B62D15/0245

STEERING ANGLE DETECTING APPARATUS
20210331743 · 2021-10-28 · ·

A steering angle detecting apparatus includes a steering angle sensor and a diagnostic unit. The steering angle sensor includes two relative steering angle detectors and an absolute steering angle processor. The two relative steering angle detectors detect a plurality of two relative steering angles. The absolute steering angle processor calculates absolute steering angles. The diagnostic unit determines whether an angular signal indicating an absolute steering angle of the absolute steering angles is outputted from the absolute steering angle processor. The diagnostic unit stores a latest absolute steering angle, determines which of the two relative steering angle detectors outputs one of the two relative steering angles, and, where one of the two relative steering angle detectors is determined as outputting the one of the two relative steering angles, update the latest absolute steering angle by adding outputted one of the two relative steering angles to the stored latest absolute steering angle.

TORQUE INDEX SENSOR AND STEERING DEVICE COMPRISING SAME
20210262880 · 2021-08-26 · ·

A torque index sensor may be provided which comprises: a substrate; a first cover which accommodates the circuit board; a first hall sensor and a second hall sensor which are disposed on the circuit board; a magnet seating member which is coupled to the stator; a second magnet which is coupled to the magnet seating member; and a second cover made of a metal material coupled with the first cover, wherein the magnet seating member and the second magnet are disposed between the first cover and the second cover, wherein the second cover comprises: an upper plate on which a through hole is formed; and a side plate which extends in the rotational axis direction from the upper plate, and wherein the side plate comprises a groove formed at a position corresponding to the hall sensor.

Vehicle, System, and Method for Determining a Position of a Moveable Element in a Vehicle
20210302463 · 2021-09-30 ·

A computer implemented method for determining a position of a moveable element in a vehicle comprises the following steps carried out by computer hardware components: acquiring a plurality of position related information data sets from at least one sensor; selecting at least one of the plurality of position related information data sets based on a pre-determined rule; and determining the position of the moveable element based on the at least one selected position related information data sets.

Steering control unit
11130521 · 2021-09-28 · ·

A steering angle calculation circuit of an ECU includes a neutral point calculation circuit, a correction amount calculation circuit, an adder, and an absolute angle calculation circuit. When started, the neutral point calculation circuit calculates a motor neutral point from a steering angle detected through a steering sensor and a motor rotation angle detected through a relative angle sensor. The correction amount calculation circuit calculates a correction angle that is a difference between a conversion value and an actual value of the motor rotation angle with respect to the steering angle. The conversion value is obtained by converting the steering angle in terms of the motor rotation angle by taking into account a theoretical specific stroke. The adder calculates a final motor neutral point by adding the correction angle calculated by the correction amount calculation circuit to the motor neutral point calculated by the neutral point calculation circuit.

Steering control device

A steering angle calculating circuit includes a first neutral point calculating circuit, a second neutral point calculating circuit, and an absolute angle calculating circuit. The first neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point (θm01), based on a steering angle detected by a steering sensor and a rotation angle of a motor detected by the relative angle sensor, when a drive source for driving a vehicle is started. The second neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point when the steering angle detected by the steering sensor falls within a predetermined angle range in which a specific stroke with respect to the steering angle is constant. After the motor neutral point is calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit, the absolute angle calculating circuit calculates the steering angle as an absolute angle, using the motor neutral point calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit.

VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING VEHICLE

A vehicle (10) includes a VP (120) that carries out vehicle control in accordance with a command from an autonomous driving system (202) and a vehicle control interface (110) that interfaces between the autonomous driving system (202) and the VP (120). A tire turning angle command that requests for a wheel steer angle is transmitted from the autonomous driving system (202) to the VP (120). A signal indicating an estimated wheel angle which is an estimated value of the wheel steer angle is transmitted from the VP (120) to the autonomous driving system (202). The VP (120) steers the vehicle in accordance with the tire turning angle command set based on a wheel estimation angle while the vehicle (10) is in a straight-ahead travel state.

Power steering motor position detection

An assembly includes a motor having a shaft. The assembly includes a first gear operatively coupled to the shaft. The assembly includes a second gear operatively coupled to the shaft. The assembly includes a first magnet supported by the first gear. The assembly includes a second magnet supported by the second gear. The assembly includes a first sensor configured to detect the first magnet. The assembly includes a second sensor configured to detect the second magnet.

TURNING APPARATUS

A turning apparatus includes tie rods, a wheel turning shaft, two motors, two ball screws, a transmission mechanism, and two controllers. The wheel turning shaft turns steered wheels of a vehicle. A first controller that is any one of the two controllers computes a current command value and allocates the current command value to the motors at a ratio that varies with a position of the wheel turning shaft in an axial direction. The two controllers each supply any one of the motors, which is an object to be controlled by a corresponding one of the controllers, with a current according to a corresponding of individual current command values.

STEERING DEVICE AND STEERING SYSTEM INCLUDING STEERING DEVICES
20210245798 · 2021-08-12 · ·

A steering device installed on a vehicle including a plurality of steerable wheels and configured to independently steer a wheel which is one of the plurality of steerable wheels, including: an electric motor as a drive source; a motion converting mechanism configured to convert a motion of the electric motor into a steering motion of the wheel; and a controller configured to control a supply current to the electric motor so as to achieve steering of the wheel corresponding to a motion position of the electric motor, wherein, to eliminate a discrepancy between the motion position of the electric motor and a steering position of the wheel detected hosed on the supply current to the electric motor supplied when the motion position of the electric motor is maintained at a straight-traveling-state position, the controller executes a reference change process of changing a setting of the straight-traveling-state position.

HANDWHEEL POSITION MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

A position measurement system for a steering system includes a steering shaft. The position measurement system also includes a worm gear coupled to the steering shaft. The position measurement system further includes a worm in meshed engagement with the worm gear, the worm driven by a motor. The position measurement system yet further includes a first sensor operatively coupled to the worm to detect an angular position of the worm and the motor that drives the worm. The position measurement system also includes a driving gear coupled to the steering shaft. The position measurement system further includes a spur gear in meshed engagement with the driving gear. The position measurement system yet further includes a second sensor operatively coupled to the spur gear to detect an angular position of the spur gear.