Vehicle power steering control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981684-B2
Application number	US-201114344101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2011
Priority date	Dec 5, 2011
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle steering control apparatus includes a power-supply supply portion 101 supplying a power supply to a micro-controller 102 , an inverter 104 supplying power to drive a motor 5 , a gate driver 103 controlling the inverter 104 , a motor relay 105 opening and closing a current-passing path between the inverter 104 and the motor 5 , a motor relay driver 106 controlling the motor relay 105 , and a monitoring control portion A 108 a and a monitoring control portion B 108 b monitoring a power-supply voltage of the power-supply supply portion 101 . Because multiple monitoring control portions are included, even in the event of an inconvenience in either one of the monitoring control portions A 108 a and B 108 b , the motor 5 can be stopped quickly in a reliable manner when the power-supply voltage goes out of a normal operation range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle power steering control apparatus including an electronic control unit configured to monitor a power-supply voltage, the electronic control unit comprising:
an electronic control portion configured to output a control signal that controls an outside load to an outside load controller, the outside load controller including at least two outside load drivers to control the outside load;
a power-supply supply portion configured to adjust a voltage of an outside power supply to be supplied to a supply terminal of the electronic control portion to be a voltage within a normal operation range of the electronic control portion and to supply the adjusted voltage; and
at least two independent monitoring control portions, each of which is configured to monitor the adjusted voltage outputted from the power-supply supply portion, and each of which is connected to a respective one of the outside load drivers,
wherein in the case where the monitoring control portions detect that the adjusted voltage is outside of the normal operation range, each of the monitoring control portions is further configured to output control signals, which bypass the electronic control portion, to the connected one of the outside load drivers so as to stop driving of the outside load by stopping the control of the outside load by the outside load drivers,
wherein the electronic control portion includes an inverter configured to supply power to drive the outside load,
wherein the outside load is a motor that generates a steering assist torque, and
wherein the outside load drivers include a power-supply relay driver configured to control a power-supply relay that opens and closes a power supplying path to the inverter, a gate driver controlling the inverter, and a motor relay driver controlling a motor relay that opens and closes a current-passing path between the inverter and the motor.

2. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the monitoring control portions is further configured to, via the electronic control portion, stop the driving of the outside load by inputting a reset signal to a reset terminal of the electronic control portion.

3. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the monitoring control portions is connected to a different one of the outside load drivers.

4. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the monitoring control portions are of circuit configurations different from each other.

5. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the monitoring control portions are formed of circuit parts different from each other.

6. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
one of the monitoring control portions is provided in the power-supply supply portion.

7. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
one of multiple monitoring control portions is provided in the outside load controller.

8. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control portion includes a main electronic control portion and a secondary electronic control portion, and
wherein one of the monitoring control portions is provided to the secondary electronic control portion.

9. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple monitoring portions are configured to operate independently from each other.

Assignees

• Matsushita Masaki
• Kifuku Takayuki
• Kozuki Hiroyuki
• Saito Masatoshi
• Kawano Yu
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Matsushita Masaki
• Kifuku Takayuki
• Kozuki Hiroyuki
• Saito Masatoshi
• Kawano Yu

Classifications

• G06F17/00

  Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions (information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00) · CPC title

• H02P29/0241

  the fault being an overvoltage · CPC title

• B62D5/04

  electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear · CPC title

• B60W30/12

  Lane keeping · CPC title

• B62D5/0484

  for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home · CPC title