Method for controlling electric power steering apparatus, electric power steering apparatus and vehicle equipped with the same

• US 9,902,424 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NSK Limited
• Original Assignee: NSK Limited
• Inventors: Oshima, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kleinman, Lail A
• Application Number:
  US15/500,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20170217485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41- 44
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/04 electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0454 Worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/006 using a measured or estimated road friction coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 1/16 comprising worm and worm-wheel

Abstract

A method for controlling an electric power steering apparatus, the electric power steering apparatus and a vehicle equipped with the same. The method includes detecting an upper-side angle of a torsion bar; detecting a lower-side angle; setting an angle target value of an opposite side by using one of the upper-side angle or the lower-side angle; detecting an actual angle of the opposite side; and performing an angle follow-up feedback control based on a deviation between the angle target value and the actual angle.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electric power steering apparatus comprising:

detecting an upper-side angle of a torsion bar by a first angle sensor provided at a handle side of a column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar;

detecting a lower-side angle of said torsion bar by a second angle sensor provided at steered-wheels side of said column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar;

calculating a road-surface reaction force and a road-surface information based on said upper-side angle of said torsion bar, a motor current, and a vehicle information;

calculating an angle target value based on said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information;

calculating a deviation between said angle target value and said lower-side angle of said torsion bar; and

performing an angle follow-up feedback control based on said calculated deviation.

2. An electric power steering apparatus that assist-controls a steering system by driving a motor based on a current command value, comprising:

a first angle sensor to detect an upper-side angle of a torsion bar, which is provided at a handle side of a column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar;

a second angle sensor to detect a lower-side angle of said torsion bar, which is provided at steered-wheels side of said column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) which sets an angle target value by using said upper-side angle of said torsion bar, a motor current, and a vehicle information, calculates said current command value based on a deviation between said angle target value and said lower-side angle of said torsion bar, and performs an angle follow-up control by said current command value,

wherein said ECU receives said upper-side angle of said torsion bar, said motor current, and said vehicle information and calculates a road-surface reaction force, a road-surface information, and said angle target value based on said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information.

3. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said ECU receives a reference model to calculate a road-surface reaction force of said reference model based on said upper-side angle of said torsion bar and said vehicle information, and calculates said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information based on said road-surface reaction force of said reference model and said motor current.

4. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said ECU calculates an ideal steering torque based on said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information, and calculates said angle target value based on said upper-side angle of said torsion bar and said ideal steering torque.

5. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said ECU calculates an ideal steering torque based on said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information, and calculates said angle target value based on said upper-side angle of said torsion bar and said ideal steering torque.

6. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein resolutions of said first and second angle sensors are respectively 0.02°

or less.

7. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein resolutions of said first and second angle sensors are respectively 0.02°

or less.

8. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein resolutions of said first and second angle sensors are respectively 0.02°

or less.

9. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein resolutions of said first and second angle sensors are respectively 0.02°

or less.

16. A vehicle equipped with said electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2.

10. An electric power steering apparatus that assist-controls a steering system with engagement of a worm and a worm wheel by driving a motor based on a current command value, comprising:

a first angle sensor to detect an upper-side angle of a torsion bar, which is provided at a handle side of a column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar;

a second angle sensor to detect a lower-side angle of said torsion bar, which is provided at steered-wheels side of said column shaft of said electric power steering apparatus for said torsion bar; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) which calculates a road-surface information by using said upper-side angle of said torsion bar, a motor current, and a vehicle speed, which further calculates an angle target value based on said road-surface reaction force and said road-surface information, and which further calculates said current command value based on a deviation between said angle target value and said lower-side angle of said torsion bar, and perform an angle follow-up control by said current command value,

wherein an engagement gap of said worm and said worm wheel is zero or minus.

11. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said worm is rigidly fixed in directions other than a rotational direction of a rotational shaft.

12. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a support bearing of said worm is deep groove ball bearings and four-point-contact ball bearings.

13. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a support bearing of said worm is deep groove ball bearings and four-point-contact ball bearings.

14. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a support bearing of said worm comprises two deep groove ball bearings, and a play of said deep groove ball bearings is zero or minus by preload in an axial direction using a rigid body at a time of assembling.

15. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a support bearing of said worm comprises two deep groove ball bearings, and a play of said deep groove ball bearings is zero or minus by preload in an axial direction using a rigid body at a time of assembling.

17. A vehicle equipped with said electric power steering apparatus according to claim 10.