Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling a steering assist unit of a vehicle. The method includes receiving first accelerometer data, second accelerometer data, and third accelerometer data then comparing and calculating differences between the first accelerometer data, second accelerometer data and the third accelerometer data to determine a relative movement values for the second and third locations. The relative movement value represents the contraction or expansion of separate systems as they independently move at or near the second and third locations. The method further includes outputting a control signal to control the travel of the steering assist unit based on the relative movement values.

Provided is a water detection system and an electric power steering apparatus capable of preventing or reducing complication of an apparatus with respect to a water detection system including a water detection element and a determination circuit positioned separately from each other. The water detection system includes a transmission-side unit provided in an apparatus mounted on a vehicle of the electric power steering apparatus and including a water detection element, and a reception-side unit spaced apart from the transmission-side unit and including a determination circuit. The transmission-side unit wirelessly transmits an output signal of the water detection element, and the reception-side unit receives the output signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmission-side unit.

The present invention discloses a drive-by-wire electro-hydraulic steering system based on a double-winding motor and a hybrid control method. The steering system includes a steering wheel (1), a steering column assembly, a road sense assembly, an electro-hydraulic power-assisted module, a double-winding motor power-assisted module (28), a steering control unit, an electromagnetic clutch (8), a steering tie rod (17), a steering trapezoid (13) and steering wheels (12). The steering system can be switched among various steering work modes according to work conditions of a vehicle, meets steering requirements under various work conditions, uses a work mode that two sets of windings of the double-winding motor work at the same time, and has a motor winding redundancy function. When one set of windings fails, the other set of windings can drive the motor to provide power-assisted torque.

A connector is provided for electronically connecting a first printed circuit board to a second printed circuit board and a third printed circuit board. The connector is configured to form an assembly of an electronic control unit for an electric power steering system. The printed circuit boards are electronically connected with each other by the connector. The connector has a body comprising a base portion and a step portion (20). An assembly of the electronic control unit for the electric power steering system comprising the connector is also provided, along with an electronic control unit itself for the electric power steering system.

A motor drive device includes a plurality of control systems that individually supply drive currents to a plurality of coil groups included in a motor. The motor drive device independently sets the current command values for the respective control systems. Based on the set current command values, drive instructions are supplied to drive circuits of inverters with respect to the respective control systems, thereby supplying drive currents from the inverters to the coil groups. The motor drive device detects a failure in any of the inverters and the coil groups with respect to each control system, and stops only the failed control system or causes only the failed control system to fall back. The motor drive device further includes a main computing device, and an auxiliary computing device. Consequently, if the auxiliary computing device is normal even in case the main computing device fails, driving of the motor can be continued using one or some of the control systems.

The embodiments relate to a steering system. A steering system according to an embodiment may include a steering assistance device configured to assist a steering device positioned between a steering wheel and a wheel, and a noise reduction device configured to reduce noise of the steering system with the steering assistance device.

A motor control system shorts motor windings of a motor by using enhancement metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) so that the motor generates braking torque when all or some electric control units of the motor are disabled or failed. The motor control system comprises: a motor comprising a plurality of motor phase terminals; a plurality of electric control units electrically connected to the motor and configured to control the motor, wherein the electric control units configured to output control signals, respectively; a plurality of power sources, each of the power sources electrically connected to a respective one of the electric control units; and a shorting circuit connected between the power sources and the motor, the shorting circuit configured to selectively short the motor phase terminals in response to one or more of the control signals of the electric control units.

An object of the invention is to simultaneously solve a miniaturization and an improvement of productivity of a power conversion device, a temperature rise suppression of a smoothing capacitor, and a reduction of motor noises. The power conversion device of the invention includes a smoothing capacitor, a first power conversion unit and a second power conversion unit which are connected in parallel, and a control unit which generates a PWM pulse on the basis of an output voltage vector and a PWM carrier. The control unit includes a correction unit which corrects a predetermined output voltage vector value to two or more different output voltage vector values such that an average value in one period of the PWM carrier becomes the predetermined output voltage vector value. The correction unit corrects a first output voltage vector value in a first period, and corrects a second output voltage vector value in a second period different from the first period.

[Problem]

An object of the present invention is to provide a motor control unit that the heat generation of FETs is not concentrated in one FET and the heat generation is distributed to the plural FETs by operating the duties of all three-phases in a case that the driving of the motor is stopped.

[Means for Solving the Problem]

The present invention is the motor control unit comprising a current detector; an upper-stage maximum heat generation-phase specifying means to calculate respective heat generation amounts of upper-stage FETs and specify an upper-stage maximum heat generation phase; a lower-stage maximum heat generation-phase specifying means to calculate respective heat generation amounts of lower-stage FETs and specify a lower-stage maximum heat generation phase; an upper-stage selecting means to select an upper-stage selecting duty and an upper-stage selecting phase current based on the upper-stage maximum heat generation phase; a lower-stage selecting means to select a lower-stage selecting duty and a lower-stage selecting phase current based on the lower-stage maximum heat generation phase; a duty operating amount calculating section to calculate a duty operating amount; and a duty operating section to operate the respective phase duties based on the duty operating amount.

A steering system circuit arrangement for operating an electric motor comprised by a steering adjuster may include a control unit and either a first sensor unit, which is designed to provide first input signals, or a second sensor unit, which is designed to provide second input signals that are different from the first input signals. The control unit is configured to both receive the first input signals provided by the first sensor unit and to provide an actuation signal for the electric motor by taking account of these received first input signals, and to receive the second input signals provided by the second sensor unit and to provide the actuation signal by taking account of these received second input signals. Further, an electromechanical steering system may include such a circuit arrangement. Methods for producing and operating such steering systems may also be utilized.