Rear-wheel steering angle detecting apparatus for a vehicle

• US 5,123,496 A
• Filed: 11/12/1990
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Hiromasa, Onishi, Masayoshi, Kashihara, Masanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): HILL, MITCHELL
• Application Number:
  US07/613,765
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 180/79.1, 180/140, 180/142, 280/91, 364/424.05
• US Class Current: 180/412
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2497 Absolute encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence

Abstract

A rear-wheel steering angle detecting apparatus according to the present invention includes an absolute value type rotary encoder (13) operatively connected with a rear-wheel steering mechanism for detecting the steering angle of the rear wheels of a vehicle, and a controller for finely dividing the output of the rotary encoder by the output of a pulse generator (12) for fine division of the rear-wheel steering angle. By finely dividing the rear-wheel steering angle, as detected by the rotary encoder, by the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator, which is used for speed detection, the rear-wheel steering angle is detected with a high degree of resolution.

Claims

1. A rear-wheel steering angle detecting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a rear-wheel steering mechanism (8-10), drive means (11) operatively coupled to said steering mechanism, an absolute value rotary encoder (13) operatively connected with said rear-wheel steering mechanism for detecting a steering angle of rear wheels of a vehicle, a pulse generator (12) operatively connected with said drive means for detecting a speed of said drive means, and a controller (14) for finely dividing the steering angle of said rear wheels detected by the absolute value rotary encoder by a number of pulses generated by the pulse generator to detect the steering angle of said rear wheels with an enhanced degree of resolution.