Steering system

• US 9,988,081 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Numazaki, Kazushi, Hayama, Ryouhei, Mukae, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, JESS G
• Application Number:
  US15/257,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20170073000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/04 Hand wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/06 Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers B62D1/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/008 Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications

Abstract

A steering system is provided which more appropriately alleviates driver'"'"'s discomfort in the wrists. A steering ECU has an estimated grip angle calculating circuit, a deviation calculating circuit, an automatic steering torque command value calculating circuit, and a grip angle command value calculating circuit. The estimated grip angle calculating circuit calculates an estimated grip angle based on a steering angle. The deviation calculating circuit calculates a deviation based on the steering angle, a steering angle deviation, and the estimated grip angle. The grip angle command value calculating circuit calculates a grip angle command value that is a sum of a grip angle and the deviation.

Claims

1. A steering system comprising:

a steering portion that is rotationally operated by a driver;

a steering mechanism that varies a steered angle of steered wheels in conjunction with operation of the steering portion;

a rotation angle sensor that detects a steering angle that is a rotation angle of the steering portion;

a steering operation actuator that generates power applied to the steering mechanism to steer the steered wheels;

a grip attached to the steering portion and having an axis of rotation that is non-parallel to an axis of rotation of the steering portion;

a grip rotation angle sensor that detects a grip angle that is a rotation angle of the grip;

a grip actuator that applies a rotational torque to the grip; and

a control apparatus that performs automatic steering control that steers the steered wheels by controlling the steering operation actuator in accordance with a traveling state of a vehicle and the steering angle and grip control that rotates the grip by controlling the grip actuator in accordance with the steering angle and the grip angle, wherein the control apparatus calculates, in performing the grip control during execution of the automatic steering control, a grip angle command value that is a target value of the grip angle for gripping of the grip based on the steering angle and the grip angle, and controls driving of the grip actuator so as to cause the grip angle to follow the grip angle command value.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein,

the control apparatus controls, in performing the automatic steering control, driving of the steering operation actuator so as to eliminate a difference between a target traveling path of the vehicle and an actual traveling path of the vehicle.

3. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein,

the control apparatus has:

an estimated grip angle calculating circuit that calculates an estimated grip angle from the steering angle based on a given relation between the steering angle and the estimated grip angle, the estimated grip angle being a rotation angle of the grip estimated based on the steering angle;

a correction value calculating circuit that calculates, based on the given relation, a correction value that is used to correct a grip angle detected through the grip rotation angle sensor based on a difference between a first estimated grip angle and a second estimated grip angle, the first estimated grip angle being calculated from a sum of the difference between a target traveling path of the vehicle and an actual traveling path of the vehicle and the steering angle, the second estimated grip angle being calculated from the steering angle, and

a grip angle command value calculating circuit that calculates the grip angle command value that is a sum of the detected grip angle and the correction value.

4. The steering system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a grip torque sensor that detects a grip torque of the grip, wherein,

the control apparatus has an override calculation processing circuit that calculates an intended grip angle that is an amount of operation of the grip based on driver'"'"'s intention based on the grip torque detected through the grip torque sensor, and

the correction value calculating circuit calculates a temporary correction value for the grip angle detected based on the difference between the first estimated grip angle and the second estimated grip angle, and adds or subtracts the intended grip angle to or from the temporary correction value depending on the steering angle to determine the correction value.

5. The steering system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a grip torque sensor that detects a grip torque of the grip, wherein,

the control apparatus has an override calculation processing circuit that calculates a driver'"'"'s intended difference included in the difference between the target traveling path of the vehicle and the actual traveling path of the vehicle and that calculates an intended grip angle that is an amount of operation of the grip based on driver'"'"'s intention based on the grip torque detected through the grip torque sensor, and

the correction value calculating circuit calculates, based on the given relation, the correction value based on a difference between the first estimated grip angle and the second estimated grip angle, the first estimated grip angle being calculated from a sum of the difference between the target traveling path of the vehicle and the actual traveling path of the vehicle, the steering angle, and the intended difference.

6. The steering system according to claim 4, wherein,

the control apparatus calculates a driver'"'"'s intended difference included in the difference between the target traveling path of the vehicle and the actual traveling path of the vehicle, and

calculates a command value for power of the steering operation actuator based on a sum of the difference between the target traveling path of the vehicle and the actual traveling path of the vehicle and the driver'"'"'s intended difference.