Patent ID: 8271178

Claim:
A control apparatus for a vehicular power transmitting system including (a) an electrically controlled differential portion which has a differential mechanism and a first electric motor connected to a rotary element of the differential mechanism and which is operable to control a differential state between a rotating speed of its input shaft connected to a drive power source and a rotating speed of its output shaft by controlling an operating state of the first electric motor, and (b) a switching portion operable to switch a power transmitting path for transmitting power from the drive power source, between a power transmitting state and a power cut-off state, said control apparatus comprising: a control range setting portion configured to set one of two different upper limits of the rotating speed of said output shaft, depending upon whether said power transmitting path is placed in said power transmitting state or said power cut-off state, by said switching portion; the control range setting portion configured to set a first upper limit of the rotating speed of the output shaft to be set when the power transmitting path is placed in the power cut-off state while a vehicle is moved backwards, the first upper limit being lower than a second upper limit to be set when the power transmitting path is placed in the power transmitting state; the control range setting portion configured to set the first upper limit of the rotating speed of the output shaft to be set when the power transmitting path is placed in the power cut-off state while the vehicle is moved backwards such that the first upper limit of the rotating speed of the output shaft is a negative rotating speed, for reducing an amount of change of the rotating speed of the output shaft which takes place when the power transmitting path is switched from the power cut-off state to the power transmitting state.