JPH08207814A - Steering control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce wiring quantity and electric power loss and improve reliability to an electric noise, by providing a second control means for adjusting the energizing quantity of a driving means, based on the information of a first steering quantity indicated value outputted by a first controlling means and the condition quantity of a control object steering system. CONSTITUTION: A target steering angle T1 is repeatedly calculated at every given period based on information detected by a sensing means by the steering angle calculating means S15 of a first controlling means, and angle information ΔT in accordance with a calculated target steering angle is converted into the operation quantity ΔT2 of a driving means by a first converting means S1A. This operation quantity ΔT2 is transmitted as a first steering quantity indicated value to a second controlling means SVU by a first indicated value transmitting means S1C. The energising quantity of the driving means is adjusted based on the information of a first steering quantity indicated value outputted by the first control means and the condition quantity of a control object steering system by the energizing control means of the second controlling means SVU.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering control device that can be used in an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in automobiles, the rear wheels are steered by an actuator such as an electric motor in conjunction with the steering amount of the front wheels.

This type of steering control device is composed of various sensor groups including, for example, a front wheel steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a rear wheel steering angle sensor, a motor speed sensor, an electric motor and gears. And an electronic control unit for controlling the energization of the electric motor, which includes a microcomputer and a driver.

[0004]

By the way, in the case of the rear wheel steering control device, it is necessary to supply a relatively large current to the electric motor of the actuator, so that the electronic control unit and the actuator are connected to each other. Therefore, unless a thick electric wire is used or the length of the electric wire is shortened, power loss increases. Therefore, it is desirable to install the electronic control unit near the actuator.

However, the electronic control unit includes, for example, a yaw rate sensor, a front wheel steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor,
Since it is necessary to connect to a number of sensors that are located away from the rear wheels, such as a T / M (transmission) vehicle speed sensor,
If the electronic control unit is placed near the rear wheel, the wiring connecting the multiple sensors and the electronic control unit must be routed over a long distance, increasing the amount of wiring and increasing the sensor or electronic control unit. Since various signals input to the unit are easily affected by electric noise, a problem occurs.

In order to avoid such a problem, two independent electronic control units are provided, one electronic control unit is arranged in the vicinity of various sensors, and the other electronic control unit is arranged in the vicinity of the actuator. It is desirable to configure it to be arranged.

By the way, when two electronic control units are installed, it is necessary to transmit information such as a target steering angle between the electronic control units. On the other hand, the relationship between the steering angle of the rear wheel side steering mechanism of the automobile and the moving stroke of the rack that changes the direction of the wheels (or the rotation amount of the electric motor that drives the rack) is generally different for each vehicle type. There is. For this reason, when transmitting information such as a target steering angle between two electronic control units, a rack moving stroke (or a rack is driven to change the actual steering angle and the direction of the wheels for each vehicle type). The control contents of the electronic control unit connected to the actuator must be changed according to the relationship with the rotation amount of the electric motor), and different electronic control units must be prepared for each vehicle type. I have to. That is,
Since the configuration of the electronic control unit cannot be standardized, the manufacturing cost of the unit cannot be reduced.

Generally, in the rear wheel steering control device, in the servo control system for controlling the electric motor, in order to enhance the responsiveness, the speed of change of the target steering angle information from the target steering angle information,
That is, the time derivative of the target rudder angle is obtained, and the control proportional to the target rudder angle and the control according to the derivative of the target rudder angle are performed.
Since the time derivative of the target rudder angle has a great influence on the control even if it is a small value, it is necessary to accurately obtain the time derivative of the target rudder angle. It is necessary to know highly accurate target rudder angle information.

However, since a large number of bits are required to express highly accurate information, one electronic control unit that generates a target rudder angle is changed to another electronic control unit that includes a servo control system. In order to transmit highly accurate target rudder angle information, information having a large number of bits must be transmitted. However, it is difficult to transmit the target rudder angle information with sufficient accuracy because of the restrictions on the information transmission speed and the required transmission time. If the required transmission time is increased in order to improve the accuracy of the target rudder angle information to be transmitted, the cycle for updating the target rudder angle must be lengthened, and the responsiveness of the control system is inevitably deteriorated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of wiring in the steering control device, reduce power loss, improve reliability against electric noise, reduce manufacturing cost of the device, and the like.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vehicle steering control device of the present invention comprises a sensor means (17, 20, 222, 2) for detecting information relating to the state of the vehicle.
3, 24); drive means (12) for adjusting the rudder angle; including a first digital processor (1), connected to the sensor means, and repeatedly repeated at predetermined intervals based on the information detected by the sensor means. Rudder angle calculation means (S15) for calculating the rudder angle (T1), and first conversion means (S1A) for converting the angle information (ΔT) corresponding to the calculated target rudder angle into the operation amount (ΔT2) of the drive means. ), And a first control means (9) for transmitting the operation amount calculated by the first conversion means as a first steering amount instruction value (S1C); A second digital processor (8) independent of the first digital processor is included, and the information of the first steering amount instruction value output by the first control means and the state quantity of the control target steering system ( RAGL) of the drive means based on Second control means (SV) including a bias control means (DV2, DV3) for adjusting the bias amount.
U) ;.

Further, in the present invention, the first control means is a steering angle differential value calculating means (S15) for calculating a differential value of the target steering angle, and information according to the differential value obtained by the means. A second conversion means (S1B) for converting the operation amount into the operation amount (VT1) of the drive means, and a second instruction for transmitting the operation amount calculated by the second conversion means as a second steering amount instruction value. A value transmission means (S1C) is provided, and the bias control means of the second control means includes information on the first and second steering amount instruction values output by the first control means and the state of the control target steering system. And the amount of biasing of the drive means based on the amount.

Further, in the present invention, the first control means generates a value (ΔT) corresponding to the amount of change of the target steering angle within a predetermined period and gives the value to the first conversion means. The second control means includes an angle change calculation means (S16, S19), and the second control means accumulates values output by the first control means to obtain a steering amount instruction value (Tθ2).
including.

Further, in the present invention, the sensor means includes at least front wheel steering angle detection means (17, 20) for detecting the actual steering angle of the front wheels of the vehicle.

The symbols shown in the parentheses are reference numerals of corresponding elements in the embodiments described later, but each constituent element of the present invention is a concrete element in the embodiments. It is not limited to only.

[0016]

In the present invention, the sensor means (17, 20,
22, 23, 24) is connected to the input of the first control means (9) and the drive means (12) is the second control means (S).
VU) output. Also, the first control means includes a first digital processor (1), and the second control means includes a second digital processor (8) independent of the first digital processor. Each of the first digital processor and the second digital processor may be a general-purpose control means such as a microcomputer in which a specific program is incorporated, or dedicated hardware for executing a specific processing function. It may be a circuit.

Then, the rudder angle calculating means (S15) of the first control means (9) repeatedly calculates the target rudder angle (T1) at predetermined intervals based on the information detected by the sensor means. The first conversion means (S1A) uses the angle information (ΔT) corresponding to the calculated target steering angle as the operation amount (Δ) of the drive means.
Convert to T2). The operation amount (ΔT2) is used by the first instruction value transmitting means (S1C) as the first steering amount instruction value and is changed to the second value.
To the control means (SVU). Second control means (S
The bias control means (DV2, DV3) of the VU) of the drive means based on the information of the first steering amount instruction value output by the first control means and the state quantity (RAGL) of the controlled steering system. Adjust the amount of bias.

According to this, the first control means and the second control means are independent control units, and they can be arranged at different positions. That is, the first control means connected to the sensor means is installed at a position close to the place where the sensor means is installed (for example, the front part of the passenger compartment),
The second control means connected to the drive means can be installed at a position close to the drive means (for example, in the same housing as the rear wheel steering mechanism). By arranging the first control means in the vicinity of the sensor means, the connection between the first control means and the sensor means is facilitated, and the connected portion is less susceptible to electrical noise. Further, by disposing the second control means in the vicinity of the drive means, the connection between the second control means and the drive means becomes easy, and the power loss at those connection portions is reduced.

In the wiring between the first control means and the second control means, basically, it is sufficient to send the information of the target rudder angle from the former to the latter. It's extremely easy. Further, even if the wiring length of that portion is long, it is possible to reduce the influence of electrical noise by lowering the impedance of the wiring portion, and since it is not necessary to pass a large current, the power loss is increased. There is no problem.

Further, the relationship between the actual steering angle of the wheel according to the type of the vehicle equipped with the steering control device and the moving stroke of the rack shaft (or the driving amount of the electric motor) for changing the direction of the wheel. Is different for each vehicle type, the information transmitted from the first control means to the second control means is the operation amount (Δ
Since it corresponds to T2), even if the vehicle type changes,
It is not necessary to change the configuration of the control means of
The control means of can be commonly used for all vehicle types. The change in the control amount due to the difference in vehicle type can be dealt with only by changing the conversion content of the first conversion means (S1A) of the first control means. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the second control means can be reduced.

In the second aspect, the steering angle differential value calculating means (S15) of the first control means calculates the differential value of the target steering angle, and the differential value is used as the operation amount (VT1) of the driving means. After being converted, it is transmitted to the second control means as the second steering amount instruction value. Therefore, the second control means does not need to perform the differential calculation, and the information (ΔT2) corresponding to the target steering angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means does not require so high accuracy. That is, information (ΔT) corresponding to the target steering angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means.
The number of bits in 2) can be reduced. The period for updating the differential value of the target rudder angle may be longer than the period for updating the target rudder angle, and therefore the number of transmission bits per unit time regarding the differential value is relatively small. That is, compared with the case of transmitting only the high-precision target steering angle for calculating the differential value, transmitting the low-precision target steering angle and the differential value of the target steering angle is
The amount of information transmitted per unit time is reduced.

In the third aspect, the information corresponding to the target steering angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means is:
Since the value (ΔT) corresponds to the amount of change in the target steering angle within the predetermined period, the amount of information of the signal to be transmitted per unit time is reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the frequency of the signal, for example. When a high frequency signal is transmitted, the signal emits high frequency noise, which causes various problems. However, by reducing the frequency of the signal, the high frequency noise can be significantly reduced. Further, in the case of transmitting signals by parallel data, if the amount of information to be transmitted decreases, it is possible to reduce the number of bits of signals transmitted in parallel and reduce the number of wirings.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the structure of a steering system of an automobile for implementing the present invention. In FIG. 1, 13 is the left front wheel, and 14
Is the right front wheel, 15 is the left rear wheel, and 16 is the right rear wheel. The steering shaft of the steering wheel 19 is connected to the front wheel steering mechanism 10. The front wheel steering mechanism 10 includes
The rack and pinion mechanism is built in, and when the pinion rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel 19,
When the rack shaft 10a formed with a rack that meshes with the rack shaft 10a moves in the axial direction (left-right direction) and the rack shaft 10a moves,
The steering angles of the front wheels 13 and 14 connected to it change.

In this embodiment, two types of steering angle detectors 17 and 20 are installed to detect the steering angle of the front wheels. The rudder angle detector 17 is a potentiometer for detecting the axial position of the rack shaft 10 a, and the rudder angle detector 20
Is a rotary encoder that generates a pulse as the steering shaft of the steering wheel 19 rotates. The signals output from the steering angle detectors 17 and 20 are input to an electronic control unit (ECU) 9 installed in the vehicle compartment.

Two types of vehicle speed detectors 22 and 23 are installed to detect the vehicle speed. Vehicle speed detector 22
Detects the vehicle speed based on the actual rotation speed of the wheels, and the vehicle speed detector 23 detects the vehicle speed based on the rotation speed of the output shaft of the transmission. Further, a yaw rate detector 24 is installed to detect the yaw rate of the vehicle body. The signals output from the vehicle speed detectors 22 and 23 and the yaw rate detector 24 are input to the electronic control unit 9, respectively.

Further, in this embodiment, the output (L terminal) of the regulator REG is connected to the electronic control unit 9 and the servo unit SVU in order to identify whether or not the engine is rotating. The regulator REG is a device that stabilizes the output voltage of the vehicle-mounted generator connected to the output of the engine.

The rear wheels 15 and 16 are connected to the rack shaft 25, and the steering angles of the rear wheels 15 and 16 change as the rack shaft 25 moves in the axial direction (left-right direction). The rack shaft 25 is connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism 11. The rear wheel steering mechanism 11 is an electric motor (brushless motor) 1 for driving.
2. A magnetic pole sensor 18 for detecting the rotational position of the electric motor 12, a servo unit SVU, and a speed reducer (not shown) are incorporated. The servo unit SVU drives the electric motor 12 based on the target steering angle information input from the electronic control unit 9. When the electric motor 12 is driven, the rack shaft 25 connected to it via the reduction gear moves,
The steering angle of the rear wheels changes. A rudder angle detector 21 is installed on the rack shaft 25 to detect the rudder angle of the rear wheels. The steering angle detector 21 is a potentiometer. The signal output from the steering angle detector 21 is input to the servo unit SVU.

The first power supply line DIG connected to the battery-2 via the ignition switch IG is connected to the electronic control unit 9 and the servo unit SVU. The first power supply line DIG is wired using an electric wire having a diameter of 0.3 mm (or 0.5 mm) because the flowing current is relatively small. On the other hand, the second power supply line PIG connected to the battery-2 via the relay-3 is connected to the servo unit SVU. Since the second power supply line PIG has a large flowing current, it is wired using an electric wire having a diameter of 3 mm.

The actual rear wheel steering mechanism 1 of the apparatus shown in FIG.
The configuration of No. 1 is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, the servo unit SVU, the electric motor 12, the magnetic pole sensor 18, and the steering angle detector 21 are built in the same housing of the rear wheel steering mechanism 11. The servo unit SVU is connected to the power supply lines PIG and DIG and the electronic control unit 9 via the connector CN. The servo unit SVU and the electric motor 12 are connected inside the housing by a short electric wire.

Due to such a structure, the number of wirings for connecting the rear wheel steering mechanism 11 to the power source line and the electronic control unit 9 is very small, and particularly, the wiring for passing a large current is the power source line PIG. Since it is only the ground, the power loss can be minimized. Servo unit S
Since the VU and the electric motor 12 are connected by a short electric wire inside the housing, there is almost no loss of electric power at this portion.

On the other hand, the electronic control unit 9 is provided with various sensors (17, 2) instead of being separated from the rear wheel steering mechanism 11.
2, 23, 24), the electric wires connecting these sensors and the electronic control unit 9 are relatively short, and the wiring is easy to handle. Since it is necessary to supply a stabilized voltage to each sensor, it is necessary to connect at least three electric wires to the electronic control unit 9 per sensor, and a short electric wire brings about a great advantage. In addition, since the length of the electric wire is short, it is less likely to be affected by electric noise from the outside. As will be described later, the number of electric wires is small in the portion connecting the electronic control unit 9 and the servo unit SVU. Therefore, even if the wiring in this portion becomes long, the influence of electric noise from the outside will not occur. It's easy to get rid of. For example, if the impedance of the signal line is lowered, the influence of external electrical noise will be reduced.

The structure of the electronic control unit 9 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 3, and the structure of the servo unit SVU is shown in FIG. First, the electronic control unit 9 will be described with reference to FIG.
The electronic control unit 9 includes a microcomputer 1, a power supply unit 4, a voltage monitoring circuit 6, an AND gate G1, a driver DV1, and interfaces IF1 and IF2. The microcomputer 1 includes an A / D converter,
Built-in timer and serial communication circuit. The power supply unit 4 includes a stabilized power supply that outputs a stabilized voltage of 5V, a reset circuit that outputs a reset signal when the power is turned on and when the power supply voltage drops, and a watchdog timer circuit that detects an abnormality. . Interface IF
Reference numeral 1 and IF2 are signal processing circuits that perform signal waveform shaping, amplification, level adjustment, and the like.

The input port of the microcomputer 1 is connected to the sensor 2 via the interface IF1.
Signals relating to yaw rate, front wheel steering angle 1, front wheel steering angle 2, wheel speed, and transmission vehicle speed are input from 4, 17, 20, 22, and 23, respectively. In addition, the regulator REG
The engine rotation signal from the power supply and the battery voltage signal from the power supply line are also applied. It is applied to the input port of the micro computer 1. Since the signals of the yaw rate, the front wheel steering angle 1, and the battery voltage are analog voltages, the levels of these voltages are sampled by the A / D converter built in the microcomputer 1 at predetermined intervals. Converted to a number and stored in memory. Further, since the front wheel steering angle 2, the wheel speed, and the transmission vehicle speed are pulse signals, the pulse cycle of each signal is measured by the timer built in the microcomputer 1 at predetermined intervals.
The measurement result is converted into the steering angle or the vehicle speed and stored in the memory. The engine rotation signal indicates whether or not the engine is rotating 2
It is a value signal.

Electronic control unit 9 and servo unit SV
U is connected to U by four signal lines RLS, RXD, TXD and CLK. Of these, the signal lines RXD, TXD and CLK are interface IF2.
It is connected to the serial communication circuit of the microcomputer 1 via. RXD is a signal line through which a binary signal (serial data) transmitted from the servo unit SVU to the microcomputer 1 is passed, and TXD is transmitted from the microcomputer 1 to the servo unit SVU. Is a signal line through which a binary signal (serial data) is passed, and CLK is a signal line through which a clock pulse having a constant cycle that determines the timing of communication data is passed. In this embodiment, the signal output to the signal line CLK is generated and output by the microcomputer 1.

RLS is a signal line for passing a power-supply cutoff signal output from the servo unit SVU. In this example, when the voltage monitoring circuit 6 detects an abnormally low power supply voltage, when the microcomputer 1 outputs a power supply power-off signal to the output port RLM, and when the servo unit S is operated.
When the gate G1 detects any one of the conditions when the VU outputs a power supply cutoff signal to the signal line RLS, the relay-3 cuts off the power supply to the power supply line PIG of the power system.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, the servo unit SV
U will be explained. In this example, the servo unit SVU is
Microcomputer 8, power supply unit 71, interface
Face IF3, resistor R1, driver DV2, DV3
And a clock detection circuit SCK. The microcomputer 8 contains an A / D converter, a timer and a serial communication circuit. The power supply unit 71 includes a stabilized power supply that outputs a stabilized voltage of 5V, a reset circuit that outputs a reset signal when the power is turned on and when the power supply voltage drops, and a watchdog timer circuit that detects an abnormality. . The interface IF3 is a signal processing circuit that performs signal waveform shaping, amplification, level adjustment, and the like.

The clock stop detection circuit SCK includes a signal line C
This is a circuit for identifying whether or not a clock pulse having a predetermined cycle appears in LK, and has a configuration shown in FIG. 9 in this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, the clock stop detection circuit SCK includes a voltage dividing circuit including resistors R1, R2 and R3, an F / V (frequency / voltage) converter FV1, analog comparators CP1 and CP2 and an AND gate. Equipped with a AND. The F / V converter FV1 receives the input signal (CL
The voltage proportional to the frequency of K) is output as Vf. The analog comparator CP1 compares the output voltage Vf of the F / V converter FV1 with the threshold voltage VL output from the voltage divider circuit, and outputs the result as a binary signal. The output voltage Vf of the / V converter FV1 is compared with the threshold voltage VH output from the voltage dividing circuit, and the result is 2
Output as a value signal.

When a clock pulse of a predetermined cycle appears on the signal line CLK, VL <Vf <VH, so that the outputs of CP1 and CP2 both become high level H, and the output of the AND gate AND also becomes H. become. However, a clock pulse does not appear on the signal line CLK due to a trouble of the signal line CLK connecting the electronic control unit 9 and the servo unit SVU, and the frequency of the signal appearing on the signal line CLK is predetermined due to the abnormality of the electronic control unit 9. If it deviates significantly from the value, or if an abnormal waveform is superimposed on the signal due to the influence of noise, VL> Vf,
Or, since Vf> VH, at least one of the outputs of CP1 and CP2 becomes low level L, and AND gate AND
Also becomes L. Therefore, by monitoring the binary signal output from the clock detection circuit SCK, various abnormalities regarding the signal line CLK can be detected.

Referring again to FIG. Electronic control unit 9
And four signal lines RL connecting the servo unit and the servo unit SVU
Of S, RXD, TXD and CLK, the signal lines RXD,
TXD and CLK are connected to the serial communication circuit of the microcomputer 8 via the interface IF3, and the signal line RLS is connected to the output port RLS of the microcomputer 8. . The microcomputer 8 inputs the binary signal (serial data) appearing on the signal line TXD and outputs the binary signal to the signal line RXD. The timing of these signals is determined by the signal on the signal line CLK. The signal on the signal line CLK is also applied to the clock stop detection circuit SCK described above. The output signal of the clock stop detection circuit SCK is applied to the input port P11 of the microcomputer 8 and the driver DV2. When the clock stop detection circuit SCK detects an abnormality by the signal BRK applied from the clock stop detection circuit SCK to the driver DV2, the driver DV2 stops the motor control by controlling the hardware incorporated therein. Then put it in the braking state. As will be described later, when the clock stop detection circuit SCK detects an abnormality, the motor control also becomes the braking mode by the software processing of the microcomputer 8. That is, in this embodiment,
For the stop of the clock signal, double safety measures are taken by hardware control and software control.

The driver DV2 is a single integrated circuit and includes an amplifier 74, current level detectors MS and MOC, a booster circuit 75, a logic circuit 72, a PWM synthesizing circuit 73, current limiting circuits CL1 and CL2, and a gate driver. 76, 77 and the overheat sensor OHS are built in. The driver DV3 is
6 sets of switching units U11 consisting of a switching element (power MOS FET) and a protection diode,
It is composed of U12, U13, U21, U22, and U23, and its output is connected to the star-connected 3 of the electric motor 12.
The terminals of the phase coils U, V, W are connected.

The resistor R0 outputs a voltage corresponding to the current flowing through the driver DV3, and the level of this voltage is amplified by the amplifier 74.
Will be amplified. The current level detectors MS and MOC change the output voltage of the amplifier 74 to the threshold values ref1 and r1, respectively.
Whether or not the current is excessive is identified by comparing with ef2. Signals S1 and S output by the current level detectors MS and MOC
2 is a microcomputer 8 and a current limiting circuit CL
1, CL2.

To drive the electric motor 12, U →
It is necessary to pass a current between any one of the terminals V, V → W, W → U, V → U, W → V, and U → W, and to sequentially switch the terminals through which the current is passed. 6 sets of switching units U1
By turning on a pair of 1, U12, U13, U21, U22, U23, a current can be passed between the terminals of the electric motor 12. However, when the paired transistors of the switching units U11 and U21, U12 and U22, and U13 and U23 are turned on at the same time, the power supply line P
Such a situation must be avoided, as there is a short between IG and PGND.

Normally, the microcomputer 8 has its output ports LA1, LB1, LC1, LA2, LB2, L.
Since an appropriate signal is output to C2 and a current is caused to flow between the terminals of the electric motor 12, a short between the power supply lines PIG and PGND does not occur. However, the logic circuit 72 discriminates the combination of the states of the input signals, and the microcomputer 8
Even if an abnormality occurs in the operation of, the paired transistors of the switching units U11 and U21, U12 and U22, and U13 and U23 are controlled so as not to be turned on at the same time.

The drive torque of the electric motor 12 is adjusted by PWM (pulse width modulation) control of the current flowing through the coil. The PWM signal that determines the pulse width of the current is output from the output port PWM of the microcomputer 8. The PWM synthesizing circuit 73 is a microcomputer.
The PWM signal output from the port 8 to the port PWM and the port L
The lower side switching units U21, U22, U2 are combined with the phase switching signals output to A2, LB2, LC2.
A binary signal for controlling ON / OFF of 3 is generated.

The microcomputer 8 is a port LA1,
The phase switching signal output to LB1 and LC1 is the logic circuit 7
2. Inputting to the gate terminals of the switching units U11, U12 and U13 via the current limiting circuit CL1 and the gate driver 76, respectively, and the micro computer 8 outputs them to the ports LA2, LB2 and LC2. The phase switching signal is input to the gate terminals of the switching units U21, U22 and U23 via the PWM synthesizing circuit 73, the current limiting circuit CL2 and the gate driver 77, respectively. Switching units U11, U12, U13,
U21, U22, and U23 are turned on / off according to the level of the binary signal input to the gate terminal.

Electric motor 12 used in this embodiment
Is a brushless motor in which the rotor is a permanent magnet and the stator is an electric coil. Therefore, in order to rotate the electric motor 12 as desired, it is necessary to always detect the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor and switch the coil through which the current flows depending on the position of the magnetic pole and the moving direction. In this embodiment, a magnetic pole sensor 18 for detecting the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor of the electric motor 12 is built in the electric motor 12. The magnetic pole sensor 18 outputs the detected three-phase signals
Input ports HA, HB, HC of the micro computer 8.
Apply to. The micro computer 8 has an input port H.
The position of the magnetic pole is detected by referring to the signals of A, HB and HC,
The phase switching signal generated based on the detected position is output to the ports LA1, LB1, LC1, LA2, LB2 and LC2.

The steering angle detector 21 for detecting the steering angle of the rear wheels is
A voltage corresponding to the rudder angle is input to the micro computer 8.
To VRS. The microcomputer 8 periodically samples the voltage level of the input port VRS, converts it into a numerical value with a built-in A / D converter, and stores the result in a memory. In this embodiment, the microcomputer 8 is based on the rudder angle initial value initially detected by the rudder angle detector 21 and the rudder angle change amount obtained by counting the signals output by the magnetic pole sensor 18. , The actual steering angle value of the rear wheels is obtained.

Overheat sensor O built in the driver DV2
The structure of the HS is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 8, the overheat sensor OHS includes a voltage dividing circuit including resistors R4, R5 and R6, a thermistor TS, and analog comparators CP3 and CP4.
Is equipped with. Since the driver DV2 is arranged near the driver DV3, for example, the switching units U11, U12, U13, U2 in the driver DV3.
If 1, U22, U23 generate heat abnormally, the driver DV
The temperature of 2 also rises. Thermistor TS is driver DV2
Since it is built in the driver DV2 itself,
It is possible to detect a temperature rise due to heat generation of the driver DV3. That is, the voltage of the signal Vt output from the thermistor TS is
It changes according to the temperature change of the drivers DV2 and DV3.

The analog comparator CP3 is a thermistor TS.
The voltage of the signal Vt output from the output terminal is compared with the threshold voltage VL2 output from the voltage dividing circuit, and 2
Output a value signal. The analog comparator CP4 compares the voltage of the signal Vt output from the thermistor TS with the threshold voltage VH2 output from the voltage dividing circuit, and outputs a binary signal according to the comparison result. That is, the thermistor TS
Corresponding to the temperature detected by and the threshold voltage VL2
The output signal level (H / L) of the analog comparator CP3 is determined in accordance with the magnitude relation with the temperature of the temperature of, and the temperature detected by the thermistor TS and the second temperature corresponding to the threshold voltage VH2 are large or small. The output signal level (H / L) of the analog comparator CP4 is determined according to the relationship. Analog comparator CP3
The 2-bit binary signal output from CP4 is input to the input port OHW of the microcomputer 8. Further, (first temperature) <(second temperature), and the first temperature and the second temperature are both drivers DV2 and D.
It is set to a value sufficiently lower than a predetermined upper limit temperature at which V3 is likely to become inoperable. Therefore, the microcomputer 8 can detect the overheat condition before the drivers DV2 and DV3 are disabled by monitoring the condition of the input port OHW.

The operation of the microcomputer 1 of the electronic control unit 9 shown in FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 5, and the operation of the microcomputer 8 of the servo unit SVU shown in FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. First, referring to FIG.
The operation of data 1 will be described.

When the power is turned on, initialization is executed. That is, the CPU itself is checked, the memory is cleared, the parameters are initialized (including Tθ to be described later), and various modes are set.
Execute the reset. In addition, the signal lines RXD, TXD, C
Using the LK, a data transmission / reception test is performed with the servo unit SVU to check whether there is an abnormality in the communication system. Further, based on the contents of the information transmitted from the servo unit SVU to the electronic control unit 9, an abnormality in the power system (malfunction of relay, switching units U11 to U).
23. Check for the presence of bridge, motor coil open, motor coil short).

If the communication system is normal and the power system is normal, the process goes through steps S12-S13 to S14.
If there is an abnormality in the communication system, the process proceeds from S12 to S1H
If the system is abnormal, the process proceeds from S13 to S1i. In S1H, the diagnostic information indicating that the communication system is abnormal is stored in its own memory, and the signal lines RXD, TXD,
CLK is used to send the diagnostic information to the servo unit SVU. In S1i, the diagnostic information indicating that the power system is abnormal is stored in its own memory, and the diagnostic information is transmitted to the servo unit SVU using the signal lines RXD, TXD and CLK. Then, in the next step S1J, the signal level of the output port RLM is switched to the low level and the relay-3 is turned off. This is the power
The power supply to the power supply line PIG of the system is cut off.

In the next step S14, the information of the parameters that determine the gain of the servo system is stored in the internal memory (ROM).
And read the information from the signal lines RXD, TXD, CL
Use K to send to servo unit SVU.

Next Steps S15-S16-S17-S
18-S19-S1A-S1B-S1C-S1D-D1
E-S15 -... Is repeatedly executed as a normal loop process. The loop processing is periodically executed once every 5 msec.

In step S15, the latest target steering angle T1
And its time differential value dT1 / dt are calculated and the respective values are stored in a predetermined register. The actual time differential value dT1 / dt is the amount of change in the target steering angle T1 obtained every N × 5 msec, and one time differential is obtained every time step S15 is executed N times (6 times in this embodiment). Value dT
1 / dt is required. The target steering angle T1 is obtained every 5 msec.

In the next step S16, the change amount ΔT of the target steering angle T1 during one calculation cycle (5 msec in this example) is calculated. More precisely, the result obtained by subtracting the content of the register holding the steering angle difference cumulative value Tθ from the latest target steering angle T1 is ΔT. The steering angle difference cumulative value Tθ is 0 in the initial state.
Therefore, the change amount (ΔT) of the target steering angle T1 is added and updated every one calculation cycle (5 msec in this example).

In step S17, the target steering angle change Δ
T is compared with a predetermined upper limit value α. And ΔT> α
In the case of, the process proceeds to step S18, and ΔT is replaced with the upper limit value α. Therefore, the change amount ΔT of the target steering angle is limited to α or less.

In the next step S19, the steering angle difference cumulative value Tθ in which the latest target steering angle change ΔT is taken into consideration is determined.
That is, the result obtained by adding the latest ΔT to the previous Tθ is set as the steering angle difference cumulative value Tθ up to this time.

Change Δ in target rudder angle obtained in the above process
T and the time differential value dT1 / dt are associated with the steering angle of the rear wheel steering system, but in order for the servo unit SVU to control the rear wheel steering system, the drive amount of the motor (rack Information on the movement stroke of the shaft and the driving speed is required. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the unit from the steering angle to the drive amount. However, in general, the relationship between the steering angle of the rear wheels and the movement stroke of the rack shaft that adjusts the steering angle is different for each vehicle type, so the calculation contents of the unit conversion from the steering angle to the drive amount are also different for each vehicle type. Need to change to. As will be described below, in this embodiment, conversion of the unit from the steering angle to the drive amount is performed inside the electronic control unit 9, and the converted information is transmitted to the servo unit SVU. As a result, it is not necessary for the servo unit SVU to perform calculations that differ for each vehicle type, and the servo unit SVU can be used commonly for all vehicle types.

In this embodiment, in steps S1A and S1B executed by the electronic control unit 9, the unit conversion from the steering angle to the drive amount is executed. In step S1A, by substituting ΔT as a parameter into a predetermined function f1 (), the variation ΔT of the target drive amount of the motor is calculated.
Seeking 2 Further, in the next step S1B, the target drive speed VT1 of the motor is obtained by substituting dT1 / dt as a parameter into a predetermined function f2 ().

The contents of the functions f1 () and f2 () are the steering angle of the rear wheels and the moving stroke of the rack shaft connected to the rear wheels (or the drive amount of the electric motor for driving the same). Which is different for each car model.
Therefore, step S1 executed by the electronic control unit 9
The contents of the functions f1 () and f2 () in A and S1B are changed at the time of designing or by adjustment at the time of manufacturing so as to adapt to the type (characteristic) of the vehicle in which this steering control device is mounted changes. To be done.

Then, in the next step S1C, the signal line RX
Using D, TXD, and CLK, change Δ in target drive amount
Information on T2 and target drive speed VT1 is transmitted to the servo unit SVU in the form of serial binary data. Since the information transmitted to the servo unit SVU is the change amount ΔT2 of the target drive amount and the target drive speed VT1, the servo unit SVU does not change even if the type of the vehicle in which the steering control device is mounted changes. , There is no need to change the control contents. That is, one type of servo unit SVU can be commonly used for all vehicle types.

In this embodiment, in order to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted, the accuracy of ΔT2 obtained in step S1A is lower than the accuracy of VT1 obtained in step S1B. In practice, step S1B is executed every time a new differential value dT1 / dt is obtained, that is, once every N cycles of 5 msec.

The electronic control unit 9 sends the information on the change amount ΔT2 of the target drive amount and the target drive speed VT1 to the servo unit SVU once every 5 msec.
However, the information on the target drive speed VT1 having a relatively large number of bits is divided into N pieces of information in advance, and the 1 / N partial information is sequentially transmitted at a rate of once every 5 msec. .

Similar to the electronic control unit 9, the servo unit SVU sends information to the electronic control unit 9 once every 5 msec. Servo unit SVU
The information input from the electronic control unit 9 is the status information indicating the latest status of the servo unit SVU. Microcomputer 1 is a servo unit SVU
The status information sent from the device is received and identified in step S1D. If the servo unit SVU is normal, the process proceeds from step S1D to S1E, but if any abnormality is detected, the process proceeds to step S1F.

Normally, step S1F is not executed, but, for example, the microcomputer of the servo unit SVU runs out of control, a failure occurs in the communication circuit, overheat of the driver is detected, or the clock signal (CLK ), The process proceeds to step S1F. In the case of a runaway of the microcomputer, a failure of the communication circuit, or the like, the process immediately proceeds from step S1F to S1G, the power supply relay-3 is shut off, and the output of the communication clock signal (CLK) is stopped. However, when overheating of the driver is detected in the servo unit SVU, the servo unit SVU refers to "neutral return control" by referring to the status information from the SVU.
Is completed. If it is not completed, the process proceeds from step S1F to S1E, waits until the servo unit SVU completes the execution of the "neutral return control", and then executes step S1G.

In step S1E, the timer interrupt information generated every 5 msec is referred to, and the process stands by until 5 msec elapses. As a result, the time required to execute the loop of steps S15 to S1E once becomes 5 msec.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the servo unit SV
The operation of the U microcomputer 8 will be described. When the power source is turned on, the microcomputer 8 operates in step S2.
Initialize at 1. That is, the check of the CPU itself,
Memory clear, parameter initialization (including Tθ2 clear described later) and various mode sets are executed. In addition, using the signal lines RXD, TXD, and CLK, a communication test is performed with the electronic control unit 9 to check whether there is an abnormality in the communication system. Furthermore, the presence or absence of power system abnormality is checked. Specifically, the output ports LA1, LB1, LC
1, while sequentially switching the phase switching signals output to LA2, LB2 and LC2, the levels of the voltages input to the ports MI and PIGM of the microcomputer 8 are sampled, A / D converted and input. By comparing the input value with a predetermined threshold value, the state of relay-3, switching units U11, U12, U13, U21,
The state of U22 and U23 and the state of the coil of the electric motor 12 (open, short) are inspected for abnormality.

As a result of the inspection in step S21, when an abnormality in the communication system is detected, the process proceeds from step S22 to S26, and when an abnormality in the power system is detected, step S2 is performed.
It progresses from 3 to S26. In step S26, the phase switching signal output to the output ports LA1, LB1, LC1, LA2, LB2, LC2 is controlled to switch the switching unit U.
11, U12, U13, U21, U22, and U23 are all controlled to the off state, and the level of the signal line RLS is controlled to turn off the relay-3.

When there is no abnormality, steps S21-S2
2-Go through S23 to S24. In step S24, information (parameters that determine the gain of the servo system) transmitted from the electronic control unit 9 is input using the signal lines RXD, TXD, and CLK, and the servo system (Fig. (See 7)).

In the next step S25, the steering angle detector 21
The actual steering angle of the rear wheel (correctly, the position information of the rack shaft) detected by is set in the magnetic pole counter (see FIG. 7) 87 as an initial value. Although the resolution of the detection value of the steering angle detector 21 is relatively low, by counting the pulses output by the magnetic pole sensor 18, the steering angle information (drive position information) with high resolution can be obtained. However, since the steering angle information obtained by the magnetic pole sensor 18 is a relative change, first, the steering angle detector 2
The actual steering angle detected by 1 is adopted as an initial value, and the actual steering angle with high resolution obtained from this initial value and the change in the steering angle is generated by the magnetic pole counter 87.

Subsequent steps S27, S28, S29, S
2A, S2B, S2C, S2D, S2E, S2F, S2
7, ... Are repeatedly executed as a loop process until some abnormality is detected. Further, this loop processing is periodically executed once every 5 msec.

In step S27, the signal lines RXD, TX
The information transmitted from the electronic control unit 9 by using D and CLK, that is, the variation ΔT2 of the target drive amount and the target drive speed VT1 (partial information of 1 / N) are respectively received,
Store in a specified register. In step S28, the elapsed time of one cycle from the last reception of the information ΔT2 and VT1 to the current reception is a predetermined threshold value (5 ± 1).
Check whether it is within the range of msec). Time is 4 ~ 6msec
If the time is out of this range, the process proceeds to step S29. If the time is out of this range, information indicating reception failure is stored in the memory for diagnostic information, and then the process proceeds to step S2G.

In step S2G, the contents of the diagnostic information held in the memory are transmitted to the electronic control unit 9 using the signal lines RXD, TXD and CLK. Then, in the next step S2H, the drive of the electric motor 12 is stopped (braking), the state of the steering system of the rear wheels is fixed to the steering angle at that time, and the subsequent operation is stopped.

In step S29, the received information ΔT2
Is compared with a predetermined threshold value Tref. Threshold T
ref is an upper limit value, and if ΔT2 <Tref, the process proceeds to step S2A, but if ΔT2 ≧ Tref, it is regarded as data error and the process proceeds to step S2G. Also, information indicating data error is stored in the memory as diagnostic information.

In this embodiment, since the target steering angle and the vehicle speed cannot change greatly in a moment (5 msec), the received information ΔT2 is much smaller than the maximum value of the target steering angle. Therefore, when the received steering angle information ΔT2 is larger than the threshold value Tref, it is highly possible that an error or the like in data transmission has occurred. Tref, which is set as the threshold value here, can be made much smaller than the maximum value of the target drive amount. Therefore, when data error occurs, the abnormality can be detected before the target drive amount largely deviates from the original value.

In step S2A, the servo unit SV
The target drive amount Tθ2 is updated by adding the received latest change amount ΔT2 of the target drive amount to the target drive amount Tθ2. Information on the target drive amount Tθ2 is held in a predetermined register.

In step S2B, the updated target drive amount Tθ2 is compared with the threshold value (upper limit value) Tmax. Tθ
If 2 <Tmax, the process proceeds to step S2C, otherwise, "target drive amount abnormality" is stored in the memory as diagnostic information, and then the process proceeds to S2G.

In the next step S2C, the electric motor 12
The control of the servo system for driving is executed. The structure of this servo system is shown in FIG. The details of this servo system will be described later.

In the next step S2D, it is determined whether or not the driver is in the overheat state by referring to the signal output from the above-mentioned overheat sensor OHS. If normal, the process proceeds to step S2E, but if an overheated state is detected, information indicating the state is stored in the memory as diagnostic information, and then the process proceeds to step S2i. In step S2i, diagnostic information,
That is, the information indicating the overheated state is transmitted to the electronic control unit 9, and the process proceeds to the next step S2J.

When the temperatures of the motor drivers (DV2, DV3) rise abnormally, the drive of the motor suddenly stops due to the operation of the protection circuit or the occurrence of a failure, and the control thereafter becomes impossible. is there. However, if the steering position of the rear wheel steering mechanism is always deviated from neutral, it is difficult to drive the vehicle, so it is necessary to return the steering position to neutral by some means. However, use of a mechanical element such as a return spring causes problems such as an increase in size of the device and an increase in manufacturing cost.

In this embodiment, the overheat of the driver is detected by the overheat sensor OHS before the temperature in the vicinity of the motor driver rises to a predetermined temperature at which the motor cannot be driven, In step S2J, the normal steering control is stopped, and the drive of the motor 12 is controlled so that the steering position of the rear wheel steering mechanism returns to the neutral position. That is, the target position is changed to the neutral position of the steering mechanism, and the motor 12 is driven so as to approach the target position.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Since the overheat sensor OHS outputs two types of signals identified by the two types of thresholds VL2 and VH2, two types of overheat states can be identified by referring to them. In the neutral return control of step S2J, the control gain of the motor control system is switched according to the overheated state. That is, in the case of an overheated state where the temperature is relatively low, there is time before the motor cannot be driven, so the motor is slowly driven to return the steering position to the neutral position. In the case of an overheated state where the temperature is high, since there is little time until the motor cannot be driven, the motor is driven relatively quickly to return the steering position to the neutral position.

In step S2E, the signal output from the clock stop detection circuit SCK is referred to. And the signal line C
If a clock pulse of a predetermined cycle appears in LK, the process proceeds to step S2F. If the clock pulse of the signal line CLK is interrupted or the frequency of the clock pulse is abnormal, the abnormality is detected. Is stored in the memory as diagnostic information, and the process proceeds to step S2G. Then, in step S2G, the contents of the diagnostic information held in the memory are
The signal lines RXD, TXD and CLK are used to transmit to the electronic control unit 9. Further, in the next step S2H, the signal output to the driver DV2 is controlled so as to stop the driving of the electric motor 12 (braking), and the state of the rear wheel steering system is fixed to the steering angle at that time. The subsequent operation is stopped.

In step S2F, the information of the timer interrupt generated every 5 msec is referred to, the process waits until 5 msec elapses, and then the process returns to step S27. As a result, the time required to execute the loop of steps S27 to S2F once becomes 5 msec.

FIG. 7 shows a part of the processing of the electronic control unit 9 and the configuration of the main part of the servo system of the servo unit SVU. This will be described with reference to FIG. Actually, all the control system shown in FIG. 7 except the motor driver 5, the electric motor 12, and the magnetic pole sensor 18 is a microcomputer.
It is realized by software processing of the computer 1 or the microcomputer 8. The motor driver 5 in FIG. 7 corresponds to the drivers DV2 and DV3 in FIG. The gain of this control system is set in step S24 in FIG.

The target steering angle T1 generated by the electronic control unit 9 is input to the subtracting section 101 corresponding to step S16 and the differentiating section 102 corresponding to a part of S15. The subtraction unit 101 obtains and outputs the difference between the target steering angle T1 and the accumulated steering angle difference value Tθ, that is, the change ΔT of the target steering angle T1. The steering angle difference cumulative value Tθ is obtained by adding the latest variation ΔT to the cumulative value stored in the memory 103 up to the previous time in the adding unit 104 and writing the result in the memory 103. The differentiating unit 102 obtains and outputs a time differential value of the target steering angle T1, that is, dT1 / dt.
The conversion unit 105 corresponding to step S1A described above performs a calculation process for converting the unit of the input change ΔT of the target rudder angle T1 from the rudder angle to the motor drive amount (rack axis movement stroke). The calculation result ΔT2 is output. Further, in the conversion unit 106 corresponding to step S1B described above, the unit of the time differential value dT1 / dt of the target rudder angle that is input is calculated from the rudder angle to the motor drive amount (rack shaft moving stroke).
The calculation processing for converting into (1) is performed and the calculation result VT1 is output.

Information ΔT2 output by the electronic control unit 9
And VT1 are input to the servo unit SVU. Mode
The difference ΔT2 in the motor drive amount is accumulated in the adding unit 111 and the memory 112, and is converted into the motor drive amount Tθ2.
That is, the result obtained by adding the latest difference ΔT2 to the accumulated value stored in the memory 112 up to the previous time by the addition unit 111 is written in the memory 112 to obtain the motor drive amount Tθ2 corresponding to the target steering angle T1. To be In the following description, the motor drive amount Tθ2 will be referred to as the target steering angle for convenience.

The target steering angle Tθ2 is input to the subtraction section 92,
VT1 which is a time differential value of the target steering angle Tθ2 is input to the differential gain setting unit 91. The differential gain setting unit 91
The differential gain YTDIFGAIN is calculated from the absolute value of T1. The graph shown in each block of the differential gain setting unit 91 and the like shows the relationship between the input value and the output value, the horizontal axis shows the input value, and the vertical axis shows the output value. In this example, when the absolute value of the differential value VT1 is 4 deg / sec or less, the differential gain is 0 and the absolute value of the differential value SAGLA is 12 de.
The differential gain is set to 4 in the case of g / sec or more, and the differential gain becomes a value in the range of 0 to 4 in other cases.

The subtracting section 92 calculates the deviation between the target steering angle Tθ2 and the actual steering angle (corresponding to the motor rotation angle) RAGL, that is, the steering angle deviation ΔAGL. The actual steering angle RAGL is output from the magnetic pole counter 87. The magnetic pole counter 87 identifies the rotation direction of the electric motor 12 from the phase difference between the three-phase pulse signals output from the magnetic pole sensor 18, and adds or subtracts the pulse number of the pulse signal to the count value up to that point. Detect the rudder angle value. The steering angle value obtained by the pulse signal from the magnetic pole sensor 18 is a relative value (rotational angle), but in this example, first in step S25 of FIG. 6 (before starting driving).
The actual steering angle value detected by the steering angle detector 21 is set to the magnetic pole counter 87.
The value RAGL output from the magnetic pole counter 87 is the actual steering angle.

The rudder angle deviation ΔAGL is processed by the rudder angle deviation dead zone imparting section 93 and becomes the rudder angle deviation value ETH2. The steering angle deviation dead zone applying unit 93 sets the steering angle deviation value ETH2 to 0 when the absolute value of the input value (steering angle deviation ΔAGL) is equal to or less than the predetermined value E2PMAX, and controls when the steering angle deviation ΔAGL is small. Is to stop. The steering angle deviation value ETH2 output by the steering angle deviation dead zone applying unit 93 is calculated by the proportional unit 9
6 and the differentiating unit 94.

The proportional section 96 multiplies the steering angle deviation value ETH2 by a preset proportional gain value to obtain a proportional control value P.
Output as AGLA. The differentiating unit 94 determines the steering angle deviation value E
TH2 is differentiated with respect to time to obtain a steering angle deviation differential value SETH2. Further, in the multiplication unit 95, the result of multiplying the steering angle deviation differential value SETH2 by the above-mentioned differential gain YTDIFGAIN is obtained as the differential control value DAGLA. The addition unit 97 outputs the result of adding the proportional control value PAGELA and the differential control value DAGLA as the control steering angle value HPID.

The control steering angle value HPID passes through the steering angle deviation limiter 98 and becomes the control amount ANG. Steering angle deviation limiter 9
8 produces an output proportional to the input value and limits the range of the output value so that the controlled variable ANG does not become 1.5 deg or more or −1.5 deg or less. Controlled variable AN
The G is input to the pulse width modulation conversion unit 99 and converted into the pulse width modulation signal PWM1. That is, the pulse signal PWM1 having a constant cycle and a pulse width proportional to the control amount ANG is generated. The pulse width modulation signal PWM1 is input to the motor driver 5. The motor driver 5 determines the on / off timing of energization of the electric motor 12, that is, the current in accordance with the pulse width modulation signal PWM1. Therefore, the drive torque of the electric motor 12 changes according to the pulse width modulation signal PWM1. When the electric motor 12 rotates, the magnetic pole sensor 18 generates a pulse, so the magnetic pole counter 8
The count value of 7, that is, the actual steering angle value RAGL changes, and the steering angle deviation ΔAGL changes. This servo system has a steering angle deviation ΔAGL.
The electric motor 12 is controlled so that is close to zero.

However, when the break mode occurs, as in the case where the clock signal of the signal line CLK is cut off, control is performed so that the driving of the electric motor 12 is stopped early. That is, a control signal is applied to the driver DV2 so as to brake the rotation of the electric motor 12.

By the way, in the electronic control unit 9, from the generated target rudder angle information, its differential value dT1 / d
Since it is necessary to accurately calculate t, the target rudder angle information T1 that is actually generated is highly accurate, that is, has a large number of bits. However, with respect to the information ΔT (actually ΔT2) sent from the electronic control unit 9 to the servo unit SVU, the number of bits of the information needs to be reduced because the communication speed and the communication required time are restricted. Therefore, the resolution of ΔT is lower than the target steering angle information T1.

The problem in performing such resolution conversion (LSB size conversion) is that the target steering angle information T1 generated by the electronic control unit 9 and the reproduction in the servo unit SVU are the problems. That is, a cumulative error may occur between the target steering angle information Tθ2 and the target steering angle information Tθ2. However, in this embodiment, the difference ΔT between the latest target steering angle T1 by the electronic control unit 9 and the cumulative value Tθ obtained by the first cumulative value calculating means based on the target steering angle up to one cycle before. Is converted into the steering amount instruction value ΔT2 and transmitted, so that no accumulated error occurs as in the following example.

Target rudder angle information T1 resolution: 0.001, communication information ΔT resolution: 0.005, transmission side accumulated value Tθ resolution: 0.005, n, t, (n-6) to (n-6) -0): Timing for each calculation cycle, in the case of Tθ2 (t) ← Tθ2 (t-1) + ΔT (t), T1 (n-6): 0.000 → Tθ (n-6): 0.000 T1 (n-5): 0.001 → Tθ (n-5): 0.000 T1 (n-4): 0.002 → Tθ (n-4): 0.000 T1 (n-3): 0. 003 → Tθ (n-3): 0.000 T1 (n-2): 0.004 → Tθ (n-2): 0.000 T1 (n-1): 0.005 → Tθ (n-1) : 0.005 T1 (n-0): 0.006 → Tθ (n-0): 0.005 T1 (n-5) -Tθ (n-6): 0.001 → ΔT (n-5):
0.000 T1 (n-4) -Tθ (n-5): 0.002 → ΔT (n-4):
0.000 T1 (n-3) -Tθ (n-4): 0.003 → ΔT (n-3):
0.000 T1 (n-2) -Tθ (n-3): 0.004 → ΔT (n-2):
0.000 T1 (n-1) -Tθ (n-2): 0.005 → ΔT (n-1):
0.005 T1 (n-0) -Tθ (n-1): 0.001 → ΔT (n-0):
0.000 Tθ2 (n-5): 0.000 Tθ2 (n-4): 0.000 Tθ2 (n-3): 0.000 Tθ2 (n-2): 0.000 Tθ2 (n-1): 0.005 Tθ2 (n-0): 0.005 In this example, since the resolution of the transmission information is 0.005, the target steering angle information T1 (t) on the transmitting side and the target steering angle information Tθ2 ( A difference of less than the above resolution occurs in t), but this difference is not a cumulative error. That is, the difference between the two does not increase beyond the resolution.

The contents of the function f1 () in step S1A and the function f2 () in step S1B executed by the electronic control unit 9 are determined based on, for example, constants stored in the read-only memory in advance. ,
Although fixed, it may be configured to be changeable by switching a switch, for example. Further, instead of the function, a conversion table having a function equivalent to that may be prepared.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

The first control means (9) and the second control means (SVU) are independent control units, which can be arranged in different positions. That is, the first control means connected to the sensor means (17, 20, 22, 23, 24) is installed at a position close to the place where the sensor means is installed (for example, the front part of the vehicle compartment), and the drive means is installed. (1
The second control means connected to 2) can be installed at a position close to the drive means (for example, in the same housing as the rear wheel steering mechanism). By arranging the first control means in the vicinity of the sensor means, the connection between the first control means and the sensor means is facilitated, and the connected portion is less susceptible to electrical noise. Further, by disposing the second control means in the vicinity of the drive means, the connection between the second control means and the drive means becomes easy, and the power loss at those connection portions is reduced.

In the wiring between the first control means and the second control means, basically, it is sufficient to send the information of the target rudder angle from the former to the latter. It's extremely easy. Further, even if the wiring length of that portion is long, it is possible to reduce the influence of electrical noise by lowering the impedance of the wiring portion, and since it is not necessary to pass a large current, the power loss is increased. There is no problem.

Furthermore, the relationship between the actual steering angle of the wheel according to the type of vehicle equipped with the steering control device and the moving stroke of the rack shaft (or the drive amount of the electric motor) for changing the direction of the wheel. Is different for each vehicle type, the information transmitted from the first control means to the second control means is the operation amount (ΔT
Since it corresponds to 2), even if the vehicle type changes, it is not necessary to change the configuration of the second control means, and the second control means of the same configuration can be commonly used for all vehicle types. Regarding the change of the control amount due to the difference of the vehicle type, the first control means
This can be dealt with only by changing the conversion content of the conversion means (S1A). Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the second control means can be reduced.

Further, the steering angle differential value calculating means (S15) of the first control means calculates the differential value of the target steering angle, and after converting the differential value into the operation amount (VT1) of the driving means, Two
Is transmitted to the second control means as the steering amount instruction value of
The second control means does not need to perform the differential calculation, and the information (ΔT2) corresponding to the target steering angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means does not require so high accuracy. That is, the number of bits of the information (ΔT2) corresponding to the target steering angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means can be reduced. The period for updating the differential value of the target rudder angle may be longer than the period for updating the target rudder angle, and therefore the number of transmission bits per unit time regarding the differential value is relatively small.
That is, compared with the case where only the high-precision target rudder angle is transmitted for the calculation of the differential value, the low-precision target rudder angle and the differential value of the target rudder angle are transmitted, the transmission information amount per unit time is Is less.

Since the information corresponding to the target rudder angle transmitted from the first control means to the second control means is the value (ΔT) corresponding to the change amount of the target rudder angle within the predetermined period, it is transmitted. The amount of information of a power signal per unit time is reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the frequency of the signal, for example. When a high frequency signal is transmitted, the signal emits high frequency noise, which causes various problems. However, by reducing the frequency of the signal, the high frequency noise can be significantly reduced. Further, in the case of transmitting signals by parallel data, if the amount of information to be transmitted decreases, it is possible to reduce the number of bits of signals transmitted in parallel and reduce the number of wirings.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a steering system of an automobile of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the outer appearance of the rear wheel steering mechanism 11 of FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic control unit 9 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the servo unit SVU shown in FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer 1 of FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcomputer 8 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a servo system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an overheat sensor according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a clock stop detection circuit according to an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Microcomputer 2: Battery 3: Relay 4: Power supply unit 6: Voltage monitoring circuit 8: Microcomputer 9: Electronic control unit 10: Front wheel steering mechanism 10a: Rack shaft 11: Rear wheel steering mechanism 12 : Electric motor (brushless motor) 13: Left front wheel 14: Right front wheel 15: Left rear wheel 16: Right rear wheel 17,20: Steering angle detector 18: Magnetic pole sensor 19: Steering wheel 21: Rudder Angle detector 22, 23: Vehicle speed detector 24: Yaw rate detector 25: Rack shaft 71: Power supply unit 87: Magnetic pole counter G1: And gate DV1, DV2, DV3: Driver IF1, IF2, IF3: Interface -Face IG: Ignition switch DIG, PIG: Power line SVU: Servo unit OHS: Overheat sensor TS: Thermistor SCK: Black Click stop detection circuit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hideki Katsuraya 2-1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya city, Aichi Prefecture Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A sensor means for detecting information relating to the state of a vehicle; a drive means for adjusting a steering angle; a first digital processor, which is connected to the sensor means and which is predetermined based on the information detected by the sensor means. By the rudder angle calculation means for repeatedly calculating the target rudder angle for each cycle, the first conversion means for converting the angle information according to the calculated target rudder angle into the operation amount of the drive means, and the first conversion means. First control means including first instruction value transmission means for transmitting the calculated operation amount as a first steering amount instruction value; and a second digital processor independent of the first digital processor. And the first control means outputs the first control means.
Urging control means for adjusting the urging amount of the drive means on the basis of the steering amount instruction value information and the state amount of the controlled steering system,
A second steering control device including: a steering control device for a vehicle. 2. The first control means converts a steering angle differential value calculating means for calculating a differential value of the target steering angle, and information corresponding to the differential value obtained by the means into an operation amount of the driving means. And a second instruction value transmitting means for transmitting the operation amount calculated by the second converting means as a second steering amount instruction value, and energizing the second control means. The control means adjusts the urging amount of the drive means based on the information on the first and second steering amount instruction values output from the first control device and the state amount of the controlled steering system. Item 1. A vehicle steering control device according to item 1. 3. The first control means includes a steering angle change calculation means for generating a value corresponding to a change amount of the target steering angle within a predetermined period and giving the value to the first conversion means. 2. The control means of No. 2 includes accumulating means for accumulating values output by the first controlling means to obtain a steering amount instruction value.
The vehicle steering control device described. 4. The sensor means includes at least front wheel steering angle detection means for detecting an actual steering angle of front wheels of a vehicle.
The vehicle steering control device according to claim 1.