JP2008238943A - Vehicular control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the disagreement of a steering angle and a turning angle at the time of starting or completing in a configuration of mechanically separating a steering wheel from a steering gear. <P>SOLUTION: In a vehicular control device 1, a starting state signal generating means 53 generates a starting state signal during a period of time determined by a timer 53A when an ignition switch 43 is turned ON. A completing state signal generating means 54 generates a completing state signal during a period of time determined by a timer 54A when the ignition switch 43 is turned OFF. While the starting state signal or the completing signal is output, a driving motor 12 is driven to make the steering angle agree with the turning angle. During this, turning of a tire is prohibited. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

  A steer-by-wire vehicle control device has been developed in which a steering wheel and a steering gear for steering a steering wheel are mechanically separated. In this vehicle control device, a sensor for detecting the rotation of the steering wheel is provided, the steering angle of the steering wheel is detected by the sensor, and the steering angle corresponding to this is calculated by the control device. Further, the steering gear is driven so that the steering wheel angle matches the steering angle.

In this type of vehicle control device, a motor is provided so as to apply a reaction force to the steering wheel. When applying the reaction force, the rotation angle of the steering wheel and the vehicle speed are detected, and the target reaction force torque is calculated according to these. Torque corresponding to the target reaction torque is applied to the steering wheel. On the steered wheel side, the motor is steered by servo control (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-218553 A

However, when the steering wheel or the steering wheel is moved with the ignition switch turned off, the steering angle of the steering wheel may be different from the steering angle of the steering wheel. In this case, since the system is started in a state where the steering angle does not coincide with the steering angle, a large reaction force may suddenly occur on the steering wheel.
Further, if noise is generated when the ignition switch is switched from ON to OFF, the steered wheel moves based on the noise signal, and the steering angle and the steered angle may not match.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its main object to make the steering angle coincide with the steering angle at the start and at the end.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention that solves the above-described problems includes a steering shaft that is rotatably supported on a vehicle body of a vehicle, a steering wheel that is attached to the steering shaft and rotates together with the steering shaft, and the steering A motor capable of applying a steering reaction force to the shaft, a first control device for controlling the driving of the motor so that the steering angle of the steering wheel coincides with the steering angle of the driving wheel, and steering the vehicle body The steering wheel supported in a possible manner, drive means for changing the steering angle of the steered wheel with respect to the vehicle body of the vehicle, and a second control device for performing drive control of the drive means, The first control device generates first start state signal generating means for generating a start state signal when the power is turned on, and generates an end state signal when the power is shut off. 1 ending state signal generating means, and a driving signal generating means for generating a driving signal of the driving motor so as to reduce an angle difference of the steering angle with respect to the steering angle when the starting state signal is generated, The second control device includes a second start state signal generating means for generating a start state signal when the power is turned on, a second end state signal generating means for generating an end state signal when the power is shut off, and a start state signal. A prohibition signal generation circuit for stopping the steering of the driving wheel until an angle difference between the steering angle and the steering angle is equal to or less than a predetermined value and when an end state signal is generated; A time difference forming means for stopping the first control device before the second control device when the power supplied to the control device and the second control device is cut off; And the vehicle control apparatus according to symptoms.
In this vehicular control device, when power supply is interrupted, such as turning off an ignition switch, the first control device stops first, and the second control device stops later. When a signal such as noise generated when the first control device is stopped is transmitted to the second control device, an apparent difference between the steering angle and the steering angle may occur. In the control device, since the steering of the steered wheels is stopped when the end state signal is generated, the steered wheels are not erroneously steered by noise or the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle control device according to the first aspect, the time difference forming means includes a capacitor connected to a constant pressure power supply circuit provided in the second control device. .
This vehicle control device uses the electrical energy stored in the capacitor to delay the stop of the second control device from the first control device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle control device according to the first or second aspect, the difference between the steering angle with respect to the steering angle and the timer that starts counting upon generation of the start state signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If the count value of the timer reaches a predetermined value before it reaches, a warning signal generating means for generating a warning signal is provided.
This vehicle control device can start running as long as the driving of the steering wheel is completed before the count value of the timer reaches a predetermined value. When the angle difference between the steering wheel and the drive wheel cannot be reduced, an alarm is issued to inform the driver.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the second drive signal generating means generates only while the start state signal is generated. The drive signal is supplied to the drive motor, otherwise, the drive signal generated by the drive signal generator is supplied to the drive motor and calculated according to the difference between the actual steering angle and the steering angle. Drive signal switching means for switching the steering reaction force to act on the steering wheel.
This vehicle control device uses the drive motor to generate a steering reaction force after the driving of the steering wheel is completed.

  According to the present invention, since the angle difference between the steering wheel and the steered wheel can be reduced at the time of starting, the progress of the vehicle can be further stabilized at the start of driving. At the end, the first control device stops before the second control device, and during this time, steering of the steering wheel is prohibited, so that the steering wheel is not steered due to noise or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle control apparatus 1 operates a steering shaft 3 to which a steering wheel 2 as input means operated by a driver is attached, and a steered wheel (hereinafter referred to as a tire) 4. The steering gear 5 to be directed is not mechanically connected, and is electrically connected via the first control device 6 on the steering shaft 3 side and the second control device 7 of the steering gear 5.

  The steering shaft 3 is rotatably supported by a housing 11 fixed to the vehicle body. The housing 11 accommodates a drive motor 12 in which a reduction mechanism is attached to the electric motor, and is coupled to the steering shaft 3 so that the power of the drive motor 12 can be transmitted. Furthermore, a first encoder 13 that outputs a pulse signal according to the rotation of the steering wheel 2 and a second encoder 14 that detects a neutral point of the steering angle of the steering wheel 2 are attached to the housing 11. . The drive motor 12 is connected to the first control device 6 via the drive circuit 16. The drive circuit 16 includes a switching element and the like, and is configured to supply a current from a power source (not shown) to the drive motor 12.

  The first encoder 13 is an incremental rotary encoder. The rotary encoder has a disk (not shown) that rotates together with the steering wheel 2, and two rows of patterns are formed on the disk. Each pattern is composed of, for example, slits having substantially the same width formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the arrangement of the slits in the other pattern is set to 1/4 of the slit width in the circumferential direction with respect to the arrangement of the slits in one pattern. It is arranged just shifted. Therefore, if the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged with the disc interposed therebetween, a signal in which the pulse generation timing is shifted by a quarter period corresponding to each pattern is obtained. An example of such a pulse signal is shown in FIG. Hereinafter, a first pulse signal generated by one pattern is referred to as an A-phase rotation detection signal Aw, and a second pulse train signal generated by the other pattern is referred to as a B-phase rotation detection signal Bw.

  The second encoder 14 is used as a center position detection sensor that detects a position at which the steering angle is reset. For example, a sensor is used that provides a marker on a disc that has been decelerated to rotate once when the steering wheel 2 is rotated within a steerable range, and that outputs a pulse signal when this marker is detected. The marker is provided corresponding to the rotational position of the steering wheel 2 when the tire 4 faces in the straight traveling direction. Since the vehicle is configured such that the tire 4 can be steered by the same amount on the right side and the left side with respect to the straight traveling direction, the rotational position of the steering wheel 2 at this time corresponds to a neutral point in the steerable region. To do. Accordingly, when the driver rotates the steering wheel 2, one neutral point position signal Cw (see FIG. 3) is output as the initial position signal each time the neutral point is reached. The neutral point position signal Cw is a pulse signal having a time width longer than ½ of each cycle of the rotation detection signals Aw and Bw and shorter than each cycle of the rotation detection signals Aw and Bw.

The first control device 6 includes, as first counting means, an up / down determination circuit 21 to which the rotation detection signals Aw and Bw are input, an edge detection circuit 22A to which the rotation detection signal Aw is input, and rotation detection. An edge detection circuit 22B to which the signal Bw is input and an up / down counter 24 as a first counter are included.
The up / down counter 24 is connected to the outputs of the edge detection circuits 22A and 22B via the OR circuit 25, and to the output of the up / down determination circuit 21 and the output of the reset signal shaping means 23. The reset signal shaping unit 23 generates a reset signal that resets the first count signal of the up / down counter 24 when the neutral point position signal Cw is input, and inputs the reset signal to the reset terminal.

  The first count signal output from the up / down counter 24 is connected to the steering angle calculation means 26. The steering angle calculation means 26 searches the steering angle map 27 and calculates the steering angle. The steering angle map 27 has a configuration in which the count value of the up / down counter 24 is associated with the steering angle. The output of the steering angle calculation means 26 is connected to a steering angle signal output circuit 28 and an angle difference signal calculation means 29.

In addition to the actual steering angle, the angle difference signal calculating unit 29 receives a steering angle signal of the second control device 7 via the steering angle signal receiving unit 37. The calculation result of the angle difference of the actual steering angle with respect to the steering angle is input to the steering reaction force calculation means 30 and the angle difference signal comparison means 31 as the output of the angle difference signal calculation means 29.
The steering reaction force calculation means 30 searches the steering reaction force map 38 and calculates the steering reaction force generated by the drive motor 12. The steering reaction force map 38 has a configuration in which an angle difference and a steering reaction force are associated with each other. The magnitude and direction of the steering reaction force are selected so that the steering angle matches the steering angle. The output of the steering reaction force calculation means 30 is connected to the first drive signal generation means 39. The first drive signal generation means 39 receives the steering reaction force signal calculated by the steering reaction force calculation means 30 and generates a drive signal for the drive motor 12. The output of the first drive signal generating means 39 is connected to the drive signal switching means 40. The drive signal switching means 40 is also connected with a first start state signal generation means 53, a first end state signal generation means 54, and a second drive signal generation means 42, and a drive signal is sent to the drive circuit 16. Output.

The first start state signal generating means 53 has a timer 53A, and can output the first start state signal continuously for a predetermined time. Similarly, the first end state signal generating means 54 has a timer 54A, and can output the first end state signal continuously for a predetermined time. The outputs of the first start state signal generation means 53 and the first end state signal generation means 54 are connected to the drive signal switching means 40, the second drive signal generation means 42, and the angle difference signal comparison means 31. Yes.
The input of the first start state signal generation means 53 is connected to the voltage comparison means 55. The voltage comparison means 55 compares the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 45 with the signal stored in the memory 57 and outputs the comparison result. The memory 57 stores a first threshold value corresponding to the starting voltage.
The input of the second end state signal generator 54 is connected to the voltage comparator 56. The voltage comparison means 56 compares the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 45 with the signal stored in the memory 58 and outputs the comparison result. The memory 58 stores a second threshold value corresponding to the voltage at the end.
The constant voltage generation circuit 45 is applied with a predetermined voltage from the power supply 44 when an ignition switch 43 provided outside the first control device 6 is turned on.

The angle difference signal comparison unit 31 is configured to acquire the angle difference signal from the angle difference signal calculation unit 29 when receiving the input of the start state signal and compare it with the data stored in the memory 50. The comparison result is output to the second drive signal generating means 42 and the alarm signal generating means 51.
The second drive signal generation means 42 generates a drive signal at the time of start and outputs it to the drive signal switching means 40.
The alarm signal generating means 51 is connected to the lamp 52. When a signal is output from the angle difference signal comparison means 31, the lamp 52 is turned on. The lamp 52 is disposed on the instrument panel.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the steering gear 5 includes a steering motor 61 in which a reduction mechanism is attached to an electric motor as driving means, and a rack and pinion mechanism that converts the rotation of the steering motor 61 into a linear motion of a tie rod 63. ing. The tire 4 is connected to both ends of the tie rod 63 via a tie rod 63 and a knuckle arm 64. The steering motor 61 is connected to the second control device 7 via the drive circuit 65. The drive circuit 65 includes a switching element and the like, and is configured to supply a current from a power source (not shown) to the steering motor 61.

The steering motor 61 is provided with a third encoder 66 that detects the steering angle from the rotation of the steering motor 61. The third encoder 66 uses an incremental rotary encoder as described above. From the third encoder 66, an A-phase rotation detection signal Ag, which is a fourth pulse train signal, and a B-phase rotation detection signal Bg, which is a fifth pulse train signal whose pulse generation timing is shifted by ¼ cycle, Is output.
A fourth encoder 67 for detecting the neutral point of the steering angle is attached to the steering gear 5 as a center position detection sensor for detecting the position for resetting the steering angle. The fourth encoder 67 detects the neutral point of the steering angle by detecting the intermediate point between the rack end where the tie rod 63 moves to the right and the rack end where it moves to the left. A marking (not shown) that moves together with 63 is detected, and one neutral point position signal Cg (see FIG. 3) is output as an initial position signal. The neutral point position signal Cg is a pulse signal having a duration that is longer than ½ of each cycle of the rotation detection signals Ag and Bg and shorter than each cycle of the rotation detection signals Ag and Bg.

The second control device 7 includes, as second counting means, an up / down determination circuit 71 to which the rotation detection signals Ag and Bg are input, an edge detection circuit 72A to which the rotation detection signal Ag is input, and rotation detection. An edge detection circuit 72B to which the signal Bw is input and an up / down counter 74 as a second counter are included.
The up / down counter 74 is connected to the outputs of the edge detection circuits 72A and 72B via the OR circuit 75, and to the output of the up / down determination circuit 71 and the output of the reset signal shaping means 73. The reset signal shaping unit 73 generates a reset signal for resetting the second count signal of the up / down counter 74 when the neutral point position signal Cg is input, and inputs the reset signal to the reset terminal.
The steering angle calculation means 79 searches the steering angle map 80 and calculates the steering angle. The steering angle map 80 has a configuration in which the count value of the up / down counter 74 is associated with the steering angle. The steering angle signal is output to the steering angle signal receiving means 37 (see FIG. 1) of the first control device 6 through the output circuit 81.

  A steering angle signal transmitted from the steering angle signal output circuit 28 of the first control device 6 is input to the angle difference signal calculation means 82 via the steering angle signal reception means 85. The steering angle determination means 83 and the angle difference signal comparison means 90 are connected to the output of the angle difference signal calculation means 82. The steering angle determination means 83 searches the target steering angle map 86 and calculates the target steering angle. The target steering angle map 86 is set so that the output increases when the angle difference with respect to the actual steering angle is large. The target steering angle signal is converted into a drive signal by the drive signal generation means 87 and output to the drive circuit 65.

Further, the second control device 7 has a constant voltage generation circuit 93 connected to an external power supply 44 via an ignition switch 43. The constant voltage generation circuit 93 is connected to a capacitor 94 and two voltage comparison means 95 and 96.
The voltage comparison means 95 compares the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 93 with the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 93 and the first threshold value corresponding to the voltage at the time of start stored in the memory 97, and compares the comparison result with the second value. Output to the starting state signal generating means 99. The second starting state signal generating means 99 has a timer 99A, and can output the second starting state signal to the angle difference signal comparing means 90 for a fixed time.
The voltage comparison means 96 compares the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 93 with the second threshold value corresponding to the end voltage stored in the memory 98 and the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 93, and compares the comparison result with the second threshold value. Output to the end state signal generating means 100. The second end state signal generation means 100 has a timer 100A, and can output a second end state signal to the angle difference signal comparison means 90 for a fixed time.
The angle difference signal comparison means 90 receives the input of the second start state signal or the second end state signal, acquires the angle difference signal from the angle difference signal calculation means 82, and compares it with the data stored in the memory 101. Is configured to do. The comparison result is output to the prohibition signal generation circuit 102. The prohibition signal generation circuit 102 generates a prohibition signal and outputs it to the drive signal generation means 87.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the driver rotates the steering wheel 2, two pulse train signals (rotation detection signals Aw, Bw) are output to the first control device 6 according to the rotation angle from the first encoder 13. The up / down determination circuit 21 determines the rotation direction of the steering wheel 2 from the order in which the signal levels of the pulse train signals of the rotation detection signal Aw and the rotation detection signal Bw change. In the direction indicated by the arrow AA1 in FIG. 3, the rotation detection signal Bw becomes high level after the rotation detection signal Aw becomes high level. In this case, for example, it is assumed that the steering wheel 2 is steered rightward, and the up / down counter 24 is instructed to count up. Conversely, in the direction indicated by the arrow AA2 in FIG. 3, the rotation detection signal Aw becomes high level after the rotation detection signal Bw becomes high level. In this case, it is assumed that the steering wheel 2 is steered leftward, and the up / down counter 24 is instructed to count down.

The edge detection circuit 22 </ b> A detects the rising edge and the falling edge of the rotation detection signal Aw pulse, and outputs them to the OR circuit 25. Similarly, the edge detection circuit 22B detects the rising edge and the falling edge of the rotation detection signal Bw pulse, and outputs them to the OR circuit 25. The OR circuit 25 calculates the logical sum of the signals from both edge detection circuits 22A and 22B, and creates a signal that causes a pulse to rise when one of the edge detection circuits 22A and 22B detects an edge. As a result, the resolution of the pulse signal output from the first encoder 13 is quadrupled.
The up / down counter 24 counts pulse signals output from the OR circuit 25 with reference to a neutral point position corresponding to straight traveling. When the up / down determination circuit 21 instructs to count up, the input pulse is added to the count value of the number of pulses up to the previous time. When the up / down determination circuit 21 instructs to count down, the input pulse is subtracted from the count value of the number of pulses up to the previous time.

The steering angle calculation means 26 detects the steering angle map 27 with the first count signal output as the count value of the up / down counter 24, and acquires the actual steering angle corresponding to the first count signal. The actual steering angle signal (steering angle signal) is transmitted from the steering angle signal output circuit 28 to the second control device 7.

In the second control device 7, the steering angle signal is received by the steering angle signal receiving means 85. The angle difference signal calculation means 82 calculates a steering angle corresponding to the actual steering angle (hereinafter referred to as a target steering angle). Further, the difference between the current steering angle of the tire 4 calculated by the steering angle calculation means 79 (hereinafter referred to as the actual steering angle) and the target steering angle is calculated and output as an angle difference signal.
The steering angle determination means 83 searches the target steering angle map 86 with the angle difference signal to determine the steering angle command value. This command value corresponds to a steering angle such that the angle difference is zero. The drive signal generation means 87 creates a drive signal corresponding to the command value and outputs it to the drive circuit 65, rotates the steering motor 61, and moves the steering rod 62. As a result, the angle of the tire 4 connected by the tie rod 63 or the like changes.

When the steering motor 61 rotates, two types of rotation detection signals Ag and Bg are output from the third encoder 66. The second control device 7 determines the rotation direction from the change in the signal level of each pulse train signal of each rotation detection signal Ag, Bg by the up / down determination circuit 71. The determination algorithm is the same as that of the up / down determination circuit 21 of the first control device 6. Further, the edge detection circuits 72A and 72B and the OR circuit 75 generate a pulse signal having a resolution four times that of the rotation detection signals Ag and Bg.
The up / down counter 74 counts up or down the pulse signal output from the OR circuit 75 in accordance with a command from the up / down determination circuit 71. The steering angle calculation means 79 searches the steering angle map 80 using the second count signal output as the count value of the up / down counter 74, and the steering angle calculation means 79 searches the steering angle map 80 using the count value. And determine the actual steering angle. The actual steering angle signal (steering angle signal) is input to the angle difference signal calculating means 82 and the steering angle determining means 83 and used for controlling the steering motor 61. Further, it is sent from the output circuit 81 to the first control device 6.

  In the first control device 6, the steering angle signal is received by the steering angle signal receiving unit 37, and the steering angle corresponding to the actual steering angle (hereinafter referred to as the target steering angle) is calculated by the angle difference signal calculating unit 29. To do. Further, an actual steering angle (hereinafter referred to as an actual steering angle) calculated by the steering angle calculation means 26 is acquired as a steering angle signal, and an angle difference between the target steering angle and the actual steering angle is calculated. The steering reaction force calculation means 30 searches the steering reaction force map 38 based on the angle difference signal obtained at this time, and the steering reaction force is determined. The first drive signal generating means 39 generates a drive signal for the drive motor 12 according to the steering reaction force, and energizes the drive motor 12 from the drive circuit 16 via the drive signal switching means 40. A force is generated by the rotation of the drive motor 12 on the steering shaft 3 that is a rotating shaft connected to the drive motor 12. This force acts as a load for the driver who operates the steering wheel 2. As a result, the steering angle of the steering wheel 2 and the actual steering angle of the tire 4 quickly coincide with each other. In addition, information such as road surface conditions is transmitted to the driver, improving operability.

Here, the operation at the start of the vehicle control device 1 will be described.
When the ignition switch 43 is OFF, the first control device 6 and the second control device 7 do not operate. Therefore, when the steering wheel 2 is rotated or the direction of the tire 4 is changed by an external force or the like, The actual steering angle does not match the actual steering angle. In this state, when the ignition switch 43 is turned on, a voltage is applied from the power supply 44 to the constant voltage generation circuit 45. When the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 45 exceeds the first threshold value registered in the memory 57, the voltage comparison unit 55 causes the first start state signal generation unit 53 to output the first start state signal. The first start state signal is output for a time determined by the timer 53A. The time interval at this time is a time sufficient to make the actual steering angle substantially coincide with the actual steering angle, and is a time that does not hinder driving.

  Further, the first start state signal is input to the drive signal switching means 40, and the drive signal output from the first drive signal generating means 39 is invalidated based on the actual steering angle. The first start state signal is further input to the second drive signal generation means 42, and the drive signal created by the second drive signal generation means 42 is input to the drive circuit 16 through the drive signal switching means 40 and driven. The motor 12 is driven. The drive amount and drive direction of the drive motor 12 are determined from the angle difference acquired from the angle difference signal calculation means 29 by the angle difference signal comparison means 31. When the actual steering angle substantially coincides with the actual steering angle, that is, when the value of the angle difference signal becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined angle stored in the memory 50, the angle difference signal comparison unit 31 is configured to generate the second drive signal generation unit. The generation of the drive signal by 42 is stopped. The angle at this time may be zero or a constant value. The constant value is a value that does not increase the traveling direction with respect to the angle of the steering wheel 2 when the vehicle is traveling, and can be set in advance depending on the vehicle type.

During this time, the same processing is performed in the second control device 7. That is, a voltage is applied from the power supply 44 to the constant voltage generation circuit 93. When the voltage of the constant voltage generation circuit 93 exceeds the first threshold value registered in the memory 97, the voltage comparison unit 95 causes the second start state signal generation unit 99 to output the second start state signal. The second start state signal is output for a time determined by the timer 99A. The time interval at this time is a time sufficient to make the actual steering angle substantially coincide with the actual steering angle, and is a time that does not hinder driving.
The second start state signal is input to the angle difference signal comparison means 90. If the angle difference between the actual steering angle and the actual steering angle exceeds the value stored in the memory 101, the prohibition signal generation circuit 102 outputs a prohibition signal to the drive signal generation means 87 and prohibits the generation of the drive signal. . As a result, the tire 4 is fixed at the current position. When the angle difference is less than or equal to the value stored in the memory 101, the generation of the prohibition signal is stopped and the steering of the tire 4 is enabled. The generation of the prohibit signal is also stopped when the count value of the timer 99A reaches a predetermined value.

Next, processing when the ignition switch 43 is turned from ON to OFF will be described.
In the first control device 6, when the voltage comparison unit 56 detects the voltage drop and falls below the second threshold value stored in the memory 58, the first end state signal generation unit 54 sends the first end state signal. Is output. The first end state signal is output for a time determined by the timer 54A. The time interval at this time is sufficient to make the actual steering angle substantially coincide with the actual steering angle.
The angle difference signal comparison unit 31, the second drive signal generation unit 42 and the drive signal switching unit 40 that have received the first end state signal drive the drive motor 12 so that the steering angle is equal to the steering angle of the tire 4. A driving force is applied to the steering shaft 3 so as to match. When the difference between the steering angle and the steering angle becomes equal to or less than a certain value, the drive motor 12 is stopped. The drive motor 12 also stops when the output of the first end state signal stops due to the lapse of time of the timer 54A.

In the second control device 7, when the voltage comparison unit 96 detects the voltage drop and falls below the second threshold value stored in the memory 98, the second end state signal generation unit 100 sends the second end state signal. Is output. The second end state signal is output for a time determined by the timer 100A.
The angle difference signal comparison means 90 that has received the second end state signal causes the prohibition signal generation circuit 102 to output a prohibition signal and stops the tire 4. Since the capacitor 94 is provided in the second control device 7, the voltage drop is gentler than that in the first control device 6. As a result, after the first control device 6 side performs an operation to make the steering angle coincide with the steering angle on the steering wheel 2 side, the angle difference becomes equal to or less than a certain value, and the first control device 6 is turned off. The power supply of the second control device 7 is turned off.
When the output of the first start state signal and the first end state signal is stopped before the difference between the actual steering angle and the actual steering angle becomes a certain value or less, the alarm signal generating means 51 52 is turned on.

In this embodiment, when the ignition switch 43 is turned on, the steering wheel 2 is rotated in accordance with the steering angle of the tire 4, so that the tire 4 and the steering wheel are steered with the ignition switch 43 turned off. Even when the angles of the wheels 2 are not coincident, the operation can be started in a state where the angles of the two are substantially coincident. For this reason, the progress of the vehicle can be further stabilized at the start of driving.
Since the angle difference is reduced by driving the steering wheel 2 at the time of starting, less force is required compared with the case where the tire 4 is steered. Since the steering of the tire 4 is prohibited while the steering wheel 2 side is driven, the angle difference can be reduced in a short time.

  When the ignition switch 43 is turned OFF, the second control device 7 stops after the first control device 6 stops. During this time, the prohibition signal generation circuit 102 continues to output the prohibition signal. For this reason, even if noise occurs when the power of the first control device 6 is turned off, the second control device 7 does not malfunction and the tire 4 is not steered.

Note that the present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, the delay means is not limited to the capacitor 94. Any means may be used as long as it provides a time difference in stopping the two control devices 6 and 7.
When the ignition switch 43 is turned off, a voltage may be supplied from the power source (not shown) to the second control device 7 so that the standby state is maintained.
The alarm signal generating means 51 is not limited to a lamp as long as it can inform the driver of the state. For example, a means for informing the state by sound may be used.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure by the side of the steering wheel of the control apparatus for vehicles which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure by the side of the steering gear of the control apparatus for vehicles. It is a figure explaining the signal input into an up / down counter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control apparatus for vehicles 2 Steering wheel 3 Steering shaft 4 Tire (steering wheel)
5 Steering gear 6 First control device 12 Drive motor 24 Up / down counter (first counter, first position detecting means)
26 steering angle calculation means 29 angle difference signal calculation means 30 steering reaction force calculation means 31 angle difference signal comparison means 39 first drive signal generation means 40 drive signal switching means 42 second drive signal generation means 43 ignition switch 44 power supply 51 Alarm signal generating means 52 Lamp 53 First start state signal generating means 54 First end state signal generating means 61 Steering motor 66 Third encoder 74 Up / down counter (second counter, second position detecting means)
99 Second start state signal generation means 100 Second end state signal generation means 102 Inhibition signal generation circuit

Claims (4)

A steering shaft rotatably supported on the vehicle body;
A steering wheel attached to the steering shaft and rotating together with the steering shaft;
An electric motor capable of applying a steering reaction force to the steering shaft;
A first control device that performs drive control of the electric motor so as to make the steering angle of the steering wheel coincide with the steering angle of the drive wheel;
The steering wheel supported to be steerable by a vehicle body;
Driving means for changing a steering angle of the steering wheel with respect to a vehicle body;
A second control device for controlling the driving of the driving means;
Have
The first control device includes a first start state signal generating means for generating a start state signal when power is turned on, a first end state signal generating means for generating an end state signal when the power is shut off, and a start state signal. Drive signal generating means for generating a drive signal of the drive motor so that the difference in steering angle with respect to the steering angle is reduced when
The second control device includes: a second start state signal generating unit that generates a start state signal when the power is turned on; a second end state signal generating unit that generates an end state signal when the power is turned off; and a start state signal When the difference between the steering angle and the steering angle is equal to or less than a certain value, and when the end state signal is generated, a prohibition signal generation circuit that stops the steering of the driving wheel, And a time difference forming means for stopping the first control device before the second control device when the power supplied to the control device and the second control device is cut off. A control apparatus for a vehicle.   2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the time difference forming means includes a capacitor connected to a constant pressure power supply circuit provided in the second control device.   A timer that starts counting when a start state signal is generated, and an alarm that generates an alarm signal when the count value of the timer reaches a predetermined value before the angle difference between the steering angle and the steering angle falls below a predetermined value The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal generation unit.   The drive signal generated by the second drive signal generation unit is supplied to the drive motor only while the start state signal is generated. Otherwise, the drive signal generated by the drive signal generation unit is supplied to the drive 2. A drive signal switching means for switching the steering reaction force, which is supplied to a motor and calculated according to an angle difference between an actual steering angle and a steering angle, to act on the steering wheel. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 3 to 4.

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