An electric steering device includes a motor and a control circuit. The motor applies a steering force to a steering mechanism of a vehicle. The control circuit includes an inverter that converts DC power of a DC power supply to AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor, and a power supply relay that permits or blocks a current flow to the motor through the inverter. In the control circuit, the power supply relay is provided on a ground line connecting the inverter and a ground.

A driving device includes an electric motor, a rotating shaft, a motor housing, a printed circuit board, an electric power converting circuit, a rear frame end working as a heat radiating member, gel working as a heat transfer member, multiple mounted parts and so on. The heat radiating member is located on a side of the printed circuit board and facing a motor-side surface of the printed circuit board, to which multiple switching elements are mounted. The gel is plastically deformed and adhered to the switching elements and the heat radiating member for transferring heat of the switching elements to the heat radiating member. At least one of the mounted parts is mounted to the printed circuit board and located at a position between a through-hole opposing area and one of the switching elements, which is located at a position closest to a rotational angle sensor mounted to the printed circuit board in the through-hole opposing area.

An ECU including a control circuit is provided to control driving of a motor, which outputs at least a part of torque required for steering a vehicle. The control circuit is configured to switch control modes including an ADS mode for controlling driving of the motor based on an angle command value and an EPS mode for controlling the driving of the motor based on a basic assist command value which is a torque command value. The control circuit is configured to change the calculation cycle period of at least a part of the calculations related to the driving control of the motor according to the selected control mode. Accordingly, an appropriate calculation cycle period can be set for each calculation related to the driving control of the motor according to the control mode, and the calculation load can be reduced.

A rotary electric machine control apparatus is provided which controls energization of a rotary electric machine having a plurality of winding sets. The apparatus includes an energization control circuit that is provided for each of the winding sets and has a switching element related to switching of energization to the winding set, a driver circuit that outputs a drive signal to the switching element through a signal line connected to the switching element, and a protection element that is connected to the signal line and in parallel with the switching element. When combinations of the winding sets and electronic components including the energization control circuit provided for each of the winding sets are regarded as systems, in at least one of the systems, performance of the protection element is differentiated from that in the other system to make noise resistance different from noise resistance in the other system.

Electric power assisted steering (EPAS) systems for solid axle front suspension vehicles are described. An example EPAS system includes an idler arm having a first end and a second end. The first end of the idler arm is coupled to a frame of the vehicle. The example EPAS system further includes an EPAS rack assembly having an input shaft, a rack, an electric motor, and an output link. The rack is coupled to the input shaft and is movable in response to movement of the input shaft. The electric motor is coupled to the rack. The electric motor provides powered assistance to movement of the rack. The output link has a first end and a second end. The first end of the output link is coupled to the rack. The second end of the output link is coupled to the second end of the idler arm.

An electromechanical actuator package for supplying toque to a handwheel, may comprise: a motor comprising a motor rotor shaft; a belt drive mechanism connecting the motor rotor shaft to an actuator output via a drive belt, the actuator output directly or indirectly connected to the handwheel; a circuit board; and a housing enclosing the motor, the belt drive mechanism and the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is positioned between one end of the motor rotor shaft and an inner surface of the housing. The actuator output may protrude from the driven pulley in a direction away from the circuit board and pass through an opening formed in the lower surface of the housing. Alternatively, the actuator output may protrude from the driven pulley toward the circuit board and pass through openings formed in the circuit board and the upper surface of housing.

A rotary electric machine control device is provided to control a motor having motor winding sets and includes a plurality of inverter circuits and a plurality of control circuits capable of mutual communication. The inverter circuits switch over the current supply to the motor winding sets. The control circuits include driver control sections, which control the inverter circuits provided correspondingly, and abnormality monitor sections, which monitor the abnormality. The abnormality monitor sections monitor the abnormality of the own system and the other system based on the plurality of abnormality information. The driver control sections change a control mode according to the abnormal state. It is thus possible to control the driving of the motor appropriately based on the abnormality state.

An electronic control device includes a plurality of control circuit units, a signal line, and a sneak-in suppression circuit. The plurality of control circuit units are connected to separate grounds, respectively. The signal line connects a first control circuit unit and a second control circuit unit. When a system is defined as a combination of a component and a ground corresponding to a control circuit unit, the sneak-in suppression circuit suppresses a sneak-in of electric power from the ground of one system (i.e., a subject system) to the other system connected by the signal line for preventing a cascading failure.

A steering apparatus for assisting rotation of a steering shaft in a steering system. The apparatus includes a motor having a drive shaft that rotates about a drive shaft axis and an output shaft that rotates about an output shaft axis. The output shaft axis extends parallel to the drive shaft axis. The output shaft is connected for rotation with the steering shaft. A gear train drivingly connects the motor to the output shaft. The gear train includes a worm screw and a worm wheel.

A motor control device includes a plurality of systems capable of controlling current supply to a motor. Each microcomputer of first and second systems is configured to communicate information of the own system and the other system by inter-computer communication and has an independent ground potential. A power supply current flowing between a power supply and a power converter is assumed to be positive and negative in a power running state and a regeneration state. Each microcomputer monitors the power supply current of each system by the inter-computer communication, and executes a power supply current balancing process of limiting a current command value or a voltage command value of at least one of the two systems thereby to decrease a power supply current difference between the two systems when the power supply current difference between the two systems exceeds a target value.