Controller for steering apparatus

• US 8,862,331 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Eiji, Masuda, Tomihide
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUILLEN, ALLEN ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US13/652,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 180/6.2, 180/78, 180400-449, 701/1, 701/36, 701/41, 701/44, 701/42
• US Class Current: 701/44
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a controller for a steering apparatus having easy operation of an adjustment of a tilting angle.

The steering apparatus comprises a tilting mechanism adjusting a tilting angle of a steering wheel, and an electrical motor driving the tilting mechanism. The controller for the steering apparatus 1 detects the tilting angle based on a rotational angle of the screw shaft. The controller defines the predetermined supplying current according to the detected amount of the tilting angle as the supplying current to the electrical motor.

Claims

1. A controller for a steering apparatus wherein

said steering apparatus comprises a tilting mechanism adjusting a tilting angle of a steering wheel, and an electrical motor driving the tilting mechanism;

said controller comprises an arithmetic member defining a predetermined relationship between said tilting angle and a supplying current to said electrical motor so that an operating velocity of the tilting mechanism is constant;

said controller controls said supplying current to said electrical motor by using said arithmetic member;

said arithmetic member includes maps defining a predetermined relationship between said tilting angle and said supplying current to said electrical motor;

said maps include a first current map that defines the predetermined relationship between said tilting angle and said supplying current to said motor for increasing the tilting angle, and a second current map that defines the predetermined relationship between said tilting angle and said supplying current to said motor for decreasing the tilting angle; and

said supplying current defined by the second current map is smaller than said supplying current defined by the first current map.

2. The controller for the steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said arithmetic member includes arithmetic equation calculating said supplying current to said electrical motor on a basis of said tilting angle.

3. The controller for the steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said steering apparatus includes a supporting member supporting said steering wheel, and a restricting member restricting a possible adjusting range of said tilting angle as a rotational angle of said supporting member;

said controller for said steering apparatus defines each angle at both ends of said possible adjusting range of the tilting angle within said possible adjusting range as first limit angle or second limit angle, defines as an adjacent limit area a range where a difference of said tilting angle from said first limit angle or said second limit angle is under a predetermined amount, and defines a range other than said adjacent limit areas within said possible adjusting range as a normal adjusting range; and

said arithmetic member defines an operating velocity where said tilting angle is within said adjacent limit areas as an operating velocity VA and defines said operating velocity where the tilting angle is within the normal adjusting range as an operating velocity VB, and includes such a predetermined relationship between said tilting angle and said supplying current to said electrical motor that said operating velocity VA is under the operating velocity VB.

4. The controller for the steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller learns said tilting angle as a reference tilting angle when said current is supplied to said electrical motor and it is continued that a period where said tilting angle is not varied exceeds a predetermined period.

5. The controller for the steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said tilting angle is assumed based on an induced voltage of said electrical motor.