Steering system of vehicle

• US 5,097,917 A
• Filed: 12/23/1988
• Issued: 03/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Serizawa, Mitsuya, Akuta, Yoshimitu, Sato, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Mitchell J.
• Application Number:
  US07/289,213
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 180/79.1, 180/140, 180/141, 180/142, 180/143, 340/465
• US Class Current: 180/402
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0225 by measuring on a steering gear element, e.g. on a rack bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0448 Ball nuts

Abstract

A steering system for a vehicle includes a steering mechanism mechanically separated form a steering handle and having a motor for steering road wheels, a steering detector for detecting a steering operation of the handle, a steered angle sensor for detecting steered angles of the road wheels, and a control circuit mechanism for driving the motor to thereby steer the road wheels in response to detected signals from the steering detector and steered angle sensor. The steered angle sensor comprises a measuring member which makes rotational movements in proportion to the steered angles of the road wheels and occupies a constant space relative to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A steering system for vehicle having a steering handle, a steering mechanism mechanically separated from said steering handle and having a motor for steering road wheels of the vehicle, a steering sensor for detecting steering operation of the handle and producing a steering operation signal, a steered angle sensor for detecting steered angles of the road wheels and producing a steered angle signal, and control circuit means for driving the motor of the steering mechanism in response to detected signals from said steering sensor and said steered angle sensor to thereby steer said road wheels, wherein:

said steered angle sensor comprises a measuring member which makes rotational movements in proportion to said steered angles of said road wheels and occupies a constant space relative to said vehicle.

2. A steering system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

said measuring member of said steered angle sensor comprises a permanent magnet member which rotates in proportion to said steered angles of said road wheels and has a plurality of magnetic poles arranged in a rotational direction of said permanent magnet member, and

said steered angle sensor further comprises a stationary magnet-sensitive element for detecting a rotational quantity of said permanent magnet member to output to said control circuit means.

3. A steering system for vehicle according to claim 2, wherein:

said control circuit means comprises means for correcting a wheel neutral position by driving said motor of said steering mechanism such that said road wheels are steered completely through a range of then possible steering angles of said road wheels, to thereby establish a correct neutral position of said road wheels to be detected by said steered angle sensor, in response to at least one of an ON operation of an OFF operation of an ignition switch of the vehicle.

4. A steering system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

said steering system further comprises means for normally urging said steering handle to its neutral position, and

said control circuit means comprises means for restoring a wheel neutral position by driving said motor to thereby restore said road wheels to neutral positions thereof, in response to at least one of an ON operation and an OFF of an ignition switch of the vehicle.

5. A steering system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

said steering mechanism comprises a front wheel steering mechanism and a rear wheel steering mechanism.

6. A steering system for a vehicle having a steering handle, a steering mechanism mechanically separated from said steering handle and having a motor for steering road wheels of said vehicle, a steering sensor for detecting steering operation of said steering handle and producing a steering operation signal, a steered angle sensor for detecting steered angles of said road wheels and producing a steered angle signal, and control circuit means for driving said motor of said steering mechanism in response to detected signals from said steering sensor and said steered angle sensor to thereby steer said road wheels, wherein:

said steering system comprises an angle adjusting means for driving at least one of said steering handle and said road wheels to thereby render a steering angle of said steering handle and a steered angle of said road wheels into correspondence with each other, at an occurrence of at least one of an ON operation and an OFF operation of an ignition switch of said vehicle.

7. A steering system for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein:

said control circuit means comprises means for restoring a wheel neutral position by driving said motor to thereby restore said road wheels to neutral positions thereof, in response to at least one of said ON operation and said OFF operation of said ignition switch of said vehicle, and

said angle adjusting means comprises said restoring means and means for normally urging said steering handle to its neutral position.

8. A steering system according to claim 6, wherein said steering mechanism is adapted to steer at least front road wheels of the vehicle.