Abstract: A steering device includes an electric motor and an electronic control unit controls the electric motor. The electronic control unit includes a first friction torque computation circuit, a second friction torque computation circuit, a first load torque-column angle estimation circuit, a pinion angle estimation circuit, a second load torque estimation circuit, and an axial force estimation circuit. The first friction torque computation circuit computes first friction torque. The second friction torque computation circuit computes second friction torque. The first load torque-column angle estimation circuit estimates first load torque and a column angle. The pinion angle estimation circuit estimates an estimated pinion angle value. The second load torque estimation circuit estimates second load torque. The axial force estimation circuit estimates an axial force that acts on a rack shaft.

Abstract: A coupling system and related methods are disclosed. The system has a first plug detachably coupled to a first housing, and a first socket detachably coupled to a second housing. The first socket is configured to receive the first plug. The system is movable between a first configuration wherein the first and second housings are not engaged and a second configuration wherein the first and second housings are engaged and the first plug and the first socket are coupled together.

Abstract: An electric power steering system includes an electric motor, a rotational angle detection unit, a current detection circuit, a steering torque detection unit, a target torque setting unit, a current command value setting unit, and a current control unit. The target torque setting unit includes a basic target torque setting unit, a first compensation value computation unit, a second compensation value computation unit, and a correction unit. The basic target torque setting unit sets basic target torque for the electric motor. The first compensation value computation unit sets a first compensation value based on steering torque. The second compensation value computation unit computes a second compensation value which is an estimated value of disturbance torque other than the steering torque. The correction unit corrects the basic target torque.

Abstract: A steering apparatus includes: a first shaft which is coupled to a steering wheel; a torsion bar; a second shaft which is coupled to the first shaft through the torsion bar; a torsion bar torque detection unit detecting a torsion bar torque which is applied to the torsion bar; and an electronic control unit configured to estimate a driver torque which is applied to the steering wheel by a driver. The electronic control unit is configured to: i) compute a steering wheel rotation angle which is a rotation angle of the steering wheel; and ii) compute a value including an added value, as the driver torque, the added value being a value resulting from adding the torsion bar torque, a steering wheel inertia torque compensation value, and a gravity torque compensation value.

Abstract: A steering system includes an electric motor, a detector, and a controller of a vehicle. The controller is configured to control the electric motor by switching an autonomous steering mode, a manual steering mode, and a cooperative steering mode. The controller is configured to control the electric motor in the cooperative steering mode unconditionally or when a predetermined condition is satisfied in a case where a situation to switch a steering mode to the manual steering mode during control in the autonomous steering mode is predicted and a manual steering request is transmitted at a time point that is prior, by a first predetermined time, to occurrence of the situation, or is transmitted when the vehicle arrives at a point that is located a first predetermined distance before a point where the situation is to occur.

Abstract: Provided is a steering system including a controller that controls an electric motor. The controller has a combined friction torque estimation unit that estimates a combined friction torque combining friction torques occurring in respective transmission devices including a first transmission device. The combined friction torque estimation unit has a slipping speed calculation part that calculates a slipping speed of the first transmission device based on an angular speed of the electric motor, a friction coefficient calculation part that calculates a friction coefficient of the first transmission device based on the slipping speed, a tooth flank normal force calculation part that calculates a normal force acting on a tooth flank of the first transmission device, and a friction torque calculation part that calculates the combined friction torque using the friction coefficient, the tooth flank normal force, and one or more preset correction factors.

Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a first setting portion 41 that sets a target assist torque in accordance with a steering torque, a second setting portion 42 that sets an angle controlling target torque for bringing an angular deviation between a target steering angle and an actual steering angle close to zero, an estimator that estimates a compensation object 43 load with respect to the angle controlling target torque, a first calculating portion 44 that calculates a target automatic steering torque based on the angle controlling target torque set by the second setting portion and the compensation object load estimated by the estimator, and a second calculating portion 44 that performs weighted addition of the target automatic steering torque and the target assist torque in accordance with a value that changes in accordance with a driver input to calculate a target motor torque that is a target value of a motor torque of the electric motor.

Abstract: A steering system includes: a steering member; a steering operation mechanism; a reaction force motor; a steering motor; a steering torque sensor; a command value setting circuit; a reaction force command value calculation circuit configured to calculate a reaction force command value; a steering operation command value calculation circuit configured to calculate a steering operation command value based on a steering operation steering angle command value and a manual steering angle command value; a reaction force control circuit configured to cause a rotation angle of the reaction force motor to follow the reaction force command value; and a steered angle control circuit configured to cause a rotation angle of the steering motor to follow the steering operation command value.

Abstract: A steering determination device determines a steering state in which a driver of a vehicle is steering a steering wheel of the vehicle. The device includes a torque recognition unit configured to recognize a steering torque based on a measurement result of a torque sensor provided on a steering shaft, an acceleration recognition unit configured to recognize longitudinal acceleration or lateral acceleration, a threshold value setting unit configured to set a threshold value for the determination of the steering state, based on the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration, and a steering determination unit configured to determine that the driver is in the steering state if the steering torque is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The threshold value setting unit is configured to set the threshold value such that the threshold value decreases as an absolute value of the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration decreases.

Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a steering wheel, an input shaft, an output shaft coupled to the input shaft via a torsion bar, an electric motor, a torque detector that detects a torsion bar torque applied to the torsion bar, a rotational angle detector that detects a rotational angle of the electric motor, and a microcomputer. The microcomputer is configured to estimate a driver torque applied to the steering wheel using at least (i) the torsion bar torque detected by the torque detector, (ii) the rotational angle of the electric motor detected by the rotational angle detector, and (iii) a physical model that is constructed with a torsion bar viscosity and a torsion bar rigidity, and determine whether the steering wheel is operated in a hands-on state or a hands-off state based on the estimated driver torque.

Abstract: A steering device includes a steering wheel, a torsion bar, a spiral cable, a torque sensor, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to compute a rotational angle of the steering wheel. The electronic control unit is configured to compute, as driver torque, a value that includes a sum obtained by adding torsion bar torque, a steering wheel inertial torque compensation value and a spiral cable torque compensation value. The steering wheel inertial torque compensation value is the product of a steering wheel inertial moment and a second-order differential value of the rotational angle of the steering wheel. The spiral cable torque is torque that acts on the steering wheel because of the spiral cable.

Abstract: A driver torque estimation device includes: a transfer ratio variation device and a torsion bar; an electric motor; a torque sensor; an input shaft rotation acquisition unit configured to acquire the rotational angle of an input shaft of the transfer ratio variation device; and an electronic control unit configured to acquire the rotational angle of an output shaft of the transfer ratio variation device. The electronic control unit is configured to compute an estimated value of first disturbance. The electronic control unit is configured to compute an estimated value of second disturbance. The electronic control unit is configured to compute an estimated value of driver torque based on the torsion bar torque, the estimated value of the first disturbance, and the estimated value of the second disturbance.

Abstract: A contact state detection device that detects the state of contact with a steering wheel of a vehicle steering device includes: a torque sensor that detects torque generated in a steering shaft; a rotational angle sensor that detects the amount of rotation of the steering wheel; a contact sensor that detects whether or not the steering wheel is contacted; and a determination unit that determines which of a hands-on state and a hands-off state is established for the steering wheel based on the results of detection by the torque sensor, the rotational angle sensor, and the contact sensor.

Abstract: A manual steering command value generation unit generates a manual steering command value using steering torque. An integrated angle command value computation unit computes an integrated angle command value by adding the manual steering command value to an automatic steering command value. A control unit performs angle control on an electric motor on the basis of the integrated angle command value. The control unit includes: a basic torque command value computation unit that computes a basic torque command value on the basis of the integrated angle command value; a disturbance torque estimation unit that estimates disturbance torque other than motor torque that is generated by the electric motor and acts on an object to be driven by the electric motor; and a disturbance torque compensation unit that corrects the basic torque command value in accordance with the disturbance torque.

Abstract: An electric power steering system includes a second shaft coupled to a first shaft via a torsion bar, a basic driver torque estimation unit (extended state observer) configured to estimate a basic driver torque by using a disturbance observer based on a torsion bar torque and a rotation angle of the second shaft, a gravity torque calculation unit configured to calculate, by using a rotation angle of a steering wheel, a gravity torque applied to the first shaft by gravity acting on the center of gravity of the steering wheel, and a driver torque estimation unit configured to estimate a driver torque by using the basic driver torque estimated by the basic driver torque estimation unit and the gravity torque calculated by the gravity torque calculation unit.

Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a steering wheel, an input shaft, an output shaft coupled to the input shaft via a torsion bar, an electric motor, a torque detector that detects a torsion bar torque applied to the torsion bar, a rotational angle detector that detects a rotational angle of the electric motor, and a microcomputer. The microcomputer is configured to estimate a driver torque applied to the steering wheel using at least (i) the torsion bar torque detected by the torque detector, (ii) the rotational angle of the electric motor detected by the rotational angle detector, and (iii) a physical model that is constructed with a torsion bar viscosity and a torsion bar rigidity, and determine whether the steering wheel is operated in a hands-on state or a hands-off state based on the estimated driver torque.

Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a driver torque estimation unit that includes a driver torque estimation observer, a low-pass filter, and a hands-on/off determination unit. The driver torque estimation observer estimates driver torque applied to a steering wheel by a driver on the basis of a detected value that includes at least torsion bar torque detected by a torque sensor and the rotational angle of an electric motor detected by a rotational angle sensor. The low-pass filter performs a low-pass filtering process on the estimated driver torque. The hands-on/off determination unit determines whether in a hands-on state or a hands-off state on the basis of the driver torque after being subjected to the low-pass filtering process.

Abstract: An automatic steering deactivating controller includes a first controller and a second controller. At a time when a transition control start requirement is satisfied, the first controller saves an angle control target torque set by an angle controller. The angle control target torque is saved in the form of a transition control start angle control target torque. The second controller calculates a transition control target automatic steering torque in accordance with the transition control start angle control target torque and a road load torque estimated by a road load estimator. The second controller assigns weights to the transition control target automatic steering torque and a target assist torque using the absolute value of a value responsive to an angle difference so as to calculate a target motor torque. The second controller controls an electric motor in accordance with the target motor torque.

Abstract: A steering apparatus includes: a first shaft which is coupled to a steering wheel; a torsion bar; a second shaft which is coupled to the first shaft through the torsion bar; a torsion bar torque detection unit detecting a torsion bar torque which is applied to the torsion bar; and an electronic control unit configured to estimate a driver torque which is applied to the steering wheel by a driver. The electronic control unit is configured to: i) compute a steering wheel rotation angle which is a rotation angle of the steering wheel; and ii) compute a value including an added value, as the driver torque, the added value being a value resulting from adding the torsion bar torque, a steering wheel inertia torque compensation value, and a gravity torque compensation value.

Abstract: A target motor torque setter includes an automatic steering deactivating controller to change a control mode from an automatic steering mode to a manual steering mode in accordance with an intervening operation resulting from a steering operation performed by a driver during the automatic steering mode. The automatic steering deactivating controller determines whether a transition control start requirement is satisfied and starts transition control upon determining that the transition control start requirement is satisfied. The transition control start requirement includes at least a requirement that the absolute value of a steering torque detected by a torque sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined torque threshold value. During the transition control, the automatic steering deactivating controller sets a target motor torque by assigning a weight to each of a target automatic steering torque and a target assist torque using an angle difference.