A user interface actuator for a pilot-by-wire system comprises a rotary electric motor having an output shaft suitable to be connected to a rotating user interface, a first absolute angular sensor for detecting in direct drive the number of revolutions of the shaft and a second absolute angular sensor redundant with respect to the first absolute angular sensor.

A main detection element detects a physical quantity that changes according to a rotation of a detection target. A sub detection element detects a physical quantity that changes according to the rotation of the detection target. A signal processing unit outputs main rotation information that is information corresponding to a detection value of the main detection element and sub rotation information that is information corresponding to a detection value of the sub detection element. A package seals the main detection element, the sub detection element, and the signal processing unit. Centers of all the main and the sub detection elements are arranged at positions shifted from a detection center of the detection target. The main detection element is arranged at a position closer to the detection center than the sub detection element. The package is arranged at a position where a center of the package deviates from the detection center.

A motor controller that controls a motor including two windings includes a calculator to compute a current instruction value to drive the motor, a first motor driver to supply a first current to one of the windings based on the current instruction value, a second motor driver to supply a second current to the other of the windings based on the current instruction value, a first current detector to detect the first current supplied to the motor from the first motor driver, and a second current detector to detect the second current supplied to the motor from the second motor driver. The calculator supplies a first forced current to the first motor driver, and a second forced current in opposite phase of the first forced current to the second motor driver to determine an abnormality of the first current detector and/or the second current detector.

A detecting apparatus that uses a redundancy configuration comprising plural sensor sections including plural detecting sections, accurately performs abnormality detection and function continuation in a control apparatus such as an ECU in a case that abnormality is occurred in the sensor sections or a signal line, and has simple manufacturing processes, and an electric power steering apparatus equipped with the detecting apparatus. The apparatus includes plural sensor sections which include plural detecting sections that detect a same object or a same state quantity, and detects at least one of the state quantities in at least two of the sensor sections, wherein each of the sensor sections has a communication section that outputs the state quantities, which the detecting sections detect, as an error detectable signal.

A method for determining a risk of instability of a calculation of an angle of a steering shaft of a motor vehicle can be employed where a first gear wheel is fixed to the steering shaft and cooperates with a second gear wheel and a third gear wheel, which are smaller than the first gear wheel. The number of teeth of the first gear wheel is n. The number of teeth of the second gear wheel is m. And the number of teeth of the third gear wheel is m+1. The angles and of the two smaller gear wheels are determined and the angular position of the steering shaft is calculated by evaluating the equation

[00001]$=\frac{m*+\left(m+1\right)*-\left(2.Math.m+1\right)*k*}{2.Math.n},$

with being an angle of the sensor range and a whole number k given by

[00002]$k=\mathrm{round}\left(\frac{\left(m+1\right)*-m*}{}\right),$ wherein the risk of instability is determined by calculation of a stability margin t according to

[00003]$t=k-\left(\frac{\left(m+1\right)*-m*}{}\right).$

An angle sensor includes a detection signal generation unit for generating detection signals, an angle detection unit for generating a detected angle value on the basis of the detection signals, and a condition determination apparatus. The condition determination apparatus includes a determination value generation unit for generating a determination value to be used for determining the condition of the angle sensor, and a determination unit for determining the condition of the angle sensor. The angle detection unit includes a common correction processing unit for performing common correction processing for converting uncorrected signals, which have correspondence with the detection signals, into common corrected signals to be used for the generation of the detected angle value and the generation of the determination value. The common correction processing reduces an angular error occurring in the detected angle value, and narrows the variation range of the determination value.

A steering wheel angle sensor is described comprising a first part and a second part, wherein the first part and the second part are moveable relative to each other in rotational direction and the first part comprises at least one first signal generating means (1, 2) generating a sine signal (x.sub.2, x.sub.5) in response to an angular position of the second part and at least one second signal generating means (3, 4) generating a cosine signal (y.sub.2, y.sub.5) in response to the angular position of the second part. Such a steering wheel angle sensor should allow a simple fault detection. To this end fault detecting means (9) are provided, wherein the fault detecting means (9) form a sum of the square of the sine signal (x.sub.2, x.sub.5) and the square of the cosine signal (y.sub.2, y.sub.5) and generates a fault signal, if the sum is not within a predetermined range.

The present disclosure aims to provide an electric power steering apparatus which is improved in reliability compared to an existing electric power steering apparatus by configuring redundancy for an electronic system therein. An embodiment provides a electric power steering apparatus including: a four-channel torque sensor including two independent dual die ICs; a four-channel steering angle sensor including two independent dual die ICs; a four-channel motor position sensor including two independent dual die ICs; a dual-wound Brushless AC (BLAC) motor including a first winding motor and a second winding motor therein; a first Electronic Control Unit (ECU); a second ECU; and a selector configured to select an ECU that controls steering among the first ECU and the second ECU. The first ECU and the second ECU are supplied with power from separate power supply devices which are separated from each other, the first winding motor of the dual-wound BLAC motor is connected to an inverter of the first ECU, and the second winding motor of the dual-wound BLAC is connected to an inverter of the second ECU.

Technical solutions are described for current sensor fault mitigation for systems with permanent magnet DC drives. An example power steering system includes a brush motor, and a motor control system that generates an amount of torque using the brush motor, the amount of torque corresponding to a torque command. The motor control system includes a current sensor fault detector that detects a current sensor fault associated with a current sensor used to measure a current across the brush motor. The motor control system further includes a velocity observer that computes an estimated motor velocity in response to the current sensor fault. The motor control system further includes a feedforward controller that generates a current command for generating the amount of torque using the brush motor, the current command generated using the estimated motor velocity.

Technical solutions described herein include a method of controlling an electric power steering system includes determining that one or more hand wheel torque sensors of electric power steering system are not operational and in response generating an assist torque command by estimating a front slip angle based on a motor angle of a motor of the electric power steering system and a vehicle speed. The method also includes converting the front slip angle to a rack force. The method also includes determining an amount of assist torque based on the rack force and controlling the electric power steering system using the generated assist torque command.