Electric steering wheel lock device
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
InventorHisashi KATO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric steering wheel lock device includes a control circuit that starts and stops supplying power to a motor that actuates a lock mechanism to lock and unlock a movable member of a vehicle steering mechanism. The control circuit changes contact states of first and second relays to switch a supplying direction of the power. A drive restriction unit stops and starts supplying power to a drive circuit for the motor. The control circuit changes contact states of the first and second relays when the drive restriction unit stops supplying power to the drive circuit.
Claims9
An electric steering wheel lock device comprising:
- a control circuit that starts and stops supplying power to a motor that actuates a lock mechanism to lock and unlock a movable member of a vehicle steering mechanism, wherein the control circuit changes contact states of first and second relays to switch a supplying direction of the power;
- and
- a drive restriction unit that stops and starts supplying power to a drive circuit for the motor;
- wherein the control circuit changes contact states of the first and second relays when the drive restriction unit stops supplying power to the drive circuit.
A lock control unit that controls a motor, wherein the motor actuates a lock mechanism that locks and unlocks a movable member of a vehicle steering mechanism, the lock control unit comprising:
- a motor drive circuit connected between a high potential power supply and a low potential power supply, wherein the motor produces rotation in a first direction when a first direction current flows to the motor drive circuit and produces rotation in a second direction when a second direction current flows to the motor drive circuit, and each of the first and second relays is switched between a first contact state, which corresponds to the first direction current, and a second contact state, which corresponds to the second direction current;
- a switching element that opens and closes the motor drive circuit, wherein the switching element is arranged apart from the first and second relays in the motor drive circuit;
- and
- a control circuit that controls the first and second relays and the switching element, wherein the control circuit
- temporarily switches, before the first direction current is supplied, one of the first and second relays to the second contact state, which corresponds to the second direction current, while keeping the switching element deactivated to open the motor drive circuit,
- activates the switching element to close the motor drive circuit when the one of the first and second relays is temporarily switched to the second contact state, and
- switches the one of the first and second relays to the first contact state, which corresponds to the first direction current, when the motor drive circuit is closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.