Patent ID: 8606475
Filing Date: 2013-12-10
Classification: F16H

Abstract:
1. A shift range switching apparatus comprising: a switching mechanism driven to switch a shift range of an automatic transmission of a vehicle; a drive section which operates as a drive source to drive the switching mechanism; an operating member operated to switch the shift range; a control section to control the drive section such that the shift range is switched in accordance with a switching operation performed by a vehicle driver by means of the operating member; an abnormality detection section configured to perform an abnormality detecting operation to cause the drive section to drive the switching mechanism when a predetermined abnormality detection condition is satisfied indicating that the vehicle driver is unlikely to operate the operating member; a driving state detection section to detect a driving state of the drive section after the abnormality detection section causes the drive section to drive the switching mechanism; and an abnormality determination section to determine whether or not the drive section is abnormal in accordance with a detection result by the driving state detection section; wherein the drive section is an electric motor, and the abnormality detection section is configured to cause the electric motor to rotate by a predetermined target rotation amount, the drive state detection section being configured to detect a difference between the target rotation amount and an actual rotation amount of the electric motor as a motor rotation deviation, the shift range switching apparatus further comprising an abnormality indication section which, upon detection that the motor rotation deviation has a tendency to increase on the basis of detection results by the driving state detection section, makes an indication to that effect.