US 2012/0234624 A1Published application

Electric power steering apparatus

AssigneeShowa Corporation

InventorsYoshinori Takeuchi, Fumiaki Iskikawa

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Abstract

In an electric power steering apparatus, a switch means (40) is provided with a shutoff means (70) which extends from one to another of at least two fixed contact points so as to shut off an extension of a foreign material which allows an electrical continuity of the fixed contact points, between the at least two fixed contact points among four fixed contact points including fixed contact points (a, b) of a first relay (50) and fixed contact points (c, d) of a second relay (60).

Claims9

Dependent claims

An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

an electric power steering structure being capable of controlling a steering wheel of a vehicle by driving an electric motor having a plurality of phase coil windings by a motor drive circuit;
a switch means being provided in at least first and second phase coil windings of the electric motor;
the switch means having a first relay which is interposed in the first phase coil winding, and a second relay which is interposed in the second phase coil winding;
and
a movable contact point portion of the first relay and a movable contact point portion of the second relay being actuated by one electromagnetic operation portion, a pair of fixed contact points (a, b) of a fixed contact point portion which is attached to a housing of the first relay being capable of being connected and disconnected by the movable contact point portion of the first relay, and a pair of fixed contact points (c, d) of a fixed contact point portion which is attached to a housing of the second relay being capable of being connected and disconnected by a movable contact point portion of the second relay,
wherein a shutoff means which shuts off an extension of a foreign material which extends from one to another of at least two fixed contact points so as to allow an electrical continuity of the fixed contact points is provided between the at least two fixed contact points in four fixed contact points including the fixed contact points (a, b) of the first relay and the fixed contact points (c, d) of the second relay,
the movable contact point portion of the first relay and the movable contact point portion of the second relay are provided in both sides of a movable holder which is driven by the one electromagnetic operation portion,
the shutoff means is provided in the housing with a fixed partition wall which divides areas from each other in which the at least two fixed contact points are respectively installed, and arranges a movable partition wall which is provided in the center of the movable holder in the vicinity of a side of the fixed partition wall, and in the vicinity of a side to which the movable partition wall is opposed in the direction orthogonal to the movable direction of the movable partition wall, via a fixed gap, and
one of the fixed partition wall and the movable partition wall consists of a single projection rib, another of them consists of two projection ribs, and the single projection rib moves up and down within a concave groove which is between the two projection ribs, at a time when the movable holder is located from an upper end position to a lower end position of a movable stroke.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

an electric power steering structure being capable of controlling a steering wheel of a vehicle by driving an electric motor having a plurality of phase coil windings by a motor drive circuit;
a switch means being provided in at least first and second phase coil windings of the electric motor;
the switch means having a first relay which is interposed in the first phase coil winding, and a second relay which is interposed in the second phase coil winding;
and
a movable contact point portion of the first relay and a movable contact point portion of the second relay being actuated by one electromagnetic operation portion, a pair of fixed contact points (a, b) of a fixed contact point portion which is attached to a housing of the first relay being capable of being connected and disconnected by the movable contact point portion of the first relay, and a pair of fixed contact points (c, d) of a fixed contact point portion which is attached to a housing of the second relay being capable of being connected and disconnected by a movable contact point portion of the second relay,
wherein a shutoff means which shuts off an extension of a foreign material which extends from one to another of at least two fixed contact points so as to allow an electrical continuity of the fixed contact points is provided between the at least two fixed contact points in four fixed contact points including the fixed contact points (a, b) of the first relay and the fixed contact points (c, d) of the second relay,
the movable contact point portion of the first relay and the movable contact point portion of the second relay are provided in both sides of a movable holder which is driven by the one electromagnetic operation portion,
the shutoff means is provided in the housing with a fixed partition wall which divides areas from each other in which the at least two fixed contact points are respectively installed, and arranges a movable partition wall which is provided in the center of the movable holder in the vicinity of a side of the fixed partition wall, and in the vicinity of a side to which the movable partition wall is opposed in the direction orthogonal to the movable direction of the movable partition wall, via a fixed gap, and
one of the fixed partition wall and the movable partition wall consists of a single projection rib, another of them consists of two projection ribs, and the single projection rib moves up and down within a concave groove which is between the two projection ribs, at a time when the movable holder is located from an upper end position to a lower end position of a movable stroke.

6 more elements