manual lever in accordance with the position of the lever operated by the driver of the vehicle; and a shift-by-wire device (shift device) of a microcomputer (control unit). The control device of the shift-by-wire device described in japanese patent No. 5605254 includes an encoder that outputs a signal in units of the rotation angle of the motor. The microcomputer is configured to count a signal from the encoder, thereby acquiring a rotational position of the motor. The microcomputer is configured to be capable of switching between a wake-up state (an active state) in which the motor is driven and a sleep state (an inactive state) in which power supply to the motor and some devices is cut off or reduced to suppress power consumption.

Here, in the shift-by-wire apparatus disclosed in japanese patent No. 5605254, when the rotational position of the motor changes due to vibration or the like in the sleep state, the rotational position is initialized and the like (learning process) is performed when the state changes from the sleep state to the awake state. In order to initialize the rotational position, the shift-by-wire apparatus disclosed in japanese patent No. 5605254 supplies power to an encoder that detects the rotational angle of the motor even in a sleep state. In the shift-by-wire apparatus disclosed in japanese patent No. 5605254, when the signal of the encoder changes, the microcomputer is restarted to switch to the wake-up state, and power supply to the devices such as the motor is restarted.

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5605254

However, in the shift-by-wire apparatus (shift apparatus) of japanese patent No. 5605254, power is supplied to the encoder even in the sleep state in order to initialize the rotational position or the like, and therefore there is a problem that power consumption in the sleep state (non-activated state) cannot be sufficiently reduced. Further, when the signal transmission of the encoder changes, the microcomputer is restarted and switched to the awake state, and therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of the shift-by-wire apparatus further increases.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shift device capable of reducing power consumption and performing a learning process regarding a relative position of a shift switching mechanism unit when shifting from a non-activated state to an activated state.

In order to achieve the above object, a shift device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a shift switching mechanism unit for switching shift positions; a rotation driving unit configured to switch between an activated state and a non-activated state and generate a rotational driving force for rotationally driving the shift switching mechanism unit; a drive unit rotation angle detection unit that detects a drive unit rotation angle generated by rotational driving of the rotational drive unit; a switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit that detects a switching mechanism unit rotation angle generated by rotational driving of the shift switching mechanism unit; and a control unit configured to control the rotation driving unit, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a learning process regarding a relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit with respect to the rotation driving unit when moving from the non-activated state to the activated state, based on both a variation in a rotation angle of the driving unit between the non-activated state and the activated state and a variation in a rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit between the non-activated state and the activated state.

As described above, the shift device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the drive unit rotation angle detection unit that detects the drive unit rotation angle, and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit that detects the switching mechanism unit rotation angle. The control unit is configured to perform a learning process regarding a relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit with respect to the rotary drive unit when the shift switching mechanism unit is shifted from the non-activated state to the activated state, based on both a change amount of a rotation angle of the drive unit in the non-activated state and the activated state and a change amount of a rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit in the non-activated state and the activated state. Thus, even if both the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit are not energized in the non-activated state, the learning process relating to the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit can be performed when moving from the non-activated state to the activated state based on the amount of change in the drive unit rotation angle and the amount of change in the switching mechanism unit rotation angle in the non-activated state and the activated state. As a result, the power consumption in the non-activated state of the shifting device can be sufficiently reduced. In addition, in the non-activated state, it is not necessary to switch to the activated state in accordance with a change in the output of the driving unit rotation angle detecting unit or the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detecting unit, and therefore an increase in power consumption of the shift device can be suppressed. As a result, the power consumption of the shift device can be reduced, and the learning process relating to the relative position of the shift switching mechanism portion can be performed when the shift device is shifted from the non-activated state to the activated state.

As described above, the shift device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit. Thus, for example, even when there is no change in a signal from either the drive unit rotation angle detection unit or the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit, the rotational position of the rotary drive unit can be reliably grasped from the detection result of the other of the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit. As a result, the shift position can be appropriately controlled in the shifting device.

In the above-described shifting device, it is preferable that the shift switching mechanism unit is configured to switch between a driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit performs rotation drive in accordance with rotation drive of the rotation drive unit and a non-driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit does not perform rotation drive in accordance with rotation drive of the rotation drive unit, and that the shift switching mechanism unit is configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state in a range in which the rotation drive unit performs rotation drive at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation.

With this configuration, the rotation of the rotary drive unit can be suppressed from being performed at an electrical angle equal to or greater than one rotation in the non-driven rotation state. Thus, for example, even when the signal from the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit does not change due to the shift switching mechanism unit being in the non-driven rotation state, the shift switching mechanism unit can be switched to the driven rotation state before the rotary drive unit rotates by an electrical angle equal to or greater than one rotation and the signals from the drive unit rotation angle detection unit become equal to each other. Therefore, the shift position can be appropriately controlled by the shifting device.

In this case, it is preferable that the shift switching mechanism unit further includes a driving force transmission mechanism including a driving unit side member provided on the rotational driving unit side and a driven unit side member provided on the shift switching mechanism unit side and rotating in accordance with rotation of the driving unit side member, and the shift switching mechanism unit is configured to be switched from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotational driving unit is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation by providing a predetermined amount of clearance between the driving unit side member and the driven unit side member by transmitting a driving force from the rotational driving unit side to rotationally drive the shift switching mechanism unit.

According to this configuration, the shift switching mechanism unit can be easily configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotary drive unit is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation by the driving force transmission mechanism in which the predetermined amount of clearance is provided between the driving unit side member and the driven unit side member. Further, it is possible to use a driving force transmission mechanism having a driving portion side member and a driven portion side member, and thereby appropriately change the number of rotations of the rotational driving portion when transmitting the rotational driving force to the shift switching mechanism portion.

In the above-described gear shift device, it is preferable that the gear shift device further includes: a storage unit that stores information on a rotation angle of the drive unit and information on a rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit; the control unit is configured to stop power supply to the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit after storing information on the drive unit rotation angle and information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle in the storage unit when the control unit shifts to the non-activated state, and configured to restart power supply to the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit when the control unit shifts to the activated state, acquire the information on the drive unit rotation angle and the information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle stored in the storage unit, and acquire a change amount of the drive unit rotation angle in the non-activated state and the activated state and a change amount of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle in the non-activated state and the activated state.

With this configuration, the control unit acquires the information on the drive unit rotation angle and the information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle, which are stored in the storage unit when the control unit shifts to the activated state, when the control unit shifts to the deactivated state, and thus, the control unit can reliably perform the learning process on the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit with respect to the rotation drive unit. The control unit is configured to stop the supply of power to the drive unit rotation angle detection unit and the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit after the information on the drive unit rotation angle and the information on the switching mechanism unit rotation angle are stored in the storage unit. Thus, the information on the rotation angle of the driving portion and the information on the rotation angle of the switching mechanism portion can be stored, and the power consumption of the shift device can be reduced in advance and reliably.

In the above-described shift device according to the aspect, it is preferable that the control unit is configured to perform the learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit when returning from the non-activated state to the activated state, when a change amount of the drive unit rotation angle between the non-activated state and the activated state is equal to or greater than a drive unit threshold value, or when a change amount of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle between the non-activated state and the activated state is equal to or greater than a switching mechanism unit threshold value.

According to this configuration, when the amount of change in the rotation angle of the driving unit between the non-activated state and the activated state is smaller than the driving unit threshold value and the amount of change in the rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit between the non-activated state and the activated state is smaller than the switching mechanism unit threshold value, the control unit can be configured in such a manner without performing the learning process. Thus, for example, in the case of performing the wall touch control (control of learning the reference position by rotating the rotation driving unit to the limit of the movable range) as the learning process, it is possible to suppress the application of an unnecessary load to the rotation driving unit or the like.

In the aforementioned shifting device, the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit preferably includes: the shift switching mechanism unit includes a magnetic force generating unit fixed so as not to rotate, and a magnetic force detecting unit rotating together with the shift switching mechanism unit, and the magnetic force generating unit is arranged in an arc shape over a range wider than a rotation range of the shift switching mechanism unit.

With this configuration, the magnetic force detector can reliably detect the shift change mechanism unit over the entire range of rotation.

In the shift device further including the driving force transmission mechanism including the driving-side member and the driven-side member, it is preferable that the driving-side member includes a first engagement portion, and the driven-side member includes: and a second engaging portion that engages with the first engaging portion with a predetermined amount of clearance and transmits a driving force from the driving portion side member.

According to such a configuration, the relative free rotation (free rotation) between the driving-unit-side member and the driven-unit-side member can be allowed by a predetermined amount of clearance generated by the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion that engage with each other, and therefore, the non-driven rotation state can be easily ensured.

In the shift device in which the driven part side member has the second engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion with a predetermined amount of clearance from the first engagement portion, it is preferable that the first engagement portion is an elongated hole that extends in an arc shape in the rotational direction, the second engagement portion has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the length of the elongated hole in the width direction, and is a cylindrical protrusion that is inserted into the elongated hole, and the predetermined amount of clearance has a length obtained by subtracting the length occupied by the cylindrical protrusion from the length of the elongated hole in the longitudinal direction.

According to this configuration, by providing a predetermined amount of clearance between the elongated hole and the cylindrical projecting portion, the shift switching mechanism portion can be easily configured to be switched from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotation driving portion is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation.

In the shift device according to the above aspect, the shift device further includes: and a drive force transmission mechanism for transmitting a drive force from the rotational drive unit side to rotationally drive the shift switching mechanism unit, wherein the shift switching mechanism unit includes an output shaft portion connected to the drive force transmission mechanism and detecting a rotational angle of the switching mechanism unit by a switching mechanism unit rotational angle detection unit.

With this configuration, the rotation angle of the output shaft connected to the drive force transmission mechanism is set to the rotation angle of the shift switching mechanism unit, whereby the gear shift device can be easily configured to detect the rotation angle of the switching mechanism unit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a shifting apparatus according to a first and second embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the entire configuration of a shift device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a positioning plate constituting a shifting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an actuator unit constituting a shifting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a structure of a speed reduction mechanism portion in an actuator unit constituting a shift device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view for explaining a rotation range of a final gear constituting the shifting device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a state (driven rotation state) of an intermediate gear on the motor side and an intermediate gear on the shift switching mechanism side constituting a shifting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a state (non-driven rotation state) of an intermediate gear on the motor side and an intermediate gear on the shift switching mechanism side constituting a shifting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining changes in the mode numbers and the output voltages in the shift device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a control flow of the ECU at the time of the sleep state transition of the shifting device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a control flow of the ECU at the time of the wake-up state transition of the shifting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a control flow of the ECU at the time of the wake-up state transition of the shifting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

< first embodiment >

First, the configuration of a shift device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 8.

A shift device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle 110 such as an automobile. As shown in fig. 1, in vehicle 110, when a passenger (driver) performs a switching operation of a shift via operation unit 111 such as a shift lever (or a shift switch), switching control of an electrical shift position of transmission mechanism unit 120 is performed. That is, the position of the shift lever is input to the shift device 100 side via the shift sensor 112 provided in the operation portion 111. Then, the transmission mechanism portion 120 is switched to any one of a P (parking) position, an R (reverse) position, an N (neutral) position, and a D (forward) position corresponding to a shift operation by a passenger (see fig. 2 and 3) based on a control signal transmitted from a dedicated ECU50 (an example of a control portion) provided in the shift device 100. Such shift position switching control is called shift-by-wire (SBW).

The shift device 100 includes: an actuator unit 60, and a shift switching mechanism unit 70 driven by the actuator unit 60. As shown in fig. 2, shift switching mechanism unit 70 is mechanically connected to hydraulic control circuit unit 130 and parking mechanism unit 140 in transmission mechanism unit 120. Then, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 is driven, and the shift position of the transmission mechanism unit 120 is mechanically switched.

(constitution of the Shift switching mechanism portion)

As shown in fig. 2, the shift switching mechanism portion 70 includes a detent plate 71 and a detent spring 72. As shown in fig. 3, the positioning plate 71 has four trough portions 71a corresponding to the P position, the R position, the N position, and the D position, respectively. The positioning spring 72 has a function of holding (fixing) the positioning plate 71 at any one of the four valley portions 71 a. Specifically, one end of the positioning spring 72 is fixed to a housing 121 (see fig. 2) of the transmission mechanism 120, and the roller 73 is attached to the other end. The roller portion 73 is biased toward the output shaft 25 by a positioning spring 72, which will be described later, and the roller portion 73 can be fitted into any one of the four trough portions 71 a.

As shown in fig. 2, the positioning plate 71 is fixed to the lower end portion (Z2 side) of the output shaft 25, and the positioning plate 71 rotates around the rotation axis C1 integrally with the output shaft 25. Thereby, the positioning spring 72 slides the roller portion 73 in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation (oscillation) of the positioning plate 71 in the arrow a1 direction or the arrow a2 direction. The shift switching mechanism unit 70 is configured to hold the shift position by the biasing force F of the positioning spring 72 in a state where the sliding roller portion 73 is fitted in any one of the valley portions 71 a.

The positioning plate 71 further includes an arm portion 74 and an arm portion 75. The arm portion 74 is connected to the hydraulic control circuit portion 130. The hydraulic control circuit unit 130 is configured to form a hydraulic circuit corresponding to each shift position when the shift position is switched to any one of the positions other than the P position. The arm portion 75 is connected to the parking mechanism portion 140. The parking mechanism 140 is configured to restrict rotation of a crankshaft, not shown, when the shift position is switched to the P position, and to not restrict rotation of the crankshaft when the shift position is switched to any one other than the P position.

(construction of actuator Unit)

As shown in fig. 1, the actuator unit 60 includes: the motor 10 (an example of a rotation driving unit), the reduction mechanism unit 20 (an example of a driving force transmission mechanism), the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 (an example of a driving unit rotation angle detection unit), the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 (an example of a switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit), the ECU50 (an example of a control unit), and the storage unit 51. The actuator unit 60 further includes an output shaft 25 (an example of an output shaft portion) connected to the output side of the reduction mechanism portion 20 and rotatable about a rotation axis C1.

The ECU50 is a board component in which electronic components are mounted on the board 52a (see fig. 4). The ECU50 is electrically connected to the motor 10, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30, and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. Thus, the ECU50 is configured to be able to control the supply of power from the battery 90 of the vehicle 110 to the motor 10, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30, and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. The ECU50 is configured to be able to receive rotor rotation angle information (digital signals) regarding the rotation angle of the rotor 11, which will be described later, from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30, and to be able to receive plate rotation angle information (output voltage) regarding the output shaft rotation angle (plate rotation angle) of the output shaft 25 (positioning plate 71) from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. ECU50 can communicate with ECU151 that controls engine 150 mounted on vehicle 110.

The storage unit 51 includes a nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 51 is configured to be able to store rotor rotation angle information and board rotation angle information when a sleep state described later shifts.

As shown in fig. 4, the actuator unit 60 is configured by a motor housing 61, a motor cover 62, and a gear housing 63. The motor case 61 and the motor cover 62 form a motor chamber 64 that houses the motor 10 and the ECU 50. Further, a gear chamber 65 for housing the reduction mechanism unit 20 is formed by the motor housing 61 and the gear housing 63.

A plug 61a is formed in the motor case 61, and a terminal electrically connected to the ECU50 is formed in the plug 61 a. Further, in the motor case 61, electric power (power source) is supplied to the motor 10, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30, and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 via the plug 61a and the ECU 50.

The motor 10 has a function of generating a rotational driving force for rotationally driving the shift switching mechanism unit 70. The motor 10 includes a rotor 11 supported to be rotatable, and a stator 12 disposed around the rotor 11 so as to face each other with a magnetic gap therebetween.

The motor 10 is a so-called three-phase motor. Specifically, the rotor 11 includes a shaft pinion 11a and a rotor core 11b, and N-pole magnets and S-pole magnets, which are permanent magnets (not shown), are alternately stuck to the surface of the rotor core 11b at equal angular intervals (45 °) around the rotation axis C1. Therefore, the number of poles of the motor 10 is 8. As a result, the electrical angle of the motor 10 (rotor 11) is 4 times the (physical) rotation angle of the motor 10.

The shaft pinion gear 11a is a shaft member extending in the Z-axis direction so as to communicate the motor chamber 64 and the gear chamber 65. The shaft pinion gear 11a is configured to be rotatable about the same rotation axis C1 as the output shaft 25. Further, a gear portion 11c having a gear groove formed in a spiral shape is integrally formed on a lower portion (Z2 side) of the shaft pinion 11 a. The gear portion 11c is a so-called helical gear with a small number of teeth and a large helix angle, the gear diameter of which is sufficiently reduced.

The stator 12 has: a stator core 13 fixed in a motor chamber 64 of the motor case 61, and a multi-phase (U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase) excitation coil 14 (see fig. 1) that generates magnetic force by energization. The stator core 13 is disposed so that its center substantially coincides with the rotation axis C1 of the shaft pinion 11 a. The stator core 13 is fixed in the motor chamber 64 by a pair of support shafts 13a extending in the Z-axis direction.

In the motor 10, the rotor 11 is configured to rotate 15 degrees in the direction of the arrow a1 or a2 in each of the U-V energization, the U-W energization, the V-U energization, the W-U energization, and the W-V energization (one energization step), and to rotate 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow a1 or a2 in six energization steps. In addition, the arrangement positions (magnetization phases) of the N-pole and S-pole of the permanent magnets (not shown) in the rotor core 11b are visually returned to original positions in the six energization step cycles. That is, the six energization step periods correspond to one rotation of the motor 10 in electrical angle.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the speed reduction mechanism 20 includes: an intermediate gear 21 (an example of a driving part side member), an intermediate gear 22 (an example of a driven part side member), and a final gear 23, each having a gear portion 21a, 22a, and 23 a.

The intermediate gear 21 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis C2 different from the rotation axis C1. The rotation axis C2 is a straight line extending in the Z-axis direction through the center of the one support shaft 13 a. The gear portion 21a of the intermediate gear 21 is configured to mesh with the gear portion 11c of the rotor 11. That is, the intermediate gear 21 is provided on the motor 10 side in the reduction mechanism unit 20. As shown in fig. 5, the intermediate gear 21 is circular in plan view. A gear portion 21a is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate gear 21.

The intermediate gear 22 is configured to rotate about the same rotation axis C2 as the intermediate gear 21, and is disposed on the lower surface side (Z2 side) of the intermediate gear 21. The gear portion 22a of the intermediate gear 22 is formed on the lower surface (Z2 side) of the intermediate gear 22.

Here, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the intermediate gear 21 has a plurality of (two) elongated holes 21b (an example of a first engaging portion) provided so as to penetrate the intermediate gear 21. The long holes 21b are arranged at an interval of 180 degrees from each other in the rotational direction of the intermediate gear 21. The plurality of long holes 21b extend in an arc shape in the rotational direction (a1 or a2 direction), and are long holes that are longer in the rotational direction than the radial direction of the idler gear 21.

A plurality of (two) columnar engaging convex portions 22b (an example of the second engaging portion and the protruding portion) protruding upward (Z1 side) are provided on the upper surface (Z1 side) of the intermediate gear 22. The engaging projections 22b are arranged at 180-degree intervals on the peripheral edge portions on both sides in the longitudinal direction.

In a state where the intermediate gear 22 is disposed adjacent to the intermediate gear 21 from below toward above (Z1 side), the engaging convex portions 22b disposed at 180-degree intervals are each configured to be inserted (engaged) into the two elongated holes 21b of the corresponding intermediate gear 21. The plurality of engaging protrusions 22b have an outer diameter substantially equal to the length of the long hole 21b in the width direction (radial direction). The plurality of engaging protrusions 22b are formed to be movable in the rotation direction within the elongated holes 21 b.

The engaging convex portion 22b is inserted into the long hole 21b of the intermediate gear 21 with a predetermined amount of clearance S (length in the longitudinal direction (rotational direction) of the long hole 21 b) with respect to the long hole 21b of the intermediate gear 21. That is, the relative free rotation (free rotation) between the intermediate gear 21 and the intermediate gear 22 is allowed by a gap S (predetermined angular width) in the rotational direction generated by the engaging convex portion 22b and the elongated hole 21b that are engaged with each other. Here, the predetermined amount of the gap S is a length obtained by subtracting a length occupied by the cylindrical engaging convex portion 22b from a length of the long hole 21b in the longitudinal direction. The length of the long hole 21b in the longitudinal direction is the length of an arc centered on the center (the rotation axis C2) of the idler gear 21 passing through the center of the long hole 21b in the radial direction, and the predetermined amount of the gap S is also the length of an arc centered on the center of the idler gear 21.

Therefore, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 of the shifting apparatus 100 is configured to be capable of switching between a driven rotation state in which the intermediate gear 22 rotates together with the rotation of the intermediate gear 21 and a non-driven rotation state in which the intermediate gear 22 does not rotate together with the rotation of the intermediate gear 21 (performs relative free rotation). Further, fig. 7 shows a driven rotation state, and fig. 8 shows a non-driven rotation state.

As shown in fig. 5, the gear portion 23a of the final gear 23 is configured to mesh with the gear portion 22a of the intermediate gear 22. Specifically, the gear portion 23a of the final gear 23 is formed as an inner gear on the inner surface on the side away from the rotational axis C1, of a fan-shaped long hole extending in the rotational direction of the final gear 23. The gear portion 22a of the intermediate gear 22 can be disposed in the fan-shaped elongated hole.

Here, as shown in fig. 6, the gear portion 23a of the final gear 23 is formed in an angular range of less than 180 ℃ on the inner surface of the long hole in a fan shape. Thus, the gear portion 22a of the intermediate gear 22 abuts (is locked to) the inner surface of the fan-shaped elongated hole in which the gear portion 23a is formed, and the final gear 23 is configured to be rotatable within a rotational range of less than 180 degrees. As a result, the output shaft 25 and the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the detent plate 71) are configured to be rotatable within a rotation range of less than 180 degrees.

As shown in fig. 4, in the final gear 23, an output bearing portion 26 into which the output shaft 25 is fitted and fixed to the fitting hole 23 b. Thus, the final gear 23 has the same rotation axis C1 as the output shaft 25, and can rotate together via the output shaft 25 at the same rotation angle as the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (positioning plate 71).

The reduction mechanism unit 20 is configured to reduce the rotation of the shaft pinion gear 11a (the rotor 11) on the output shaft 25 side by the intermediate gear 21, the intermediate gear 22, and the final gear 23. Specifically, the speed reduction mechanism 20 is configured to have a speed reduction ratio of 1: 50. that is, when the rotor 11 rotates 50 revolutions (the motor 1024 × 50 is 1200 energization steps), the output shaft 25 rotates once. Therefore, in the motor 10, the rotor 11 rotates 15 degrees (electrical angle pi/2 (rad)) in one energization step, so that the output shaft 25 rotates 0.3 degrees (15/50).

As shown in fig. 4, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 is a digital encoder that outputs a number of pulses corresponding to the amount of rotation of the rotor 11 (rotor rotation angle). That is, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 (within a single-dotted line frame) is configured by three magnetic sensors 31(HA, HB, and HC, see fig. 9) including hall ICs, and a magnet 32 for detection. The magnetic sensors 31 are mounted on the substrate 52a at equiangular (about 120-degree) intervals. The magnetic sensor 31 is configured to output a digital signal (H (high) or L (low)) based on the magnitude of the magnetic field of the magnet 32. The magnet 32 is attached to the upper surface (Z1 side) of the rotor core 11 b.

As a result, digital signals are output from the three magnetic sensors 31 provided on the substrate 52a so as to face the magnet 32, respectively, and are transmitted to the ECU 50. The ECU50 is configured to be classified into six pattern numbers based on the three digital signals. Specifically, the ECU50 is configured to be classified into six pattern numbers (rotor rotation angle information) based on the three digital signals.

Specifically, when HA and HC are H (high) and HB is L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "0", and when HA is H (high) and HB and HC are L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "1". Further, when HA and HB are H (high) and HC is L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "2", and when HB is H (high) and HA and HC are L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "3". Further, when HB and HC are H (high) and HA is L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "4", and when HC is H (high) and HA and HB are L (low), the ECU50 determines that the mode number is "5".

Here, the ECU50 is configured to control the motor 10 such that one energization step to the motor 10 corresponds to a case where the pattern number is increased or decreased by "1". Specifically, the ECU50 is configured to increase the pattern number by 1 (or change the pattern number from "5" to "0") when the rotor 11 rotates in the arrow a2 direction in one energization step, and to decrease the pattern number by 1 (or change the pattern number from "0" to "5") when the rotor 11 rotates in the arrow a1 direction in one energization step.

The output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 is an analog magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic force corresponding to the output angle of the output shaft 25 (the detent plate 71 of the shift switching mechanism unit 70) and outputs an analog signal corresponding to the detected magnetic force. That is, the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 (inside the single-dot chain line frame) is configured by a magnetic sensor 41 (an example of a magnetic force detecting unit) configured by a hall IC and a magnet 42 for detection (an example of a magnetic force generating unit). As shown in fig. 4, the magnetic sensor 41 is mounted and fixed on the substrate 52 b. The magnet 42 is attached to the final gear 23.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the magnet 42 is arranged in a semicircular (arc) shape in plan view. That is, the magnet 42 is disposed in an angular range of 180 degrees in plan view. As a result, the magnet 42 is arranged in an arc shape over a range wider than the rotational range (rotational range smaller than 180 degrees) of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the detent plate 71).

The magnet 42 is divided into three magnetic poles 42a, and the magnetic fields of the adjacent magnetic poles 42a are oriented in opposite directions. As a result, the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 can increase the detectable rotation angle of the output shaft 25 (the rotation angle of the positioning plate 71 (plate rotation angle)) while maintaining the resolution of the magnetic sensor 41.

The substrate 52a and the substrate 52b are electrically connected by a wiring 53. The ECU50 is configured to switch and control energization to the exciting coil 14 based on the rotor rotation angle information (pattern number) and the plate rotation angle (output voltage), thereby performing switching control of the shift position in the shifting device 100.

The shift device 100 (motor 10) is configured to switch between a sleep state (an example of a non-activated state) in which the motor 10 is not driven and a wake-up state (an example of an activated state) in which the motor 10 is driven, under the control of the ECU 50. In the wake-up state, power is supplied to the motor 10, the rotor rotation angle sensor 30, and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40, thereby controlling the switching of the shift position of the shift device 100. On the other hand, in the sleep state, the power supply to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 of the shift device 100 is stopped in addition to the power supply to the motor 10. Also, the functions of a part of the ECU50 are stopped. As a result, the power consumption of the shifting apparatus 100 is greatly reduced in the sleep state.

For example, when vehicle 110 including shifter 100 is stopped, if engine 150 is not ignited and a sleep state transition condition such as when the signal transmission from ECU151 is stopped is satisfied, shifter 100 is shifted from the awake state to the sleep state by ECU 50. When engine 150 is re-ignited when vehicle 110 is started and when the awake state transition condition such as when the signal transmission from ECU151 is restarted is satisfied, shifter 100 is shifted from the sleep state to the awake state by ECU 50.

Here, in the sleep state, the rotor 11 may be accidentally rotated or the like due to vibration or the like of the components constituting the shift device 100. In this case, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 is shifted from the relative reference position of the motor 10 (rotor 11), and at least one of the digital signal (mode number) output from the magnetic sensor 31 of the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output voltage output from the magnetic sensor 41 of the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40, and the digital signal (mode number) and the output voltage at the present time changes when the sleep state shifts. In addition, when the state is changed from the sleep state to the awake state in a state where at least one of the digital signal (pattern number) and the output voltage is changed, the shift position is switched and controlled in a state shifted from the reference position, and therefore, the shift position is not accurately switched and controlled.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the ECU50 is configured to perform the learning process regarding the relative position of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotor 11 when moving from the sleep state to the awake state based on both the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state and the amount of change in the plate rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state. In the first embodiment, the learning process related to the relative position of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotor 11 is a process of returning the relative (angular) position to the original relative reference (angular) position when the relative angular position of the plate rotation angle of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotation angle of the rotor 11 is shifted. For example, a general wall touch process is performed under the control of the ECU 50.

For example, when the mode number (rotor rotation angle) from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 changes from "5" to "4" or "0" when the sleep state is shifted to the awake state. In this case, the ECU50 determines that the relative angular position of the plate rotation angle of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotation angle of the rotor 11 is shifted, and performs a learning process of returning the relative angular position to the original relative reference angular position.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, in the first embodiment, as described above, the shift device 100 is configured to be in the driven rotation state and the non-driven rotation state by the predetermined amount of the gap S between the engaging convex portion 22b of the idler gear 22 on the side of the positioning plate 71 and the long hole 21b of the idler gear 21 on the side of the rotor 11. Here, in the non-driven rotational state in which the intermediate gear 22 on the positioning plate 71 side is not moved, the output voltage from the magnetic sensor 41 of the output shaft rotational angle sensor 40 does not change, so that it is necessary to determine the rotation based on the digital signals (mode numbers) output from the three magnetic sensors 31 of the rotor rotational angle sensor 30. However, since the digital signal (pattern number) is the same digital signal (pattern number) every time the electrical angle of the motor 10 rotates one cycle, the ECU50 may not be able to correctly recognize the change in the relative position.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 is configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the electric angle is smaller than one rotation to rotationally drive the rotor 11 of the motor 10. That is, the predetermined amount of the gap S is formed to have a size corresponding to an electrical angle smaller than 1 cycle (2 pi (rad)) of the electrical angle of the rotor 11. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the number of poles of the motor 10 is 8, and thus the predetermined amount of the gap S is configured as an arc having a center angle of less than 90 degrees (360/4) (for example, an arc having a center angle of 60 degrees). As a result, before the digital signal (pattern number) output from the magnetic sensor 31 makes one rotation, the ECU50 can correctly recognize the change in the relative position because the non-driven rotation state in which the intermediate gear 22 on the positioning plate 71 side does not move is switched to the driven rotation state in which the intermediate gear 22 rotates together with the intermediate gear 21 on the rotor 11 side.

The change in the pattern number (rotor rotation angle) and the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 due to the predetermined amount of the gap S will be described in detail with reference to fig. 9. In fig. 9, a case where the intermediate gear 21 is rotated in the a2 direction will be described as an example.

First, as shown in the state P1, in a state where the roller portion 73 is not fitted into the valley portion 71a of the positioning plate 71 corresponding to any one of the shift positions, the positioning plate 71, the output shaft 25, the final gear 23, and the intermediate gear 22 are in a driven rotation state in which they rotate together with the intermediate gear 21 and the rotor 11 by the urging force F of the positioning spring 72. In this driven rotation state, the inner peripheral surface of the elongated hole 21b on the a1 direction side abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22 b. In this driven rotation state, an increase in the pattern number corresponds to an increase in the output voltage in a one-to-one manner.

Here, when the intermediate gear 21 further rotates in the a2 direction, the roller portion 73 is fitted into the valley portion 71a of the positioning plate 71 corresponding to any one of the shift positions by the biasing force F of the positioning spring 72, and becomes in a state P2. At this time, the idler gear 22 swings (rotates) by the amount of the gap S of a predetermined amount before the idler gear 21 rotates. Then, the positioning spring 72 is fitted into the valley portion 71a to stop the swing of the positioning plate 71. In this state P2, the intermediate gear 22 rotates without rotating the intermediate gear 21, and the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22b comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the elongated hole 21b on the a2 direction side.

In the state P2 and the state P3, since the engaging convex portion 22b is not pressed in the a2 direction by the elongated hole 21b of the rotor 11 rotating in the a2 direction, the positioning plate 71, the output shaft 25, the final gear 23, and the idler gear 22 are in a non-driven rotation state in which rotation (relative free rotation) according to the rotation of the idler gear 21 and the rotor 11 is not performed. In this non-driven rotation state, the pattern number is increased, and the output voltage is not changed.

As described above, in the shift device 100 according to the first embodiment, the predetermined amount of the gap S is configured to have a size corresponding to an electrical angle smaller than one cycle (2 pi (rad)) of the electrical angle of the rotor 11. Thus, before the intermediate gear 21 makes one relative rotation in the electrical angle, the inner peripheral surface of the elongated hole 21b on the a1 direction side comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the engaging convex portion 22b again as shown in the state P4. Thus, the change in the relative position of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotor 11 is reliably reflected in either the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle between the sleep state and the awake state or the amount of change in the plate rotation angle between the sleep state and the awake state, and therefore, the learning process can be reliably performed when the relative position changes.

Then, as shown in state P5, the shift device 100 is again in the driven rotation state, similar to state P1.

The above is the same not only in the awake state of the motor 10 but also in the sleep state. That is, when the relative angular position of the plate rotation angle of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotation angle of the rotor 11 is shifted before the sleep shift and after the awake shift, the pattern number has a different value even when the output voltage is not changed. As a result, the ECU50 can accurately recognize the change in the relative position after the transition to the awake state.

Next, a control flow of the ECU50 at the time of the sleep state transition of the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 10.

When the sleep state transition condition is satisfied, the ECU50 stores the output signal (digital signal) from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 before the sleep state transition in the storage unit 51 in step S1, and stores the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 before the sleep state transition in the storage unit 51 in step S2. Then, the ECU50 stops the supply of power to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 in steps S3 and S4, respectively, and ends the control flow. Further, the ECU50 stops the supply of power to the motor 10 even when the sleep state transition condition is satisfied.

Next, a control flow of the ECU50 at the time of the wake state transition in the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 11.

When the wake-up state transition condition is satisfied, the ECU50 starts power supply to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 in steps S11 and S12, respectively. Also, the ECU50 starts the supply of power to the motor 10 when the wake-up state transition condition is satisfied. Then, the ECU50 acquires the output signal (digital signal) from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 at the time of the awake state transition in step S13, and acquires the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 at the time of the awake state transition in step S14. Then, the ECU50 obtains the output signal from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 before the sleep state transition from the storage unit 51 in step S15, and obtains the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 before the sleep state transition from the storage unit 51 in step S16.

Then, in step S17, the ECU50 determines whether or not the output signal from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 at the time of the awake state transition acquired in step S13 is different from the output signal from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 before the sleep state transition acquired from the storage unit 51 in step S15 (the amount of change is other than 0). If the output signals are not different, the ECU50 determines in step S18 whether or not the output voltage from the output shaft turning angle sensor 40 at the time of the awake state transition acquired in step S14 is different from the output voltage from the output shaft turning angle sensor 40 before the sleep state transition acquired from the storage unit 51 in step S16 (the amount of change is smaller than the allowable threshold). If the output signal is different in step S17 or if the output voltage is different in step S18, the ECU50 performs the learning process in step S19. Then, the ECU50 ends the control flow. If the output voltages are not different in step S18, ECU50 ends the control flow.

In the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

In the first embodiment, as described above, the shift device 100 includes the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 that detects the rotation angle of the rotor, and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 that detects the rotation angle of the shaft. The ECU50 is configured to perform a learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 with respect to the motor 10 (rotor 11) when moving from the sleep state to the awake state, based on both the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state and the amount of change in the plate rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state. Thus, even if both the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 are not energized in the sleep state, the learning process relating to the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (positioning plate 71) can be performed when shifting from the sleep state to the awake state based on the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle and the amount of change in the plate rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state. As a result, the power consumption in the sleep state of shifter 100 can be sufficiently reduced. In addition, in the sleep state, it is not necessary to switch to the awake state in accordance with the output change of the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 or the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40, so that an increase in power consumption of the shift device 100 can be suppressed. As a result, the power consumption of the shift device 100 can be reduced, and the learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 can be performed when shifting from the sleep state to the awake state.

In the first embodiment, the shift device 100 includes the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. Thus, for example, even when the signal from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 does not change, the rotational position of the rotor 11 of the motor 10 and the like can be reliably grasped from the detection result of the rotor rotation angle sensor 30. As a result, the shift position can be appropriately controlled in the shifting apparatus 100.

In the first embodiment, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the detent plate 71) is configured to switch between a driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit 70 is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotational driving of the motor 10 (the rotor 11) and a non-driven rotation state in which the shift switching mechanism unit 70 is not driven to rotate in accordance with the rotational driving of the rotor 11. The shift switching mechanism unit 70 is configured to switch from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotor 11 is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation. This can suppress the rotor 11 from rotating at an electrical angle of one rotation or more in the non-driven rotation state. As a result, even when the signal from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 does not change due to the shift switching mechanism unit 70 being in the non-driven rotation state, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 can be switched to the driven rotation state before the rotor 11 of the motor 10 rotates by an electrical angle equal to or more than one rotation and the signals from the rotor rotation angle sensors 30 become equal to each other. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the shift position switching control from not being appropriately performed in the shifting apparatus 100.

In the first embodiment, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the detent plate 71) is configured to be switched from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotor 11 of the motor 10 is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation by providing the predetermined amount of clearance S between the long hole 21b of the intermediate gear 21 and the engagement convex portion 22b of the intermediate gear 22. Thus, the speed reduction mechanism unit 20 having the predetermined amount of clearance S between the intermediate gear 21 and the intermediate gear 22 can easily switch the shift switching mechanism unit 70 from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the rotor 11 of the motor 10 is rotationally driven at an electrical angle smaller than one rotation. Further, by using the speed reduction mechanism unit 20 having the intermediate gear 21 and the intermediate gear 22, it is possible to appropriately change the rotation speed of the rotor 11 of the motor 10 and the like when transmitting the rotational driving force to the shift switching mechanism unit 70.

In the first embodiment, the ECU50 is configured to store the information on the rotor rotation angle and the information on the board rotation angle in the storage unit 51 when shifting to the sleep state, and then to stop the supply of power to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. When the ECU50 transitions to the awake state, the ECU is configured to restart the supply of power to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40, acquire the information on the rotor rotation angle and the information on the board rotation angle stored in the storage unit 51, and acquire the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle between the sleep state and the awake state and the amount of change in the board rotation angle between the sleep state and the awake state. Thus, when the ECU50 makes a transition to the awake state, it can reliably perform the learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 with respect to the rotor 11 by acquiring the information regarding the rotor rotation angle and the information regarding the plate rotation angle, which are stored in the storage unit 51 when making a transition to the awake state. The ECU50 is configured to stop the supply of power to the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 and the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 after the storage unit 51 stores the information on the rotor rotation angle and the information on the plate rotation angle. This makes it possible to store information on the rotation angle of the rotor and information on the plate rotation angle, and to reduce the power consumption of the shift device 100 promptly and reliably.

In the first embodiment, the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 includes a magnet 42 fixed so as not to rotate and a magnetic sensor 41 that rotates together with the shift switching mechanism unit 70. The magnet 42 is arranged in an arc shape over a range wider than the rotational range of the shift switching mechanism unit 70. This enables the magnetic sensor 41 to reliably detect the entire range of rotation of the shift switching mechanism unit 70.

In the first embodiment, the intermediate gear 21 is formed with the elongated hole 21b, and the intermediate gear 22 is formed with the engaging convex portion 22b that engages with the elongated hole 21b with the predetermined amount of clearance S and transmits the driving force from the intermediate gear 21. The elongated hole 21b is extended in an arc shape in the rotational direction, and the cylindrical engaging convex portion 22b inserted into the elongated hole 21b is formed to have an outer diameter having a length substantially equal to the length of the elongated hole 21b in the width direction. The predetermined amount of the gap S is configured to have a length obtained by subtracting the length occupied by the cylindrical engaging convex portion 22b from the length of the long hole 21b in the longitudinal direction. Thus, by providing the predetermined amount of clearance S between the elongated hole 21b and the engagement convex portion 22b, the shift switching mechanism portion 70 can be easily configured to be switched from the non-driven rotation state to the driven rotation state within a range in which the motor 10 is driven to rotate by an electrical angle smaller than one rotation.

In the first embodiment, the shift switching mechanism unit 70 includes the output shaft 25 connected to the reduction mechanism unit 20 and detecting the rotation angle by the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40. Thus, the shift device 100 can be easily configured so that the rotation angle of the shift gate 71 can be detected by setting the rotation angle of the output shaft 25 connected to the reduction mechanism unit 20 to the rotation angle of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the gate 71).

< second embodiment >

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 12. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment described above in which the learning process is performed when the output signal or the output voltage has changed, an example in which the learning process is performed when the output signal is equal to or greater than the rotor threshold (an example of the drive unit threshold) or when the output voltage is equal to or greater than the plate threshold (an example of the switching mechanism unit threshold) will be described. Note that the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The shift device 200 according to the second embodiment includes an actuator unit 260 including an ECU250 (an example of a control unit). The ECU250 is configured to perform a learning process or a correction process regarding the relative position of the positioning plate 71 with respect to the rotor 11 when moving from the sleep state to the awake state, based on both the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state and the amount of change in the plate rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state. Here, the correction processing is processing for changing the relative reference angular position based on the deviation of the relative angular position in consideration of the deviation, unlike the processing for returning the relative angular position such as wall contact to the original relative reference angular position.

Specifically, the ECU250 is configured to perform the learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 (the detent plate 71) when returning from the sleep state to the awake state, when the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle (the amount of change in the rotor) between the sleep state and the awake state is equal to or greater than the rotor threshold value, or when the amount of change in the plate rotation angle (the amount of change in the plate) between the sleep state and the awake state is equal to or greater than the plate threshold value.

Furthermore, ECU250 is configured to perform a correction process regarding the relative position of shift switching mechanism unit 70 when returning from the sleep state to the awake state when the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle is smaller than the rotor threshold value and the output signal is different (the amount of change is other than 0) or when the amount of change in the plate rotation angle is smaller than the plate threshold value and the output voltage is different (the amount of change is other than 0). The other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The control flow at the time of the sleep state transition in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment described above.

Next, a control flow of ECU250 at the time of the wake state transition according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 12.

When the awake state transition condition is satisfied, the ECU250 performs the control of steps S11 to S16 in the same manner as the control flow of the first embodiment.

Then, in step S21, the ECU250 determines whether or not the amount of change (the amount of change in the rotor) between the output signal from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 at the time of the wake-up state transition acquired in step S13 and the output signal from the rotor rotation angle sensor 30 before the sleep state transition acquired from the storage unit 51 in step S15 is equal to or greater than a rotor threshold value. When the rotor variation is smaller than the rotor threshold, the ECU250 determines in step S22 whether or not the variation (board variation) between the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 at the time of the awake state transition acquired in step S14 and the output voltage from the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 before the sleep state transition acquired from the storage unit 51 in step S16 is equal to or greater than the board threshold. If the rotor variation amount is equal to or greater than the rotor threshold value in step S21 or if the plate variation amount is equal to or greater than the plate threshold value in step S22, the ECU250 performs a learning process in step S23. Then, the ECU250 ends the present control flow.

If the board variation amount is smaller than the board threshold value in step S22, the ECU250 determines whether or not the rotor variation amount is other than 0 (the output signal is different) in step S24. When the rotor variation amount is 0, the ECU250 determines in step S25 whether or not the board variation amount is other than 0 (the output voltage is different). If the rotor variation is other than 0 in step S24 or if the board variation is other than 0 in step S25, the ECU250 performs a correction process in step S26. Then, the ECU250 ends the present control flow. When the board variation amount is 0 in step S25, the control flow ends.

In the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

In the second embodiment, as described above, the ECU250 is configured to perform the learning process regarding the relative position of the shift switching mechanism unit 70 with respect to the motor 10 (rotor 11) when shifting from the sleep state to the awake state based on both the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state and the amount of change in the plate rotation angle in the sleep state and the awake state. As a result, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of shifter 200 and to perform the learning process relating to the relative position of shift switching mechanism unit 70 when shifting from the sleep state to the awake state.

In the second embodiment, ECU250 is configured to perform the learning process regarding the relative position of shift switching mechanism unit 70 when returning from the sleep state to the awake state, when the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle (rotor change amount) between the sleep state and the awake state is equal to or greater than the rotor threshold value or when the amount of change in the paddle rotation angle (paddle change amount) between the sleep state and the awake state is equal to or greater than the paddle threshold value. Thus, ECU250 can be configured not to perform the learning process when the rotor variation amount is smaller than the rotor threshold value and the plate variation amount is smaller than the plate threshold value, so that it is possible to suppress unnecessary execution of the learning process in shift device 200. As a result, when the wall touch system is performed as the learning process, unnecessary load can be prevented from being applied to the motor 10 and the like.

In the second embodiment, ECU250 is configured to perform the correction process regarding the relative position of shift switching mechanism unit 70 when returning from the sleep state to the awake state when the amount of change in the rotor rotation angle is smaller than the rotor threshold value and the output signals are different (the amount of change is other than 0) or when the amount of change in the paddle rotation angle is smaller than the paddle threshold value and the output voltages are different (the amount of change is other than 0). Thus, the shift position can be corrected without performing the learning process, and therefore, the shift position can be more appropriately controlled by the shifting device 200 while suppressing unnecessary load on the motor 10 and the like. Other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

For example, in the first and second embodiments, the long hole 21b is provided in the intermediate gear 21 on the rotor 11 (rotation driving portion) side of the motor 10, and the engaging convex portion 22b that engages with the long hole 21b is provided in the intermediate gear 22 on the shift switching mechanism portion 70 side, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the engagement convex portion may be provided on the intermediate gear on the rotation driving unit side, and the long hole may be provided on the intermediate gear on the shift switching mechanism unit side. The elongated hole 21b may not penetrate the intermediate gear 21. For example, instead of the long hole, the engagement portion may be constituted by a concave cam groove having a bottom portion that does not penetrate the intermediate gear 21 in the thickness direction.

In the first and second embodiments, the long hole 21b of the intermediate gear 21 and the engaging convex portion 22b of the intermediate gear 22 are engaged at two positions. That is, the engaging position of the intermediate gear 21 and the intermediate gear 22 may be other than the above two positions. There may be one or three positions.

In the first and second embodiments, the example in which the predetermined amount of the gap S is provided between the intermediate gear 21 and the intermediate gear 22 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a predetermined amount of clearance may be provided between the intermediate gear 22 and the final gear 23. In this case, the intermediate gear 22 corresponds to the "drive-unit-side member" of the invention, and the final gear 23 corresponds to the "driven-unit-side member" of the invention.

In the first and second embodiments, the magnet 42 (magnetic force generating portion) divided into three magnetic poles 42a is disposed in an arc shape over a range wider than the rotational range (rotational range of less than 180 degrees) of the shift switching mechanism portion 70 (the detent plate 71), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, the magnetic force generating unit may be formed in a range equal to or narrower than the rotational range of the shift switching mechanism unit. The magnetic force generating unit may be divided into two, four or more magnetic poles, or may not be divided into magnetic poles.

In the first and second embodiments, the number of poles of the motor 10 (rotation driving unit) is 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of poles of the rotary drive unit may be 2, 4, 6, 10, or 12. In this case, it is necessary to form a predetermined amount of gap so as to have a size corresponding to an electrical angle smaller than one cycle (2 pi (rad)) of the electrical angle of the rotation driving portion. For example, when the number of poles of the rotation driving unit is 4, a predetermined amount of clearance needs to be formed so as to form an arc having a central angle of less than 180 degrees (360/2).

In the first and second embodiments, the example in which the magnet 42 of the output shaft rotation angle sensor 40 (switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit) is attached to the final gear 23 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the magnet (or the magnetic sensor) of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit may be attached to the output shaft, or the magnet (or the magnetic sensor) of the switching mechanism unit rotation angle detection unit may be attached to the shift switching mechanism unit (for example, the detent plate 71) itself.

In the first and second embodiments, the motor 10 is a three-phase motor of a surface magnet type (SPM) in which permanent magnets are incorporated in the surface of the rotor 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an embedded magnet type (IPM) motor may be used in which permanent magnets are embedded in the rotor 11 so that the polarities (N pole and S pole) of the magnetic poles are switched at equal angular intervals (for example, 45 ° intervals).

In the first and second embodiments, the example in which the shift device of the present invention is applied to a shift device for an automobile (vehicle 110) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the gear shift device of the present invention may be applied to a gear shift device for a vehicle such as an aircraft or a ship.

Description of reference numerals

A 10 … motor (rotation driving unit), a 20 … speed reducing mechanism unit (driving force transmission mechanism), a 21 … intermediate gear (driving unit side member), a 21b … long hole (first engaging unit), a 22 … intermediate gear (driven unit side member), a 22b … engaging convex portion (second engaging unit), a 25 … output shaft (output shaft unit), a 30 … rotor rotation angle sensor (driving unit rotation angle detecting unit), a 40 … output shaft rotation angle sensor (switching mechanism unit rotation angle detecting unit), a 41 … magnetic sensor (magnetic force detecting unit), a 42 … magnet (magnetic force generating unit), a 50, 250 … ECU (control unit), a 70 … switching mechanism shift unit, a 100, 200 … shift device, and a S … predetermined amount of play and positioning spring.