Electric power steering system

• US 9,346,486 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ikeno, Makoto, Itamoto, Hidenori, Nakasone, Gempei, Mitsuhara, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): ISMAIL, MAHMOUD S
• Application Number:
  US14/136,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/43, 180/443, 180/404, 318/432
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0463 calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0484 for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/049 detecting sensor failures
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00

Abstract

When a steering speed reaches a steering speed determination threshold, a steering speed gain is set to “0”. As a result, a final basic assist controlled variable becomes “0”, and application of an assist force to a steering system is stopped. Therefore, repetition of so-called reverse assist that is a cause of occurrence of an unintended steering behavior, such as self-excited vibration, is stopped. Accordingly, the steering behavior is improved.

Claims

1. An electric power steering system comprising:

a steering effort assist device that includes a motor as a drive source and applies an assist force to a steering system of a vehicle;

a torque sensor that generates a sensor signal according to a steering torque that acts on a steering shaft;

a control device that calculates an assist controlled variable that is a control component according to the assist force to be applied to the steering system, based on the steering torque obtained from the sensor signal and based on a multiplication factor of a steering speed gain calculated on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering speed, and controls the motor according to the assist controlled variable,

wherein the control device makes the assist controlled variable zero when an absolute value of a steering speed is equal to or higher than a threshold set based on a possibility that an unintended steering behavior occurs, the assist control variable being calculated using a vehicle-speed-adaptive three-dimensional map, the map set so that a value of a steering speed gain is set to 1 until the absolute value of the steering speed reaches a first threshold, and once the absolute value of the steering speed reaches the first threshold, the value of the steering speed gain is set to gradually decrease and is set to zero once the steering speed reaches a second threshold higher than the first threshold, and

wherein the unintended steering behavior is a self-excited vibration caused when reverse gain failure occurs in the torque sensor.

2. The electric power steering system according to claim 1,

wherein the control device makes the assist controlled variable zero when the absolute value of the steering speed calculated is equal to or higher than the threshold in a case where the vehicle is in a stopped state or is traveling at an extremely low speed.

3. The electric power steering system according to claim 1,

wherein the torque sensor generates sensor signals of a plurality of systems, and

wherein in a case where a sensor signal of one system is a normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems, the control device calculates the assist controlled variable using the normal sensor signal so that the assist force continues to be applied to the steering system, and calculates the assist controlled variable so that the assist force is smaller than that before a situation occurs in which the sensor signal of the one system is the normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems.

4. The electric power steering system according to claim 3,

wherein in the case where the sensor signal of the one system is the normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems, the control device calculates the assist controlled variable so that an instantaneous motor torque is applied to the steering system, makes a determination as to whether abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal based on whether application of the instantaneous motor torque is reflected in the normal sensor signal, and stops generation of the assist controlled variable when a result of the determination indicates that the abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal, and

wherein in a case where the vehicle is in a stopped state or is traveling at an extremely low speed, the control device stops the determination as to whether the abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal.

5. The electric power steering system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the motor,

wherein the control device controls the motor through electric current feedback control based on the rotation angle, and stops generation of the assist controlled variable if a state where the absolute value of the steering speed is equal to or higher than the threshold or another threshold set to a value different from the threshold continues for a predetermined period of time when the assist controlled variable is made zero.

6. An electric power steering system comprising:

a steering effort assist device that includes a motor as a drive source and applies an assist force to a steering system of a vehicle;

a torque sensor that generates a sensor signal according to a steering torque that acts on a steering shaft;

a control device that calculates an assist controlled variable that is a control component according to the assist force to be applied to the steering system, based on the steering torque obtained from the sensor signal and based on a multiplication factor of a steering speed gain calculated on the basis of a vehicle speed and a steering speed, and controls the motor according to the assist controlled variable,

wherein the control device makes the assist controlled variable zero when an absolute value of a steering speed is equal to or higher than a threshold set based on a possibility that an unintended steering behavior occurs, the assist control variable being calculated using a vehicle-speed-adaptive three-dimensional map, the map set so that a value of a steering speed gain is set to 1 until the absolute value of the steering speed reaches a first threshold, and once the absolute value of the steering speed reaches the first threshold, the value of the steering speed gain is set to gradually decrease and is set to zero once the steering speed reaches a second threshold higher than the first threshold, and

wherein the unintended steering behavior is self-steering due to deviation of an electrical angle.

7. The electric power steering system according to claim 6,

wherein the torque sensor generates sensor signals of a plurality of systems, and

wherein in a case where a sensor signal of one system is a normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems, the control device calculates the assist controlled variable using the normal sensor signal so that the assist force continues to be applied to the steering system, and calculates the assist controlled variable so that the assist force is smaller than that before a situation occurs in which the sensor signal of the one system is the normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems.

8. The electric power steering system according to claim 7,

wherein in the case where the sensor signal of the one system is the normal sensor signal among the sensor signals of the systems, the control device calculates the assist controlled variable so that an instantaneous motor torque is applied to the steering system, makes a determination as to whether abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal based on whether application of the instantaneous motor torque is reflected in the normal sensor signal, and stops generation of the assist controlled variable when a result of the determination indicates that the abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal, and

wherein in a case where the vehicle is in a stopped state or is traveling at an extremely low speed, the control device stops the determination as to whether the abnormality has occurred in the normal sensor signal.