Patent ID: 8386141

Claim:
A vehicle control system for an automatic transmission of a vehicle, the vehicle control system comprising: a first operation part operable for issuing an instruction for shifting a range of the automatic transmission and outputting a first instruction signal representing an instruction for shifting the range; a second operation part provided separately from the first operation part, the second operation part being operable for issuing an instruction concerning an additional function in addition to essential functions that are essential for driving the vehicle and outputting a second instruction signal representing an instruction related to the additional function; and a by-wire control part for controlling a change-over of the shift range normally according to the first instruction signal input from the first operation part as a reference signal, wherein: the by-wire control part includes signal monitoring means for monitoring the first instruction signal input from the first operation part, and substitute processing means which uses the second instruction signal input from the second operation part as the reference signal to control the change-over of the shift range if the first instruction signal is determined to be abnormal by the signal monitoring means; the second operation part is configured to instruct a transmission gear ratio to the automatic transmission, the essential function of which is to automatically change the transmission gear ratio and the additional function of which is to manually change the transmission gear ratio; the second operation part is further configured to instruct the transmission gear ratio to be shifted up and down; the substitute processing means uses, if the signal monitoring means has determined that the first instruction signal is abnormal, the second instruction signal representing a shift-up as the reference signal for instructing either a forward range or a reverse range among a plurality of shift ranges, and the second instruction signal representing the shift-down as the reference signal for instructing the other one of the forward range or the reverse range; the second operation part is capable of alternately receiving an operation for instructing the shift-up and an operation for instructing the shift-down, and outputs the second instruction signal representing alternate receipt of the two operations; and the substitute processing means uses the second instruction signal representing the alternate receipt as the reference signal for instructing a neutral range among the plurality of shift ranges if the signal monitoring means has determined that the first instruction signal is abnormal.