Vehicle steering device

• US 7,249,650 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Noriyuki, Tamegai, Taiga
• Primary Examiner(s): Winner; Tony H.
• Application Number:
  US11/129,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20050257985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 180/402, 701/41
• US Class Current: 180/402
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0215 by measuring on the steering column
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0235 by measuring or deriving directly at the electric power steering motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0245 Means or methods for determination of the central position of the steering system, e.g. straight ahead position
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/006 power actuated

Abstract

A vehicle steering device includes a steering shaft; a rotation operating member of the steering shaft; an operation-side motor that supplies an operating reaction force to the rotation operating member; a steering member; a steering-side motor that supplies an operating reaction force to the steering member; a steering angle detecting means that detects a steering angle; and a control means, an absolute angle detecting means is provided at the steering shaft, and a motor rotation angle detecting means is provided at a motor shaft of the operation-side motor.

Claims

1. A vehicle steering device comprising:

a rotation operating member that is operated to rotate a steering shaft;

an absolute operation angle detecting means that detects an absolute operation angle of the rotation operating member;

an operation-side motor that supplies an operating reaction force to the rotation operating member;

a speed reduction mechanism interposed between a motor shaft of the operation-side motor and the steering shaft to reduce a rotation speed of the motor shaft and to transmit a reduced rotation to the steering shaft;

a motor rotation angle detecting means provided at the motor shaft of the operation-side motor to detect a rotation angle of the operation-side motor;

a steering-side motor that changes a steering angle via a transmission mechanism;

a steering angle detecting means that detects the steering angle; and

a control means that controls driving of the steering-side motor based on the steering angle and the absolute operation angle of the rotation operating member, and that controls driving of the operation-side motor based on the steering angle and the rotation angle of the operation-side motor.

2. The vehicle steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the absolute operation angle detecting means is independently provided to be driven directly by the steering shaft, not via the speed reduction mechanism, and the motor rotation angle detecting means is constituted with a relative rotation angle detecting means directly driven by the motor shaft and an absolute rotation angle computing means that computes the absolute rotation angle of the operation-side motor from the absolute operation angle of the rotation operating member and a relative rotation angle of the operation-side motor, and the control means controls the driving of the operation-side motor based on the absolute rotation angle.

3. The vehicle steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means controls the driving of the steering-side motor by using the rotation angle of the operation-side motor as the absolute operation angle, and the motor rotation angle detecting means also functions as the absolute operation angle detecting means.

4. The vehicle steering device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal converting means that converts rotation angle signals outputted from the motor rotation angle detecting means into signals that are recognizable to the control means, and supplies the signals to the control means.

5. The vehicle steering device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal converting means that converts driving signals for the operation-side motor outputted from the control means into signals that are recognizable to the operation-side motor, and supplies the signals to the operation-side motor.