Patent ID: 8249787

Claim:
A malfunction detection process for detecting a malfunction in one of an automatic transmission or an automated transmission of a vehicle when a gear is engaged and the vehicle is motionless or just beginning to move, the process comprising the steps of: determining a desired direction of the drive from the transmission, depending on an engaged gear, when the vehicle is motionless or just beginning to move; sensing one of an actual axial movement or an actual axial force of a constructional element of the transmission, normal to a rotational plane of the constructional element, when the vehicle is one of motionless or just beginning to move; determining an actual direction of the drive from the transmission, depending on the one of the actual axial movement or the axial force of the constructional element of the transmission; and signaling an error when the desired direction of the drive from the transmission is different than the actual direction of the drive from the transmission.