Steering apparatus

• US 9,108,668 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Takeshi, Kunihiro, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US13/883,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34.4, 701/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/046 Controlling the motor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0463 calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0481 monitoring the steering system, e.g. failures
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode

Abstract

A steering apparatus is provided with: a specifying device which is configured to specify an environment of a road on which a vehicle travels, on the basis of a manipulated amount of the steering wheel manipulated by a driver and a change of the manipulated amount in a predetermined period.

Claims

1. A steering apparatus which is mounted on a vehicle and which is configured to steer wheel in accordance with a manipulation of a steering wheel by a driver,

the steering apparatus comprising:

a controller which is configured to calculate a road width of a road on which the vehicle travels, on the basis of a manipulated amount of the steering wheel manipulated by the driver and a change of the manipulated amount in a predetermined period.

2. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to calculate steering power, which is a manipulated amount of the steering wheel per unit time, on the basis of steering wheel torque which is added to the steering wheel and a steering wheel velocity of the steering wheel, and

the controller calculates the road width of the road on which the vehicle travels on the basis of the calculated steering power.

3. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to control a steering reaction force to be added to the steering wheel, on the basis of the calculated steering power.

4. The steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller reduces the steering reaction force in cases where the calculated steering power is large, in comparison with cases where the calculated steering power is small.

5. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller calculates the road width on the basis of a chronological change of the calculated steering power.

6. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines whether or not the calculated steering power is greater than a predetermined reference value and calculates the road width on the basis of a result of the determination.

7. The steering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller changes the predetermined reference value in accordance with a vehicle speed of the vehicle.

8. The steering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller sets a dead zone for the predetermined reference value, does not perform the determination if the calculated steering power is within the dead zone, and performs the determination if the calculated steering power is outside the dead zone.

9. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a steering reaction force to be added to the steering wheel, on the basis of the calculated road width.

10. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling straight on the basis of the steering wheel torque and a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel,

when the controller determines that the vehicle is traveling straight, the controller calculates the road width as either narrow road width or wide road width on the basis of the calculated steering power, and

when the controller determines that the vehicle is not traveling straight, the controller maintains road width calculated immediately before if a non-straight-traveling state does not continue for a predetermined time, and the controller calculates the road width as the wide road width if the non-straight-traveling state continues for the predetermined time.

11. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control assist torque for assisting the steering wheel torque, on the basis of the calculated road width.