ELECTRIC POWER STEERING APPARATUS

• US 20100264857A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagase, Shigeki
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/046 Controlling the motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0481 monitoring the steering system, e.g. failures
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0484 for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home

Abstract

An electric power steering apparatus includes a charge-discharge circuit including a circuit charging an auxiliary power supply by turning on and off an MOS-FET for voltage boosting and that selectively configures a first output mode in which an electric power is supplied to a motor by a first electrical conduction path to which a voltage of a battery is applied or a second output mode in which the electric power is supplied to the motor by a second electrical conduction path to which a voltage of a source of the series-connected battery and auxiliary power supply is applied. When a failure of the battery is detected, the electric power steering apparatus connects the first conduction path to an electrical conduction path to ground by continuously holding the MOS-FET in an on-state and drives the charge-discharge circuit to select the second output mode, thereby configuring a circuit to supply the motor with the electric power only from the auxiliary power supply.

Claims

1. An electric power steering apparatus for generating a steering assist force by a motor, comprising:

a battery for supplying an electric power to the motor;

an auxiliary power supply connected in series with the battery and capable of supplying an electric power to the motor;

a detector for detecting a failure of the battery;

a charge-discharge circuit including a charge circuit for charging the auxiliary power supply by turning on and off a voltage-boosting switching device interposed in an inductance circuit powered by the battery and selectively configuring a first output mode or a second output mode, the first output mode defining a state that the electric power is supplied to the motor by way of a first electrical conduction path through which a voltage of the battery is applied to an electrical conduction path to ground, the second output mode defining a state that the electric power is supplied to the motor by way of a second electrical conduction path through which a voltage of a source including the series-connected battery and auxiliary power supply is applied to the electrical conduction path to ground; and

a control circuit for driving the charge-discharge circuit to select either of the first output mode and the second output mode in response to a required steering assist force, the control circuit connecting the first electrical conduction path to the electrical conduction path to ground by continuously holding the switching device in an on-state at the time of detection of a failure of the battery by the detector, the control circuit also driving the charge-discharge circuit to select the second output mode to thereby supply the motor with the electric power only from the auxiliary power supply.

2. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an on-off controllable switch is interposed in a way from a terminal of the battery to the first electrical conduction path, and wherein the control circuit opens the switch when the failure of the battery is detected.

3. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching device is one for chopper-boosting.

4. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the switching device is one for chopper-boosting.