Steering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9884642-B2
Application number	US-201114364812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2011
Priority date	Dec 12, 2011
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

In order to provide a steering device capable of inhibiting generation of abnormal sound without a complicated structure, the steering device is provided with a wheel gear connected to an output shaft which transmits an output to a turning wheel and a worm gear engaging with the wheel gear and capable of transmitting power generated by a motor to the wheel gear, and a rotational speed of the motor is made lower than that during normal operation, at the time driving of the stopped motor is started or at the time a rotational direction of the worm gear is reversed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A steering device comprising:
a first gear configured to be connected to an output shaft which transmits an output to a turning wheel;
a second gear configured to engage with the first gear and capable of transmitting power generated by a motor to the first gear; and
a processor configured to control the motor, wherein
the processor makes a rotational speed of the motor lower than the rotational speed during normal operation when a tooth of the first gear is determined by the processor to abut a tooth of the second gear at a time when the motor is started by the processor from a stopped state or at a time when a rotational direction of the second gear is reversed by the processor.

2. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein
at a time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limit value of at least one of an applied voltage and a target current to the motor, and a target angle and a target angular speed at the time of rotation of the motor is changed to lower the rotational speed.

3. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotational speed of the motor is set to the rotational speed during the normal operation in at least one of following cases: an elapsed time from a previous reverse of the rotational direction of the second gear is not longer than a predetermined time, a vehicle speed is not lower than a predetermined vehicle speed, and a target rotational speed of the motor is not higher than a predetermined target speed.

4. The steering device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a variable gear ratio device configured to vary a gear ratio of the steering device based on a steering operation and an amount of the operation changes by a control gain, wherein
at a time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limit value of at least one of the rotational speed, an applied voltage, a target current, and a target angular speed of the motor is changed as the control gain changes.

5. The steering device according to claim 4 , wherein
the control gain is a control gain of a VGRS or an ARS, or an angular feedback gain of the VGRS or the ARS, or a current feedback gain of the VGRS or the ARS.

6. The steering device according to claim 5 , wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a control value of at least any one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, and the target angular speed of the motor is changed as a response speed of the VGRS or the ARS is higher or as the vehicle speed is lower.

7. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein
at a time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, an applied voltage, a target current, a target angle, and a target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

8. The steering device according to claim 2 , wherein
the rotational speed of the motor is set to the rotational speed during the normal operation in at least one of following cases: an elapsed time from previous reverse of the rotational direction of the second gear is not longer than a predetermined time, a vehicle speed is not lower than a predetermined vehicle speed, and a target rotational speed of the motor is not higher than a predetermined target speed.

9. The steering device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a variable gear ratio device configured to vary a gear ratio of the steering device based on the steering operation and an amount of the operation changes by a control gain, wherein
at the time the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, the limit value of at least one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, and the target angular speed of the motor is changed as the control gain changes.

10. The steering device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a variable gear ratio device configured to vary a gear ratio of the steer device based on the steering operation and an amount of the operation changes by a control gain, wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limit value of at least one of the rotational speed, an applied voltage, a target current, and a target angular speed of the motor is changed as the control gain changes.

11. The steering device according to claim 2 , wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, the target angle, and the target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

12. The steering device according to claim 3 , wherein
at a time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, an applied voltage, a target current, a target angle, and a target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

13. The steering device according to claim 4 , wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, the target angle, and the target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

14. The steering device according to claim 5 , wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, the target angle, and the target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

15. The steering device according to claim 6 , wherein
at the time when the rotational speed of the motor is lowered, a limitation of at least one of the rotational speed, the applied voltage, the target current, the target angle, and the target angular speed of the motor is canceled by a positional relationship between the first gear and the second gear or by an elapse of a predetermined time.

16. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein the first gear is a worm gear and the second gear is a wheel gear.

Assignees

• Takashima Toru
• Tsuchiya Yoshiaki
• Limpibunterng Theerawat
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takashima Toru
• Tsuchiya Yoshiaki
• Limpibunterng Theerawat

Classifications

• B62D5/0463

  calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input · CPC title

• B62D5/0409 Primary

  Electric motor acting on the steering column · CPC title

• B62D5/046

  Controlling the motor · CPC title