Electric steering lock device and method thereof
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoichi Koga, Tetsuya Asada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric steering lock device is configured with a control unit to operate a steering column lock between a steering locked state and a steering unlocked state. The electric steering lock device has a locking limit switch that turns on when a locking member reaches the locking stop position, and turns off when an unlocking command for the locking member is outputted. An unlocking limit switch of the electric steering lock device turns on when the locking member reaches the unlocking stop position, and turns off when a locking command for the locking member is outputted. The electric steering lock control unit determines that the locking limit switch or the unlocking limit switch has malfunctioned based on the state of the locking member.
Claims20
An electric steering lock device comprising:
- a control unit configured to output a drive command to operate a steering column lock between a steering locked state and a steering unlocked state;
- a locking limit switch configured to turn on when the steering column lock reaches a locking stop position, and turn off after issuance of an unlocking command from the control unit to unlock the steering column lock;
- an unlocking limit switch configured to turn on when the steering column lock reaches an unlocking stop position, and turn off after issuance of a locking command from the control unit to unlock the steering column lock;
- a state detection component configured to detect a current state of the steering column lock as one of the steering locked state and the steering unlocked state;
- and
- a malfunction diagnostic component configured to determine a malfunction of one of the locking and unlocking limit switches when both the locking and unlocking limit switches are off and the current state of the steering column lock is detected to be in one of the steering locked state and the steering unlocked state.
An electric steering lock device comprising:
- control means for outputting a control command to operate a steering column lock;
- locking limiting means for stopping a driving component when the steering column lock reaches a locking stop position;
- unlocking limit switch means for stopping the driving component when the steering column lock reaches an unlocking stop position;
- state detection means for detecting current state of the steering column lock as one of a steering locked state and a steering unlocked state;
- and
- malfunction diagnostic means for diagnosing a malfunction of the locking limit switch based on the on/off state of the locking limit switch and the state of the steering lock detected by the state detection means;
- wherein
- the malfunction diagnostic means determines that either the locking limit switch or the unlocking limit switch has malfunctioned when both the locking limit switch and the unlocking limit switch are off either in a state in which the steering column lock is locked or a state in which the steering column lock is unlocked.
- malfunction diagnostic means for determining a malfunction of one of the locking and unlocking limit means when both the locking and unlocking limit means are off and the current state of the steering column lock is detected to be in one of the steering locked state and the steering unlocked state.
A steering lock malfunctioning method for an electric steering lock device provided with a locking limit switch that turns on when a steering column lock reaches a locking stop position, and turns off when an unlocking command for the steering column lock being outputted;
- and an unlocking limit switch that turns on when the steering column lock reaches an unlocking stop position, and turns off when a locking command for the steering column lock is outputted, wherein steering is locked by the fitting of a steering column lock into a steering column, the steering lock method comprising:
- detecting an on/off status of the locking limit switch;
- detecting an on/off status of the unlocking limit switch;
- detecting a current state of the steering column lock as one of a steering locked state and an unlocked state;
- and
- determining that one the locking and unlocking limit switches has malfunctioned when both the locking and unlocking limit switches are off and the current state of the steering column lock is detected to be in one of the steering locked state and the steering unlocked state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.