In a method for controlling an operation of a sphere type shifting apparatus, and according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent a sphere mechanism from being separated from a rotation completion location upon rotation operation of the sphere mechanism including a shifting unit provided on a hemispherical one side thereof and a design unit provided on a hemispherical other side thereof, preventing occurrence of clearance of the sphere mechanism, and to terminate an operation of a motor as necessary when the sphere mechanism cannot reach the rotation completion location due to sticking thereof or foreign substances stuck thereto upon rotation operation of the sphere mechanism, preventing damage to parts.

A rotary actuator is used in a shift-by-wire system for a vehicle. A speed reducer includes a ring gear and a sun gear and reduces a rotational speed of the motor. An output shaft outputs rotation of the motor at a reduced rotational speed by the speed reducer. A regulating pin is disposed in a fixing member and allows the sun gear to revolve around a rotational axis of the motor and to rotate about an eccentric axis. The regulating pin is a separate member from the fixing member. The regulating pin has a strength equal to or greater than a maximum torque reaction force received from the sun gear. A first difference in hardness between an engaging portion and the sun gear is set to be less than a second difference in hardness between the fixing member and the sun gear.

A shift range control device switches a shift range by controlling driving of a motor. A learning unit learns, as a position correction value, a normal state time correction value calculated based on first and/or second reference angles when an output shaft signal is available when turning on of a start switch. The first reference angle is a motor angle when the output shaft signal changes in response to the rotation of the motor in a first direction. The second reference angle is the motor angle when the output shaft signal changes in response to the motor rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A motor angle target value is set by using the normal state time correction value stored during a period from when all the output shaft signals are determined to be unavailable to when the start switch is turned off.

A motor control device controls a driving of a motor having a motor winding. The motor control device includes a motor control unit and a parameter setting unit. The motor control unit controls the driving of the motor. The parameter setting unit sets a control parameter related to a driving control of the motor such that at least one of a motor torque and a motor speed is variable according to a system temperature.

A rotary actuator for use in a shift-by-wire system of a vehicle includes a motor, a controller for controlling the motor, and a case housing the motor and the controller. An upper case of the case includes a resin molded body, which integrally has a housing that houses the motor and a connector that is used for external connection, and a plurality of external connection terminals, which are embedded in the resin molded body and are capable of connecting the controller to an outside member. Each of the external connection terminals includes a base protruding into an installation space for a control board in a board extending direction, a bend bent from the base toward the control board, and a tip portion extending from the bend to the control board.

A motor sticking diagnosis and repair method includes the steps of, when an operation of a shift lever is detected, determining whether a current position matches a target position, when the current position does not match the target position, rotating the motor toward the target position, determining once again whether the current position matches the target position after rotation of the motor, when the current position does not match the target position, diagnosing whether the motor sticking has occurred, when the motor is diagnosed as being stuck, allowing the motor to switch to a free-rotation mode by temporarily blocking the current being applied to the motor upon sticking diagnosis, and selecting either a first repair strategy or a second repair strategy depending on whether the position of the motor changes after switching to the free-rotation mode.

A rotary actuator is used in a shift-by-wire system for a vehicle. The actuator includes a motor, a controller, an upper case, a lower case, a case fastening member, and a board fixing member. The controller controls the motor. The upper case is made from resin and houses the controller. The lower case houses the motor together with the upper case. The case fastening member is made from metal and fastens the upper case and the lower case to each other. The board fixing member fixes a board of the controller to the case fastening member.

A shift device includes: a shift switching member including valley portions corresponding to shift positions; a motor including a rotor and a stator and configured to drive the shift switching member; a first drive system including a first control unit configured to control a voltage for driving the motor; a second drive system provided separately from the first drive system and including a second control unit configured to control a voltage for driving the motor; and a positioning member configured to establish the shift positions in a state in which the positioning member is fitted into any one of the valley portions of the shift switching member. The shift device acquires the shift positions when the motor is driven by the voltage output from one of the first and second drive systems to move the positioning member such that the positioning member continuously passes through the valley portions.

An actuator unit that drives a switching mechanism for a shift range of an automatic transmission is provided. The actuator unit includes a motor that generates a drive force for driving the switching mechanism, a control substrate that controls the motor, a connector that connects a wire to the control substrate, a housing that includes an opening, a cover that covers the opening, and a shock absorption material that includes a first shock absorption material and a second shock absorption material. The motor and the control substrate are positioned in a housing space defined by the housing and the cover. The control substrate is fixed to the housing. The first shock absorption material and the second shock absorption material are positioned between the control substrate and the cover, and contacts both the control substrate and the cover.

A shift device includes: a shift switching member including a plurality of valley portions corresponding to shift positions; a motor that includes a rotor and a stator and that is configured to drive the shift switching member; and a positioning member configured to establish the shift positions in a state in which the positioning member is fitted into any one of the plurality of valley portions of the shift switching member. The shift device is configured to learn the shift positions based on a change amount of a load torque applied to the motor while the positioning member is moved to continuously pass through the plurality of valley portions.