Steering control device

• US 6,741,053 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kifuku, Takayuki, Ohmae, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US10/267,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20030155879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 318/432, 318/434, 701/36, 701/41
• US Class Current: 318/434
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0463 calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/10 characterised by means for sensing or determining torque

Abstract

A steering control device is realized which is capable of handling a variety of torque sensors through the same signal processing circuit, and in which a cost increase is suppressed while taking sufficient failsafe measures, having a torque sensor for detecting a signal corresponding to a steering torque in a steering system; a first microcontroller for outputting a steering torque signal equivalent to the steering torque; a second microcontroller for controlling an actuator based on the steering torque signal outputted; actuator driving means for driving the actuator controlling the steering system; and storage means in which a steering torque neutral point compensation data is stored in advance; wherein the first microcontroller compensates a neutral point of the steering torque signal based on the neutral point compensation data stored in the storage means.

Claims

1. A steering control device comprising:

a torque sensor for detecting a signal corresponding to a steering torque in a steering system;

a first microcontroller for outputting a steering torque signal equivalent to the steering torque based on a signal outputted from the torque sensor;

a second microcontroller for controlling an actuator based on the steering torque signal outputted from the first microcontroller;

actuator driving means for driving the actuator controlling the steering system based on the control performed by the second microcontroller; and

storage means in which a compensation data for compensating the steering torque signal is stored in advance;

wherein the first microcontroller compensates a neutral point of the steering torque signal based on the compensation data stored in the storage means.

2. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the compensation data is a steering torque neutral point compensation data.

3. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the compensation data is a steering torque gain compensation data.

4. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the first microcontroller comprises a timer for generating a torque sensor drive signal that is a periodical signal for driving the torque sensor.

5. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the first microcontroller comprises a plurality of signal processing programs for calculating the steering torque signal equivalent to the steering torque, based on the signal outputted by the torque sensor, and switches the signal processing programs in accordance with the torque sensor.

6. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the data stored into the storage means in advance is set from an outside of the steering control device by means of communications.

7. A steering control device according to claim 5, wherein

the signal processing program for calculating the steering torque signal equivalent to the steering torque is set from the outside of the steering control device by means of communications.

8. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the steering torque signal performs a given phase compensation on a steering torque component included in the output signal from the torque sensor.

9. A steering control device according to claim 1,

wherein the actuator is comprised of a motor;

wherein the first microcontroller comprises direction discriminating means for discriminating a direction of the steering torque signal, and outputs a first direction-specific actuator drive permission signal of the motor in accordance with the steering torque signal whose direction is determined by the direction distinguishing means;

wherein the second microcontroller outputs a second direction-specific actuator drive permission signal indicating a current supply direction of the motor in accordance with the steering torque signal whose direction is distinguished by the direction distinguishing means; and

wherein the actuator driving means outputs a current supply direction instruction signal for driving the motor in a direction so that the first direction-specific actuator drive permission signal and the second direction-specific actuator drive permission signal coincide with each other.

10. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where there is no output from the second microcontroller for a given period of time or longer, the first microcontroller judges that the second microcontroller is abnormal.

11. A steering control device according to claim 9, wherein the first microcontroller reads out at least one of the first and the second direction-specific actuator drive permission signals and the current supply direction instruction signal, and based on a comparison between the direction-specific actuator drive permission signal and the current supply direction instruction signal which are read out, determines whether or not the read direction-specific actuator drive permission signal is abnormal.

12. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a given output signal outputted from the torque sensor continues to be outside a given range for a given period of time or longer, the first microcontroller judges that the torque sensor is abnormal.

13. A steering control device according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where the first microcontroller judges that the torque sensor is abnormal, the first microcontroller outputs a torque neutral signal as the steering torque signal.

14. A steering control device according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where the first microcontroller judges that the torque sensor is abnormal, the first microcontroller outputs a signal outside a given range as the steering torque signal.

15. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where there is no output from the first microcontroller for a given period of time or longer, the second microcontroller judges that the first microcontroller is abnormal.

16. A steering control device according to claim 9, wherein the second microcontroller reads out at least one of the first and the second direction-specific actuator drive permission signals and the current supply direction instruction signal, and based on a comparison between the direction-specific actuator drive permission signal and the current supply direction instruction signal which are read out, determines whether or not the direction-specific actuator drive permission signal is abnormal.

17. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a given output signal outputted from either the torque sensor or the first microcontroller continues to be outside a given range for a given period of time or longer, the second microcontroller judges that the torque sensor is abnormal.

18. A steering control device according to claim 1, further comprising abnormality detecting means for detecting the abnormality judged by one of the first and the second microcontrollers, wherein the abnormality detecting means stops the operation of the actuator driving means.

19. A steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second microcontrollers are mounted inside the same casing.