# US 10,766,523 B2 · Steering device

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- Number: US 10,766,523 B2
- Document ID: US10766523B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/069,048
- Filed: 2017-01-05
- Published: 2019-01-17
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-01-13
- Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Takahiro Itou; Masaru Yamasaki; Mitsuo Sasaki; Kazuya Yamano
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766523B2

## CPC

- B62D 5/0484: {for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home}
- B62D 5/0463: {calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input}
- B62D 6/002: {computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels (B62D7/159 takes precedence)}
- H02P 5/46: for speed regulation of two or more dynamo-electric motors in relation to one another
- H02P 6/04: Arrangements for controlling or regulating the speed or torque of more than one motor (H02P6/10 takes precedence)
- H02P 6/12: Monitoring commutation; Providing indication of commutation failure
- H02P 29/0241: {the fault being an overvoltage}
- H02P 2006/045: {Control of current}
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS

## Abstract

Provided is a steering device which allows continued safe travel in the event of a fault during automatic steering control. The steering device is equipped with an electric drive device composed of a plurality of systems of electric motors and has an assist control function for assisting a driver in steering and an automatic steering control function for automatically controlling the steering angle of steered wheels on the basis of a steering angle instruction value. In the event a fault occurs in one of the electric motor systems of the electric drive device during control under automatic operation control, a controller in the steering device maintains automatic operation control S36 using the electric motor of a normally operating system not suffering from a fault, and then, upon shifting to assist control S21, the controller sets the output limit value of the electric motor to a fault-time output limit value, which is less than a normal-time output limit value set when all electric motor systems are operating normally.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A steering device, comprising:
an electric drive device which includes a plurality of systems comprising a first system that includes a first electric motor and a second system that includes a second electric motor, the first electric motor comprising a first driving circuit and a first winding, the second electric motor comprising a second driving circuit and a second winding; and
a controller configured to select any of an assist control for assisting a steering force based on a steering torque input by an operation of a steering wheel, and an automatic steering control for controlling a steering angle of the steering wheel based on a steering instruction value, and to control an output of the electric drive device to be in a range not exceeding a preset output limit value,
wherein the controller is configured such that when a fault occurs in the first system that includes the first electric motor during the control by the automatic steering control, the controller continues to perform the automatic steering control using the second electric motor of the second system, and when the controller then shifts to the assist control, the controller sets the output limit value of the second electric motor of the second system to a value lower than an output limit value used during normal operation when the first electric motor and the second electric motor are normally operated,
wherein the controller is configured to retrieve an automatic steering contribution ratio which is a ratio of an output of the second electric motor required for the automatic steering control as a calculation value therein and an assist control contribution ratio which is the ratio of the output of the second electric motor required for the assist control, and the controller is configured to increase the assist control contribution ratio with reducing the automatic steering contribution ratio upon switching from the automatic steering control to the assist control,
wherein the controller includes a warning generator configured to issue a warning providing notification of a fault when the fault occurs in one of the first electric motor and the second electric motor when executing the automatic steering control, and
wherein the controller is configured to perform the automatic steering control to guide a vehicle to a low-speed lane when a fault occurs in one or more of the first electric motor and the second electric motor during the control of the automatic steering control.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the output limit value upon the fault varies according to a motion state of the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the output limit value upon the fault is set to be a greater value when a vehicle speed is low than when the vehicle speed is high.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the output limit value upon the fault is set to be a greater value when a steering angular speed is large than when the steering angular speed is low.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the output limit value upon the fault is set to be a greater value when a steering angle is large than when the steering angle is low.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the output limit value upon the fault is set to be a greater value when there is a collision avoidance request than when there is no collision avoidance request.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the steering wheel is held by a driver and to responsively switch from the automatic steering control to the assist control.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The steering device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the driver holds the steering wheel when a steering torque is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The steering device according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to set the output limit value upon the fault to be lower when the steering torque is detected to be large than when the steering torque is detected to be small.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to continue to perform the automatic steering control when it is determined that the steering wheel is not held when a fault occurs in the first electric motor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to set the automatic steering contribution ratio to be zero when the steering torque is equal to or greater than a predetermine value to execute the control by the assist control.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to set the output limit value of the second electric motor of the second system to be equal to the output limit value upon the normal operation until a driver holds the steering wheel to perform shifting to the assist control, when a fault occurs in the first electric motor during the control of the automatic steering control.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The steering device according to claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the output limit value of the second electric motor of the second system to the output limit value upon the fault after a driver holds the steering wheel and complete shifting to the assist control is performed.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The steering device according to claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the output limit value of the second electric motor of the second system with a lapse of time up to the output limit value upon the fault after the shifting to the assist control is performed.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the warning generator is configured to prompt a driver to hold the steering wheel by generating a warning.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A vehicle including the steering device according to claim 1, comprising:
a fault display configured to display a fault of the steering device to other vehicles by the warning of the warning generator.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

A vehicle including the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to reduce a vehicle speed when a fault occurs in one or more of the first electric motor and the second electric motor during the control of the automatic steering control.