The invention relates to a computer architecture and functional architecture for the operation of electric power steering, to an electronic control unit, and to power steering, having a first group of modules with a high probability of failure and a second group of modules with a low probability of failure. In this case, the modules of the first group have a higher probability of failure than the modules of the second group. The first group of modules is maintained redundantly in this case and, as a result, divided into main modules and into the redundant implementation of what are known as secondary modules. The main modules are arranged on a main control path and the secondary modules are respectively arranged on a secondary control path. Each of these control paths ultimately produces a control signal, i.e., a main control signal and a secondary control signal. A multiplexer is used to decide which of these two control signals is forwarded to modules from the second group. This second group of modules is implemented only once and not present in redundant form.

A system for a vehicle includes first and second electronic control units (ECUs) each electrically connected to a steering-system motor, and a computer. The computer is programmed to instruct the first and second ECUs to each provide one-half of a value of a torque signal to the steering-system motor upon determining that both ECUs have a full performance capability.

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 drive system for a steering system of a transportation vehicle having a first control unit for actuating a first winding circuit of a steering drive motor with a test circuit to make available a defined changing test signal and a second control unit for actuating a second winding circuit of the steering drive motor, wherein a test signal reception circuit of the second control unit receives the test signal, and wherein the second control unit actuates the steering drive motor based on the presence or absence of the test signal.

A motor electric control unit (ECU) for an electromechanical power steering mechanism, which controls current through an electric assist motor in response to steering mechanism sensors' signals. The ECU may comprise at least two channels. Each channel has the steering mechanism sensors in a redundancy concept. At least one voter that is assigned to an actuator and is configured to vote on the correct steering mechanism sensors' outputs of the at least two channels. The steering mechanism sensors may include a steering column torque sensor and an RPS sensor for sensing a rotor angle of the electric assist motor. Each of the at least two channels may include processors that have different software to protect against systematic faults.

A controller for a motor includes a first processing circuit and a second processing circuit configured to communicate with each other. The first processing circuit is configured to execute a first operation amount calculation process, an operation process, and an output process. The first operation amount calculation process is a process of calculating a first operation amount. The output process is a process of outputting the first operation amount to the second processing circuit. The second processing circuit is configured to execute a second operation amount calculation process, a first use operation process, a second use operation process, and an elimination process.

One or more embodiments are described herein of a controller system in a steering system. The controller system includes a first electric control unit (ECU) that operates as a primary ECU of the controller system, the primary ECU sending a motor command to a motor to generate torque. The controller system further includes a second ECU that operates as a backup for the first ECU. The operation as the backup includes monitoring the first ECU for a failure. In response to detecting the failure at the first ECU, the second ECU operates as the primary ECU of the controller system, and initiates a domain controller to operate as the backup ECU.

A motor control device drives a motor based on a vehicle signal including drive assist information and performs vehicle control. The motor control device includes: a first controller and a second controller that perform a calculation operation concerning drive control over the motor. A first microcomputer corresponds to a calculation portion of the first controller. A second microcomputer corresponds to a calculation portion of the second controller. The first microcomputer and the second microcomputer mutually transmit and receive operation results by inter-microcomputer communication, or the first microcomputer unilaterally transmits an operation result from the first microcomputer by the inter-microcomputer communication. The first microcomputer and the second microcomputer synchronize timings to start and end control by performing at least one of three types of arbitration processes including: an AND-start arbitration process; an OR-start arbitration process; and a forced arbitration process.

An abnormality monitoring device includes a control unit and a monitoring unit. The control unit includes a self-diagnosis circuit configured to perform a self-diagnosis processing during which other processing is inhibited. The monitoring unit includes an abnormality monitoring circuit and a reset circuit. The abnormality monitoring circuit is configured to perform an abnormality monitoring of the control unit. The reset circuit is configured to reset the control unit when the abnormality monitoring circuit decides an abnormality of the control unit. The abnormality monitoring circuit is configured to determine whether the self-diagnosis processing is finished, disable the abnormality monitoring of the control unit during the self-diagnosis processing, and start the abnormality monitoring of the control unit when the self-diagnosis processing is determined to be finished. Accordingly, the abnormality of the control unit is accurately monitored.