A steering system for an automated driving process of a motor vehicle having at least one steering controller, a power electronics unit, apparatus for adjusting a steering angle, and an electric motor. The steering system includes a steering controller which generates steering control commands dependent on the data of a surroundings sensor system. The steering control commands are converted into actuation signals for the electric motor by the power electronics unit, and the electric motor then actuates the apparatus for adjusting the steering angle. The steering controller generates a current steering control command and at least one future steering control command dependent on the data of the surroundings sensor system and transmits the steering control commands to the power electronics unit.

The disclosure relates to a steering device, more particularly to the provision of electrical steering assistance, having at least one main control unit, which is provided to control, in at least one normal operating state, operation of at least one electric motor, and having at least one auxiliary control unit, which is provided to control, in at least one faulty operating state in which a fault in and/or failure of the main control unit has occurred, operation of the electric motor. According to the disclosure, the main control unit can be operated independently of the auxiliary control unit and the auxiliary control unit is set in the normal operating state to a passive operating mode.

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 ECU independently controls power supply to two winding systems in a motor on a per-winding-system basis based on current command values each calculated for a corresponding winding system in accordance with a target assist torque. When a first winding system fails, the ECU transitions from a first state in which the ECU causes the winding groups of the two winding systems to produce the target assist torque to a second state in which the ECU causes the winding group of the other normal winding system to produce the target assist torque. If the current command value for the normal winding system is equal to or below a current threshold value that is set with reference to zero or a value close to zero when the failed winding system recovers to its normal state in the second state, the ECU transitions from the second state to the first state.

A rotary electric machine control device for controlling a rotary electric machine having multiple winding sets includes multiple inverter circuits, multiple power supply relays, and multiple controllers provided for respective systems. Each of the controllers is configured to monitor an abnormality of a subject system and an abnormality of a different system and is configured to turn off a power supply relay in the subject system when an abnormality requiring a power supply stop occurs in the subject system. Each of the controllers is further configured to acquire power supply relay information related to a state of the power supply relay of the different system through a signal line, and is configured to monitor the abnormality of the different system based on the power supply relay information.

A steering-angle control apparatus controls a steering mechanism based on a state command value, which is input in each predetermined period. An interpolation unit interpolates between a previous value and a current value of the input state command value to compute a state interpolation value in an interpolation period, which is shorter than the predetermined period. An interpolation-value determination unit determines whether the state interpolation value is an abnormal value. A control unit controls the steering mechanism based on the state interpolation value computed by the interpolation unit when the interpolation-value determination unit determines that the state interpolation value is not an abnormal value, and controls the steering mechanism based on the current value of the state command value when the interpolation-value determination unit determines that the state interpolation value is an abnormal value.

An ECU, which is a signal control apparatus, has a plurality of control units, which control one same motor. Steering angle calculation units acquire sensor signals from the angle sensors provided corresponding to the steering angle calculation units, respectively, and calculate the steering angles in correspondence to the sensor signals. The angle FB units perform the angle FB control based on the angle differences, which are between the target angle and the steering angle and between the target angle and the steering angle, respectively. In the angular FB unit of at least one of the control units, the angular feedback control is performed using the angle difference, which is subjected to the correction processing to reduce the error between the detection angle of the own system and the detection angle of the other system calculated by the steering angle calculation unit of the other control unit.

The present disclosure provides a steering control apparatus comprising: a first control unit for controlling a motor to supply a motor torque associated with steering on the basis of a value of a first steering torque; and a second control unit for mutually monitoring operation states with the first control unit via a communication interface and, when an abnormality occurs in the first control unit, controlling the motor, wherein, when the occurrence of an abnormality associated with the operation state of the first control unit is recognized, the second control unit determines whether or not the first control unit or the communication unit is abnormal, on the basis of a value of a second steering torque. According to the present disclosure, a redundant safety mechanism can be implemented without a separate change in a hardware design.

An ECU includes a plurality of motor driving circuits for driving at least one motor, a plurality of computers and a plurality of clock circuits. A first computer, which is at a synchronization signal transmission-side, transmits a synchronization signal to a second computer, which is at a synchronization signal reception-side. The first computer and the second computer execute a plurality of specific periodic processes, which are processes executed at cycle periods (for example, 200 μs, 400 μs) of different natural number multiples of a cycle period (for example, 200 μs) of the synchronization signal and need be synchronized. Each timing of the plurality of specific periodic processes is determined based on one synchronization signal.

An electronic steering control apparatus to which a redundancy system is applied and which includes a first position controller and a second position controller. When communication is established between the first and second position controllers, the first position controller controls the position of a first motor based on command steering angles θ.sub.1 and θ.sub.2 from a control unit and feedback steering angles θ.sub.m1 and θ.sub.m2 from the first motor and a second motor, and the second position controller controls the position of the second motor based on the command steering angles θ.sub.1 and θ.sub.2 from the control unit and the feedback steering angles θ.sub.m1 and θ.sub.m2 from the first motor and the second motor.