Patent ID: 6055469
Filing Date: 2000-04-25
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
A device for determining a fault in a sensor used for detecting whether or not a vehicle engine output shaft and a vehicle drive shaft are in a predetermined state of drive connection and for outputting a signal indicative of a drive connection state in response to the state of drive connection being detected, comprising:means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition necessary for fault determining exists,means for determining when the engine started and when the predetermined condition came into existence,means for determining that a fault has occurred in the sensor when the engine output shaft and the vehicle drive shaft are indicated by the signal from the sensor as being constantly in the drive connection state from the time when the engine is indicated as being started to the time when the predetermined condition is indicated as coming into existence,means for determining whether or not the vehicle is running, andmeans for prohibiting said fault determining means from determining that a fault has occurred in said sensor when said vehicle is detected as running at the time when the engine is started.