Steer-by-wire steering apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12565264-B2
Application number	US-202418585894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Feb 27, 2023
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

A reaction force actuator applies, during normal operation, a steering reaction force, which rapidly increases upon approaching an upper limit of a virtual steering range, to a steering wheel. During rapid steering in which a turning angle velocity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and a turning follow delay is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the reaction force actuator applies a steering reaction force to the steering wheel based on an upper limit corresponding to a narrower virtual steering range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A steer-by-wire steering apparatus comprising:
a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle of a steering wheel; a turning actuator that turns a turning wheel according to a target turning angle which is a control target value of a turning angle of the turning wheel, calculated based on the steering angle; a turning angle sensor that detects an actual turning angle which is an actual turning angle of the turning wheel turned by the turning actuator; and a reaction force actuator that applies a steering reaction force, opposing a steering manipulation of a driver, to the steering wheel, wherein the reaction force actuator applies, when the steering angle approaches a maximum value of a virtual steering range of the steering wheel, an end steering reaction force to the steering wheel, the end steering reaction force increasing as the steering angle approaches the maximum value of the virtual steering range, and the virtual steering range is narrower than a steering range during a normal time, the virtual steering range being applied during controlled steering in which a turning angle velocity calculated based on the actual turning angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

2 . The steer-by-wire steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the reaction force actuator applies the end steering reaction force to the steering wheel based on the steering range of the normal time in place of the narrower virtual steering range, when a turning follow delay which is a difference between the target turning angle and the actual turning angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value during the controlled steering.

3 . The steer-by-wire steering apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the reaction force actuator applies the end steering reaction force to the steering wheel based on the virtual steering range which becomes narrower as the turning angle velocity becomes larger and/or as the turning follow delay becomes larger.

4 . A steer-by-wire steering apparatus comprising:
a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle of a steering wheel; a turning actuator that turns a turning wheel according to a target turning angle which is a control target value of a turning angle of the turning wheel, calculated based on the steering angle; and a reaction force actuator that applies a steering reaction force, opposing a steering manipulation of a driver, to the steering wheel, wherein the reaction force actuator applies, when the steering angle approaches a maximum value of a virtual steering range of the steering wheel, an end steering reaction force to the steering wheel, the end steering reaction force increasing as the steering angle approaches the maximum value of the virtual steering range, and the virtual steering range is narrower than a steering range during a normal time, the virtual steering range being applied during controlled steering in which a turning angle velocity calculated based on the actual turning angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Jtekt Corp

Inventors

• Kamimae Hajime
• Kudo Yoshio
• Iida Tomoyuki
• Goto Yuko
• Ishino Takahito
• Ishihara Atsushi
• Miyake Junya

Classifications

• B62D5/046 Primary

  Controlling the motor · CPC title

• B62D5/006

  power actuated · CPC title

• B62D5/001

  Mechanical components or aspects of steer-by-wire systems, not otherwise provided for in this maingroup · CPC title

• B62D5/0469

  End-of-stroke control · CPC title

• B62D6/00

  Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits (means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00) · CPC title