Park pawl control system and method for operating same on a vehicle

1 . A park securement system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a park pawl system having:

a park pawl having a pawl engagement member, a park tooth, and a magnet;

an actuator that rotates a cam into engagement with the park engagement member that imparts rotational motion onto the park pawl;

a park gear having a plurality of teeth and cavities, wherein the park pawl interacts with the plurality of teeth and cavities between engaged and disengaged positions; and

a sensor that senses the magnet and communicates a signal indicative of a position of the park pawl; and

a controller configured to:

command the park pawl to a neutral resting state;

record a park pawl value at the neutral resting state;

determine a park pawl angle for additional regions based on the recorded park pawl value; and

implement the determined park pawl angle for additional regions when one of engaging and disengaging the park pawl on subsequent cycle.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the neutral resting state is a maximum disengaged state between the park pawl and the park gear.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the park pawl value is indicative to duty cycle of the sensor.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the sensor is a hall effect sensor and park pawl angle is represented by a duty cycle percentage of the hall effect sensor.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each degree of park pawl angle is indicative of 10% duty cycle percentage.

6 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising:

a biasing member that biases the cam into engagement with the park pawl.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional regions comprises a disengaged region indicative of the park pawl being disengaged from the park gear.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional regions comprises a tooth-butt region indicative of the park tooth on the park pawl engaging a tooth of the plurality of teeth on the park gear.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional regions comprises an engaged position indicative of the park tooth nested into a cavity of the plurality of cavities between adjacent teeth of the plurality of teeth.

10 . A method of operating a park securement system for a vehicle, the park securement system having a park pawl system and a controller, the park pawl system having a park pawl, an actuator, a park gear and a sensor, the park pawl having a pawl engagement member, a park tooth, and a magnet, the actuator configured rotates a cam into engagement with the park engagement member that imparts rotational motion onto the park pawl, the park gear having a plurality of teeth and cavities, wherein the park pawl interacts with the plurality of teeth and cavities between engaged and disengaged positions, the sensor configured to sense the magnet and communicate a signal indicative of a position of the park pawl, the method comprising:

commanding the park pawl to a neutral resting state;

recording a park pawl value at the neutral resting state;

determining a park pawl angle for additional regions based on the recorded park pawl value; and

implementing the determined park pawl angle for additional regions when one of engaging and disengaging the park pawl on subsequent cycle.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the neutral resting state is a maximum disengaged state between the park pawl and the park gear.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the park pawl value is indicative to duty cycle of the sensor.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the sensor is a hall effect sensor and park pawl angle is represented by a duty cycle percentage of the hall effect sensor.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each degree of park pawl angle is indicative of 10% duty cycle percentage.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the additional regions comprises a disengaged region indicative of the park pawl being disengaged from the park gear.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the additional regions comprises a tooth-butt region indicative of the park tooth on the park pawl engaging a tooth of the plurality of teeth on the park gear.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the additional regions comprises an engaged position indicative of the park tooth nested into a cavity of the plurality of cavities between adjacent teeth of the plurality of teeth.