JP7634385B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

For example, a vehicle is equipped with a steering function unit that has the function of enabling steering of the steering wheel of the vehicle, and a turning function unit that has the function of turning the steered wheels of the vehicle. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a structure in which the power transmission path between the steering function unit and the turning function unit is separated.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses that the steering angle, which is the angle at which the steering wheel is steered, is detected as the state of the steering function unit. The detected steering angle is used in a calculation to obtain a target control amount, which is the target of the control amount for controlling the steering function unit to operate so as to steer the steered wheels.

JP 2019-131072 A

The above-mentioned target control amount may be used to reflect the state of the steering function unit in control other than the function of the steering function unit used in the vehicle, such as control to operate the steering function unit to generate a reaction force.

The target control amount is calculated based on the detected steering angle, and as part of the calculation process, certain calculations such as conversion and compensation are performed to facilitate control of the operation of the steering function unit. In the case of Patent Document 1, the target control amount is obtained by performing a calculation to variably set the steering angle ratio, which is the ratio between the steering angle and the steering angle, for the detected steering angle.

However, the target control amount obtained by performing a predetermined calculation such as conversion or compensation is converted or compensated for only from the perspective of convenience when controlling the operation of the steering function unit. In this case, it is not necessarily convenient when used for control other than the function of the steering function unit. This is also true when the actual control amount obtained as a result of control based on the target control amount obtained by performing a predetermined calculation such as conversion or compensation is used for control other than the function of the steering function unit.

A vehicle control device that solves the above problem is a vehicle control device having a first control unit that controls a steering function unit among functional units having various functions mounted on a vehicle, including a steering function unit having a function of steering the steered wheels of the vehicle, and a second control unit that controls a functional unit other than the steering function unit among functional units mounted on the vehicle, in which the first control unit performs a predetermined calculation to adapt the first control unit to control the operation of the steering function unit, and obtains a target steering control amount as a control amount for operating the steering function unit to steer the steered wheels, and steers the steered wheels based on the target steering control amount. The second control unit is configured to control the actual steering control amount obtained as a result of the target steering control amount, and the second control unit is configured to control the operation of the functional unit to be controlled based on steering information calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount obtained in relation to the predetermined calculation in the process of obtaining the target steering control amount, and the actual steering control amount, and is configured to have an information adjustment unit that adjusts the steering information through adjustment of at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount so that the second control unit is adapted to control the operation of the functional unit to be controlled.

According to the above configuration, the second control unit can use the steering information adjusted through the information adjustment unit to be adapted to control the operation of the functional unit that is the control target of the second control unit. In other words, even if the second control unit uses the steering information to reflect the state of the steering functional unit, it can use it as information adjusted to be adapted to the functional unit to be used. In this case, the steering information is calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, intermediate control amount, and actual steering control amount, but is adapted to control the operation of a functional unit other than the steering functional unit. Therefore, the steering information reflecting the state of the steering functional unit can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the steering functional unit.

Specifically, in the above vehicle control device, the functional unit other than the steering functional unit includes at least one of a steering functional unit having a function of enabling steering of the steering wheel of the vehicle, a stable driving functional unit having a function of performing stable cornering of the vehicle, and a route guidance functional unit having a function of providing guidance on the predicted route of the vehicle.

In the above vehicle control device, the predetermined calculation includes at least one of a compensation calculation that compensates the target steering control amount so as to suppress the change in the actual steering control amount with respect to the amount by which the actual steering control amount is actually changed, a conversion calculation that converts the target steering control amount so that the positional relationship related to the rotation of the steering shaft of the steering function unit that rotates in conjunction with the steering of the steering wheel satisfies a predetermined correspondence relationship, a direction addition calculation that adds a control amount for direction variation to the target steering control amount to change the traveling direction in which the vehicle travels regardless of the state of the steering function unit, and a characteristic change calculation that adds a control amount for characteristic variation to the target steering control amount to change the characteristics that appear in relation to the traveling of the vehicle regardless of the state of the steering function unit.

In the above vehicle control device, the second control unit preferably includes a reaction force control unit that controls the operation of the steering function unit to generate a reaction force on the steering wheel, and the reaction force control unit is preferably configured to calculate a reaction force component corresponding to the reaction force from the road surface acting on the steered wheels based on the steering information obtained by adjusting a calculated reaction force by the information adjustment unit.

According to the above configuration, the steering information can be conveniently used in the control for generating a reaction force on the steering wheel in the steering function section.
Here, for example, in the above-mentioned vehicle control device, when the specified calculation includes at least one of the compensation calculation and the conversion calculation, the information adjustment unit is configured to adjust the degree of influence of at least one of the compensation calculation and the conversion calculation in the first control unit as an adjustment according to the steering function unit.

According to the above configuration, when the first control unit includes at least one of a compensation calculation and a conversion calculation, the influence of the compensation calculation and the conversion calculation can be appropriately handled even in cases where it is required that the influence is not directly reflected in the control when the steering function unit generates a reaction force on the steering wheel.

In the above vehicle control device, the second control unit preferably includes a steering wheel control unit that controls the operation of the steering function unit to rotate the steering wheel, and the steering wheel control unit is preferably configured to calculate a target steering control amount as a control amount for operating the steering function unit based on the steering information obtained by adjusting the information adjustment unit, and to control an actual steering control amount obtained as a result of rotating a steering shaft of the steering function unit that rotates in conjunction with the steering wheel based on the target steering control amount.

According to the above configuration, the steering information can be conveniently used in the control of the actual steering control amount based on the target steering control amount in the steering function section.
Here, for example, in the above-mentioned vehicle control device, when the specified calculation includes the direction addition calculation, the information adjustment unit is configured to adjust the influence of the direction addition calculation in the first control unit as an adjustment according to the steering function unit.

According to the above configuration, when the first control unit includes a direction addition calculation, the influence of the direction addition calculation can be appropriately handled even in cases where it is required that the steering function unit does not directly reflect the influence of the direction addition calculation in the control of the actual steering control amount based on the target steering control amount.

In the vehicle control device, the second control unit preferably includes a stable driving control unit that controls the operation of the stable driving function unit to perform stable cornering of the vehicle, and the stable driving control unit is preferably configured to calculate a control amount for changing the turning characteristics that appear in relation to the turning of the vehicle based on the steering information obtained by adjusting the information adjustment unit, and to control the turning characteristics based on the control amount.

According to the above configuration, the steering information can be conveniently used in controlling the turning characteristics in the stable driving function section.
Here, for example, in the above-mentioned vehicle control device, when the specified calculation includes the characteristic variable calculation, the information adjustment unit is configured to adjust the influence of the characteristic variable calculation in the first control unit as an adjustment corresponding to the stable driving function unit.

According to the above configuration, when the first control unit includes a characteristic variable calculation, the influence of the characteristic variable calculation can be appropriately handled even in cases where it is required that the stable driving function unit not directly reflect the influence of the characteristic variable calculation in the control of the turning characteristics.

In the above vehicle control device, the second control unit preferably includes a route guidance control unit that controls the operation of the route guidance function unit to provide guidance on the predicted route of the vehicle, and the route guidance control unit is preferably configured to calculate the predicted route of the vehicle based on the steering information obtained by adjusting the information adjustment unit, and to control guidance of the predicted route.

According to the above configuration, the steering information can be conveniently used in controlling the guidance of the predicted route in the route guidance function section.
Here, for example, in the above-mentioned vehicle control device, when the specified calculation includes the compensation calculation, the information adjustment unit is configured to adjust the influence of the compensation calculation in the first control unit as an adjustment according to the route guidance function unit.

According to the above configuration, when the first control unit includes a compensation calculation, it is possible to appropriately respond to a case where it is required that the influence of the compensation calculation not be directly reflected in the control of the guidance of the predicted route by the route guidance function unit.

The vehicle control device of the present invention allows steering information reflecting the state of the steering function unit to be conveniently used for control other than the functions of the steering function unit.

FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions of a steering control device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing functions of an axial force calculation unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing functions of a control pinion angle calculation unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing functions of an information adjustment unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the function of an information adjustment unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing another form of the function of the information adjustment unit in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing functions of a steering-side control unit in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing functions of a steering-side control unit in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the function of an information adjustment unit in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing functions of an information adjustment unit in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the function of an information adjustment unit in the fifth embodiment.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of a vehicle control device will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle steering device 1 of this embodiment is a steer-by-wire type steering device. The steering device 1 includes a steering control device 2 as a vehicle control device that controls the operation of the steering device 1. The steering device 1 includes a steering mechanism 4 that is steered by a driver via a steering wheel 3, and a turning mechanism 6 that steers steered wheels 5 in response to steering of the steering mechanism 4 by the driver. The steering device 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which the power transmission paths between the steering mechanism 4 and the turning mechanism 6 are mechanically separated at all times. In this embodiment, the turning mechanism 6 is an example of a steering function part. Also, the steering mechanism 4 is an example of a steering function part that is a function part different from the turning function part.

The steering mechanism 4 includes a steering shaft 11 to which the steering wheel 3 is connected, and a steering-side actuator 12 that applies a steering reaction force, which is a force that resists steering, to the steering wheel 3 via the steering shaft 11.

The steering side actuator 12 is equipped with a steering side motor 13, which serves as a drive source, and a reduction gear 14 consisting of a worm and wheel. The steering side motor 13 is connected to the steering shaft 11 via the reduction gear 14.

The steering mechanism 6 includes a pinion shaft 21, a rack shaft 22 connected to the pinion shaft 21 as a steering shaft, a rack housing 23 that accommodates the rack shaft 22 so that it can reciprocate in the axial direction, and a rack-and-pinion mechanism 24 consisting of the pinion shaft 21 and the rack shaft 22. The rack shaft 22 and the pinion shaft 21 are arranged in the rack housing 23 at a predetermined cross angle. The rack-and-pinion mechanism 24 is configured by meshing pinion teeth 21a formed on the pinion shaft 21 with rack teeth 22a formed on the rack shaft 22. In addition, tie rods 26 are connected to both ends of the rack shaft 22 via rack ends 25 consisting of ball joints, and the ends of the tie rods 26 are connected to knuckles (not shown) to which the steered wheels 5 are assembled.

The pinion shaft 21 is provided to support the rack shaft 22 inside the rack housing 23. That is, the rack shaft 22 is supported movably along its axial direction and pressed toward the pinion shaft 21 by a support mechanism (not shown) provided in the steering mechanism 6. This supports the rack shaft 22 inside the rack housing 23. The rotation of the rack shaft 22 is also restricted. However, another support mechanism may be provided to support the rack shaft 22 on the rack housing 23 without using the pinion shaft 21. In this case, a configuration in which the pinion shaft 21 is omitted from the steering mechanism 6 may be adopted.

The steering mechanism 6 also includes a steering side actuator 31 that applies power to the rack shaft 22 to move the steered wheels 5 in the axial direction to steer them. The steering side actuator 31 includes a steering side motor 32 that serves as a drive source, a belt mechanism 33, and a ball screw mechanism 34. The steering side actuator 31 transmits the rotation of the steering side motor 32 to the ball screw mechanism 34 via the belt mechanism 33, and converts it into axial reciprocating motion of the rack shaft 22 by the ball screw mechanism 34, thereby applying power to the rack shaft 22.

In the steering device 1 configured in this manner, the steering angle of the steered wheels 5 is changed by applying motor torque as power from the steering side actuator 31 to the rack shaft 22 in response to steering by the driver. At this time, a steering reaction force that resists the steering by the driver is applied to the steering wheel 3 from the steering side actuator 12. In other words, in the steering device 1, the steering torque Th required to steer the steering wheel 3 is changed by the steering reaction force, which is the motor torque applied from the steering side actuator 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steering side motor 13 and the turning side motor 32 are connected to a steering control device 2 that controls the drive of each motor 13, 32. The steering control device 2 controls the drive of each motor 13, 32 by controlling the supply of current, which is the control amount of each motor 13, 32, based on the detection results of various sensors. The various sensors include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 41, a torque sensor 42, a steering side rotation angle sensor 43, and a turning side rotation angle sensor 44.

The vehicle speed sensor 41 detects the vehicle speed value V, which is a value indicating the vehicle speed, which is the traveling speed of the vehicle. The torque sensor 42 detects the steering torque Th, which is a value indicating the torque applied to the steering shaft 11 by the driver's steering. The steering side rotation angle sensor 43 detects the rotation angle θa, which is the angle of the rotation shaft of the steering side motor 13, within a range of 360°. The turning side rotation angle sensor 44 detects the rotation angle θb, which is the angle of the rotation shaft of the turning side motor 32, within a range of 360°. Note that the steering torque Th and each rotation angle θa, θb are detected as positive values when steering to the right, and as negative values when steering to the left, for example.

The torque sensor 42 is provided on the steering shaft 11, closer to the steering wheel 3 than the reduction gear 14. The steering side rotation angle sensor 43 is provided on the steering side motor 13. The rotation angle θa of the steering side motor 13 is used to calculate the steering angle θs. The steering side motor 13 and the steering shaft 11 are linked via the reduction gear 14. Therefore, there is a correlation between the rotation angle θa of the steering side motor 13 and the rotation angle of the steering shaft 11, and therefore the steering angle θs, which is the rotation angle of the steering wheel 3. Therefore, the steering angle θs can be obtained based on the rotation angle θa of the steering side motor 13. The turning side rotation angle sensor 44 is provided on the turning side motor 32.

A stable running control device 46 is connected to the steering control device 2 via an in-vehicle network 45 such as a CAN as a vehicle control device. The stable running control device 46 is provided in the vehicle separately from the steering control device 2. The stable running control device 46 controls the operation of the brake mechanism BRK and the steering mechanism 6 mounted on the vehicle to perform stable cornering of the vehicle based on various information including information obtained through the steering control device 2. For example, the stable running control device 46 changes the braking amount of the brake mechanism BRK to change the yaw rate generated in the vehicle as a turning characteristic that appears in relation to the turning of the vehicle, or instructs a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5. In this case, the stable running control device 46 calculates an estimated value of the yaw rate generated in the vehicle based on various information including information obtained through the steering control device 2, and calculates a control amount for performing control so that the estimated value becomes a target value of the yaw rate determined from the viewpoint of performing stable cornering of the vehicle.

The stable driving control device 46 then calculates an active steering control amount θactv, which is defined as an angle as a control amount for varying characteristics to instruct a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5. The active steering control amount θactv is a control amount for instructing a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5 to change the state of the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the yaw rate occurring in the vehicle regardless of the steering operation by the driver. The active steering control amount θactv thus obtained is output to the steering control device 2. In this embodiment, the stable driving control device 46 is an example of a stable driving control unit, i.e., a second control unit. Also, the brake mechanism BRK and the steering mechanism 6 are examples of a stable driving function unit.

Next, the function of the steering control device 2 will be described.
The steering control device 2 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory (not shown), and the CPU executes a program stored in the memory at each predetermined calculation cycle, thereby executing various types of processing.

Figure 2 shows some of the processes executed by the steering control device 2. The processes shown in Figure 2 are some of the processes realized by the CPU executing the programs stored in the memory, and are listed by type of process realized.

The steering control device 2 includes a steering side control unit 50 that controls the power supply to the steering side motor 13. The steering side control unit 50 includes a steering side current sensor 54. The steering side current sensor 54 detects the actual steering side current value Ia obtained from the current value of each phase of the steering side motor 13 that flows through the connection line between the steering side control unit 50 and the motor coil of each phase of the steering side motor 13. The steering side current sensor 54 obtains the voltage drop of the shunt resistor connected to the source side of each switching element as a current in an inverter (not shown) provided corresponding to the steering side motor 13. Note that in FIG. 2, for the sake of convenience, the connection lines of each phase and the current sensors of each phase are illustrated as one.

The steering control device 2 also includes a steering side control unit 60 that controls the power supply to the steering side motor 32. The steering side control unit 60 includes a steering side current sensor 65. The steering side current sensor 65 detects the actual steering side current value Ib obtained from the current value of each phase of the steering side motor 32 flowing through the connection line between the steering side control unit 60 and the motor coil of each phase of the steering side motor 32. The steering side current sensor 65 obtains the voltage drop of a shunt resistor connected to the source side of each switching element in an inverter (not shown) provided corresponding to the steering side motor 32 as a current. Note that in FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the connection lines of each phase and the current sensors of each phase are illustrated as one. In this embodiment, the steering side control unit 60 is an example of a first control unit.

Next, the function of the steering side control unit 50 will be described.
The steering torque Th, the vehicle speed value V, the rotation angle θa, the turning side actual current value Ib described later, the control pinion angle θp* described later, and the turning conversion angle θp_s described later are input to the steering side control unit 50. The steering side control unit 50 controls the power supply to the steering side motor 13 based on the steering torque Th, the vehicle speed value V, the rotation angle θa, the turning side actual current value Ib, the control pinion angle θp*, and the turning conversion angle θp_s. The pinion angle θp is calculated based on the rotation angle θb of the turning side motor 32. The turning conversion angle θp_s is also calculated based on the rotation angle θb.

The steering side control unit 50 has a steering angle calculation unit 51 , a target reaction force torque calculation unit 52 , and an electricity supply control unit 53 .
The rotation angle θa is input to the steering angle calculation unit 51. The steering angle calculation unit 51 converts the rotation angle θa into an integrated angle including a range exceeding 360°, for example, by counting the number of rotations of the steering-side motor 13 from a steering neutral position, which is the position of the steering wheel 3 when the vehicle is traveling straight. The steering angle calculation unit 51 calculates the steering angle θs by multiplying the integrated angle obtained by the conversion by a conversion coefficient based on the rotation speed ratio of the speed reducer 14. The steering angle θs obtained in this manner is output to the target reaction force torque calculation unit 52 and the steering-side control unit 60.

The target reaction torque calculation unit 52 receives the steering torque Th, the vehicle speed value V, the actual steering side current value Ib, the control pinion angle θp* described below, the steering conversion angle θp_s described below, and the steering angle θs. The target reaction torque calculation unit 52 calculates the target reaction torque command value Ts* as a target control amount that is a target for the steering reaction force, based on the steering torque Th, the vehicle speed value V, the actual steering side current value Ib, the control pinion angle θp*, the steering conversion angle θp_s, and the steering angle θs.

Specifically, the target reaction force torque calculation unit 52 has a steering force calculation unit 55 and an axial force calculation unit 56 .
The steering torque Th and the vehicle speed value V are input to the steering force calculation unit 55. The steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the steering force Tb* based on the steering torque Th and the vehicle speed value V. The steering force Tb* acts in the same direction as the steering direction of the driver. The steering force calculation unit 55 calculates a steering force Tb* with a larger absolute value as the absolute value of the steering torque Th is larger and as the vehicle speed value V is slower. The steering force Tb* is calculated as a value in the dimension of torque (Nm). The steering force Tb* obtained in this manner is output to the subtractor 57.

Axial force calculation unit 56 receives as input vehicle speed value V, steering angle θs, steering-side actual current value Ib, a control pinion angle θp* (described later), and a steering conversion angle θp_s (described later).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the axial force calculation section 56 has a distribution axial force calculation section 56a and a deviation compensation axial force calculation section 56b.

The vehicle speed value V, the actual steering side current value Ib, and the control pinion angle θp* described below are input to the distribution axial force calculation unit 56a. The distribution axial force calculation unit 56a calculates a distribution axial force Fd according to the axial force acting on the rack shaft 22 based on the vehicle speed value V, the actual steering side current value Ib, and the control pinion angle θp*. The distribution axial force Fd corresponds to a calculated axial force that estimates the axial force acting on the rack shaft 22 obtained by distributing the angle axial force Fr and the current axial force Fi at their respective distribution ratios so that the axial force acting on the rack shaft 22 through the steered wheels 5 is appropriately reflected.

The distribution axial force calculation unit 56a has an angle axial force calculation unit 56aa, a current axial force calculation unit 56ab, and a distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac. The vehicle speed value V and the control pinion angle θp* are input to the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa. The angle axial force calculation unit 56aa calculates the angle axial force Fr based on the vehicle speed value V and the control pinion angle θp*. The angle axial force Fr is an ideal value of the axial force defined by an arbitrarily set vehicle model. The angle axial force Fr is calculated as a reaction force component indicating an axial force that does not reflect road surface information. The road surface information is information such as minute unevenness that does not affect the lateral behavior of the vehicle and steps that affect the lateral behavior of the vehicle. For example, the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa calculates the absolute value of the angle axial force Fr to be larger as the absolute value of the control pinion angle θp* becomes larger. In addition, the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa calculates the angle axial force Fr so that the absolute value of the angle axial force Fr increases as the vehicle speed value V increases. The angle axial force Fr is calculated as a value in the dimension of torque (N·m). The angle axial force Fr thus obtained is output to the multiplier 56ad.

The current axial force calculation unit 56ab also receives the steering side actual current value Ib. The current axial force calculation unit 56ab calculates the current axial force Fi based on the steering side actual current value Ib. The current axial force Fi is an estimated value of the axial force that actually acts on the rack shaft 22 that operates to steer the steered wheels 5, that is, the axial force that is actually transmitted to the rack shaft 22. The current axial force Fi is calculated as a reaction force component that indicates the axial force that reflects the above road surface information. For example, the current axial force calculation unit 56ab calculates the current axial force Fi so that the absolute value of the steering side actual current value Ib becomes larger as the absolute value of the current axial force Fi becomes larger, assuming that the torque applied to the rack shaft 22 by the steering side motor 32 and the torque corresponding to the force applied to the rack shaft 22 through the steered wheels 5 are balanced. The current axial force Fi is calculated as a value of the dimension (N·m) of the torque. The current axial force Fi thus obtained is output to the multiplier 56ae.

The vehicle speed value V is input to the distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac. The distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac calculates the distribution gain Di based on the vehicle speed value V. The distribution gain Di is the distribution ratio of the current axial force Fi when obtaining the axial force F. For example, the distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac has a distribution gain map that defines the relationship between the vehicle speed value V and the distribution gain Di. The distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac inputs the vehicle speed value V and calculates the distribution gain Di using a map. The distribution gain Di thus obtained is multiplied by the current axial force Fi and output to the adder 56af as the final current axial force Fim obtained through the multiplier 56ae. The subtractor 56ag subtracts the distribution gain Di from "1" stored in the memory unit 56ah to calculate the distribution gain Dr. The distribution gain Dr thus obtained is output to the multiplier 56ad. The distribution gain Dr is the distribution ratio of the angular axial force Fr when obtaining the axial force F. In other words, the value of the distribution gain Dr is calculated so that the sum of the distribution gain Dr and the distribution gain Di is "1 (100%)". The distribution ratio includes the concept of a zero value in which only either the angular axial force Fr or the current axial force Fi is distributed to the axial force F. The memory unit 56ah is a specified storage area of a memory not shown.

The distribution gain Dr thus obtained is multiplied by the angular axial force Fr and output to the adder 56af as the final angular axial force Frm obtained through the multiplier 56ad. The adder 56af adds the angular axial force Frm and the current axial force Fim to calculate the distribution axial force Fd. The distribution axial force Fd thus obtained is output to the adder 56c.

The deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b receives the steering angle θs and the turning conversion angle θp_s. The deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b calculates the deviation compensation axial force Fv based on the steering angle θs and the turning conversion angle θp_s. The deviation compensation axial force Fv has a function of informing the driver of a situation in which a deviation occurs in the relationship considering the steering angle ratio between the steering state of the steering wheel 3 and the turning state of the turning wheels 5. Examples of situations in which a deviation occurs in the relationship considering the steering angle ratio between the steering state of the steering wheel 3 and the turning state of the turning wheels 5 include the following situations. For example, a situation in which the turning wheels 5 hit an obstacle such as a curb and the turning wheels 5 cannot be turned in one direction toward the obstacle, but the turning wheels 5 are steered in that one direction beyond the stopping position of the steering wheel 3 corresponding to the stopping position of the turning wheels 5 because the power transmission path between the steering mechanism 4 and the turning mechanism 6 is separated. Another example is a situation in which the correlation between the steering angle θs and the steering angle of the steered wheels 5 is lost because the pinion angle θp has difficulty following the control pinion angle θp* as a result of the operation of the steered-side motor 32 being restricted for overheat protection. The deviation compensation axial force Fv is a reaction force component equivalent to a force that resists further steering of the steering wheel 3 in order to restrict the further steering of the steering wheel 3 when the steered wheels 5 hit an obstacle such as a curb. The deviation compensation axial force Fv is also a reaction force component equivalent to a force that resists the further steering of the steering wheel 3 in order to ensure that the pinion angle θp follows the control pinion angle θp* when the operation of the steered-side motor 32 is restricted for overheat protection.

The deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b uses the deviation Δθf obtained by subtracting the turning conversion angle θp_s from the steering angle θs as an input and performs map calculation of the deviation compensation axial force Fv. For example, the map calculation is set so that when the absolute value of the deviation Δθf reaches a predetermined threshold value or more, the gradient of the deviation compensation axial force Fv with respect to the deviation Δθf becomes larger than when the absolute value of the deviation Δθf is less than the predetermined threshold value. The deviation compensation axial force Fv is calculated as a value in the dimension of torque (Nm). The deviation compensation axial force Fv obtained in this way is output to the adder 56c.

The adder 56c calculates the axial force F by adding the distribution axial force Fd and the deviation compensation axial force Fv. The axial force F is calculated as a value in the dimension of torque (N·m). The axial force F acts in the opposite direction to the steering direction of the driver. The axial force F thus obtained is output to the subtractor 57. The subtractor 57 subtracts the axial force F from the steering force Tb* to calculate the target reaction torque command value Ts*. The target reaction torque command value Ts* thus obtained is output to the current control unit 53. In this embodiment, the axial force calculation unit 56, i.e., the steering side control unit 50, is an example of a reaction force control unit, i.e., a second control unit.

The current control unit 53 receives the target reaction torque command value Ts*, the rotation angle θa, and the actual steering side current value Ia. The current control unit 53 calculates the current command value Ia* for the steering side motor 13 based on the target reaction torque command value Ts*. The current control unit 53 then calculates the deviation between the current command value Ia* and the current value on the dq coordinates obtained by converting the actual steering side current value Ia detected through the steering side current sensor 54 based on the rotation angle θa, and controls the power supply to the steering side motor 13 to eliminate the deviation. This causes the steering side motor 13 to generate torque according to the target reaction torque command value Ts*. In other words, it is possible to give the driver an appropriate sense of response according to the road reaction force.

Next, the function of the steering side control unit 60 will be described.
2, the vehicle speed value V, the rotation angle θb, the steering angle θs, and the active steering control amount θactv are input to the turning-side control unit 60. The turning-side control unit 60 controls the power supply to the turning-side motor 32 based on the vehicle speed value V, the rotation angle θb, the steering angle θs, and the active steering control amount θactv.

The steering side control unit 60 has a pinion angle calculation unit 61, a control pinion angle calculation unit 62, a pinion angle feedback control unit (in the figure, "pinion angle F/B control unit") 63, a current control unit 64, an angle conversion unit 66, and a state determination unit 67.

The rotation angle θb is input to the pinion angle calculation unit 61. The pinion angle calculation unit 61 converts the rotation angle θb into an integrated angle including a range exceeding 360°, for example, by counting the number of rotations of the steering side motor 32 from the rack neutral position, which is the position of the rack shaft 22 when the vehicle is moving straight. The pinion angle calculation unit 61 calculates the pinion angle θp, which is the actual rotation angle of the pinion shaft 21, by multiplying the integrated angle obtained by conversion by a conversion coefficient based on the rotation speed ratio of the belt mechanism 33, the lead of the ball screw mechanism 34, and the rotation speed ratio of the rack and pinion mechanism 24. The steering side motor 32 and the pinion shaft 21 are linked via the belt mechanism 33, the ball screw mechanism 34, and the rack and pinion mechanism 24. For this reason, there is a correlation between the rotation angle θb of the steering side motor 32 and the pinion angle θp. Using this correlation, the pinion angle θp can be obtained from the rotation angle θb of the steered-side motor 32. The pinion shaft 21 is also meshed with the rack shaft 22. Therefore, there is also a correlation between the pinion angle θp and the amount of movement of the rack shaft 22. In other words, the pinion angle θp is a value that reflects the state of the steering mechanism 6, which is the steering angle of the steered wheels 5. The pinion angle θp obtained in this manner is output to the pinion angle feedback control unit 63 and the angle conversion unit 66.

The control pinion angle calculation unit 62 receives the vehicle speed value V, steering angle θs, active steering control amount θactv, and offset request FLG(A) described below. Based on the vehicle speed value V, steering angle θs, active steering control amount θactv, and offset request FLG(A), the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 calculates the control pinion angle θp* as a target steering control amount, which is a target control amount for the pinion angle θp, which is the actual steering control amount obtained as a result of steering the steered wheels 5. The control pinion angle θp* thus obtained is output to the pinion angle feedback control unit 63.

The control pinion angle calculation unit 62 also has a function of calculating various intermediate control variables θinf obtained for each predetermined calculation that is performed stepwise in the process of finally obtaining the control pinion angle θp*. The control pinion angle θp* is subjected to a predetermined calculation, for example, a calculation for scaling conversion so that it becomes a state variable based on the pinion angle θp. The various intermediate control variables θinf will be explained in detail later. The various intermediate control variables θinf obtained in the process of obtaining the control pinion angle θp* are output to the angle conversion unit 66.

The pinion angle feedback control unit 63 receives the control pinion angle θp* and the pinion angle θp. The pinion angle feedback control unit 63 calculates a steering force command value Tp* as a target control amount that is a target for the steering force through feedback control of the pinion angle θp so that the pinion angle θp follows the control pinion angle θp*. The steering force command value Tp* thus obtained is output to the current control unit 64.

The current control unit 64 receives the steering force command value Tp*, the rotation angle θb, and the steering side actual current value Ib. The current control unit 64 calculates the current command value Ib* for the steering side motor 32 based on the steering force command value Tp*. The current control unit 64 then determines the deviation between the current command value Ib* and the current value on the dq coordinates obtained by converting the steering side actual current value Ib detected through the steering side current sensor 65 based on the rotation angle θb, and controls the power supply to the steering side motor 32 to eliminate the deviation. As a result, the steering side motor 32 rotates by an angle corresponding to the steering force command value Tp*.

The angle conversion unit 66 receives the vehicle speed value V, pinion angle θp, active steering control amount θactv, and intermediate control amount θinf. The angle conversion unit 66 calculates the steering conversion angle θp_s based on the vehicle speed value V, pinion angle θp, active steering control amount θactv, and intermediate control amount θinf. The steering conversion angle θp_s is subjected to a predetermined calculation, for example, a calculation for scaling the steering conversion angle θp_s so that it becomes a state variable based on the steering angle θs. The steering conversion angle θp_s obtained in this manner is output to the steering side control unit 50, i.e., the axial force calculation unit 56.

Various vehicle information obtained from the vehicle is input to the state determination unit 67 as information for determining various states of the vehicle. The various states include, for example, the presence or absence of abnormalities in the rotation angle sensors 43, 44, the running state of the vehicle, and the overheat protection state of the steering side motor 32. The various vehicle information includes, for example, the rotation angles θa, θb, the vehicle speed value V, the on/off state of the vehicle start switch such as the ignition switch, and the steering side actual current value Ib. The state determination unit 67 generates an offset request FLG (A) based on various vehicle information. The offset request FLG (A) is information indicating various states of the vehicle. For example, two types of offset request FLG (A), a first request flag r1 and a second request flag r2, are prepared. Note that three or more types of offset request FLG (A) may be prepared depending on the specifications of the vehicle. In addition, the function of generating the offset request FLG(A) is not limited to the function of the turning side control unit 60, but may be the function of the steering side control unit 50, or may be realized as a function of an external control device different from the steering control device 2, such as the stable driving control device 46. The offset request FLG(A) obtained in this manner is output to the control pinion angle calculation unit 62.

Here, the functions of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 and the angle conversion unit 66 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 4, the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 has a first conversion calculation unit 71, a second conversion calculation unit 72, an external command value addition calculation unit 73, an offset angle calculation unit 74, a gradual change processing calculation unit 75, a following compensation processing calculation unit 76, an output compensation processing calculation unit 77, and a residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78.

The first conversion calculation unit 71 receives the steering angle θs. The first conversion calculation unit 71 calculates the first converted angle θp1* as one of the intermediate control variables θinf by adding the adjustment amount Δθa to the steering angle θs. The first conversion calculation unit 71 changes the adjustment amount Δθa for scaling the angle θp to a state variable based on the pinion angle θp in accordance with the vehicle speed value V, taking into account the steering angle ratio that defines the static characteristics, which is the ratio of the first converted angle θp1* to the steering angle θs. For example, the adjustment amount Δθa is changed so that the change in the first converted angle θp1* relative to the change in the steering angle θs is larger when the vehicle speed value V is low than when the vehicle speed value V is high. In other words, the first converted angle θp1* is subjected to a conversion calculation so that the positional relationship between the first converted angle θp1* and the steering angle θs satisfies a predetermined correspondence relationship. The first converted angle θp1* thus obtained is output to the second conversion calculation unit 72.

The second conversion calculation unit 72 receives the first converted angle θp1*. The second conversion calculation unit 72 is equipped with a filter that defines a transfer function for filtering the first converted angle θp1*. The second conversion calculation unit 72 receives the first converted angle θp1* as an input and filters it to obtain the second converted angle θp2* as one of the intermediate control variables θinf. The filter has a transfer function that defines dynamic characteristics according to the vehicle speed value V, for example. In other words, the second converted angle θp2* is subjected to a conversion calculation between the steering angle θs and the second converted angle θp2* so that desired characteristics can be obtained from a dynamic perspective according to the vehicle speed value V. The second converted angle θp2* thus obtained is output to the external command value addition calculation unit 73.

The second converted angle θp2* and the active steering control amount θactv are input to the external command value addition calculation unit 73. The external command value addition calculation unit 73 calculates the third converted angle θp3* as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the active steering control amount θactv to the second converted angle θp2*. The external command value addition calculation unit 73, for example, adds or subtracts the active steering control amount θactv to the second converted angle θp2*. In other words, the third converted angle θp3* is subjected to a characteristic change calculation to change the yaw rate occurring in the vehicle regardless of the steering by the driver through the addition of the active steering control amount θactv. The third converted angle θp3* thus obtained is output to the gradual change processing calculation unit 75. In this embodiment, the active steering control amount θactv is an example of an intermediate control amount obtained through the stable driving control device 46 to be added to the characteristic change calculation. In other words, the active steering control amount θactv is a control amount used in a predetermined calculation in the external command value addition calculation unit 73 in the process of obtaining the control pinion angle θp*. The external command value addition calculation unit 73 obtains the active steering control amount θactv from the stable driving control device 46.

The offset angle calculation unit 74 receives the offset request FLG(A). The offset angle calculation unit 74 calculates the offset angle θo1 as one of the intermediate control variables θinf according to various vehicle conditions indicated by the offset request FLG(A). The offset angle θo1 is a control variable that is the basis for the compensation amount for the control pinion angle θp* obtained in the process of calculating the control pinion angle θp*. The offset angle θo1 obtained in this manner is output to the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 and the angle conversion unit 66.

The offset angle θo1 has a function of suppressing the difference in the control pinion angle θp* between the latest cycle and the previous cycle, which is one cycle before, from appearing as a change in the control pinion angle θp* in the current cycle to be used for actual control. This is intended to suppress the difference from appearing as an unintended movement of the steered wheels 5 in response to the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the steering wheel steering that reflects the driver's intention, in other words, to suppress the driver's discomfort. The offset angle θo1 is obtained as the difference in the control pinion angle θp* between the latest and previous cycles that appears due to various vehicle conditions and changes in those conditions, from the difference between the control pinion angle θp* in the latest cycle and one of the control pinion angle θp* and the intermediate control amount θinf in the previous cycle. For example, the offset angle θo1 is obtained from the difference between the control pinion angle θp* in the latest cycle and the control pinion angle θp* in the previous cycle when the first request flag r1 is input as the offset request FLG (A). In addition, the offset angle θo1 is obtained from the difference between the control pinion angle θp* in the latest cycle and one of the intermediate control amounts θinf in the past cycles when the second request flag r2 is input as the offset request FLG(A).

The gradual change processing calculation unit 75 receives the third converted angle θp3*, the offset angle θo1, and the final offset remaining amount θo3 described below. The gradual change processing calculation unit 75 calculates the first offset compensated angle θp4* as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3 to the third converted angle θp3*. In addition, when adding the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 adds the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3 gradually, rather than all at once, in order to suppress the driver's discomfort. For example, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 adds the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3 to the third converted angle θp3*. In this case, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 actually adds a value within a range that does not exceed the upper and lower limits of the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3 to be added to the third converted angle θp3*. Also, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 calculates the offset remaining amount θo2 as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf, using a value within a range that exceeds the upper and lower limits of the offset angle θo1 and the final offset remaining amount θo3 to be added to the third converted angle θp3* as a remaining amount. The value actually added to the third converted angle θp3* is calculated based on at least one of, for example, the elapsed time, the steering angle θs, the steering angular velocity obtained by differentiating the steering angle θs, any one of the intermediate control amounts θinf, or the amount of change in any one of the intermediate control amounts θinf. In other words, the first offset-compensated angle θp4* is subjected to a compensation calculation to suppress unintended movement of the steered wheels 5 according to various vehicle conditions, by taking into account the offset angle θo1, when the steered wheels 5 are actually steered in response to the steering operation that reflects the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the driver's intention. This is also true for taking into account the final remaining offset amount θo3 into the first offset-compensated angle θp4*. The first offset-compensated angle θp4* and the remaining offset amount θo2 obtained in this way are output to the tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76.

The first offset compensation angle θp4* and the offset remaining amount θo2 are input to the tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76. The tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76 calculates the second offset compensation angle θp5* as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the excess amount θov corresponding to the amount exceeding the output limit of the steering side motor 32, which is the state of the steering mechanism 6, to the first offset compensation angle θp4*. The tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76 also calculates the final offset remaining amount θo3 as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the excess amount θov to the offset remaining amount θo2. The tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76, for example, adds the excess amount θov to the first offset compensation angle θp4*. In this case, the tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76 adds the excess amount θov to the offset remaining amount θo2. The excess amount θov is calculated as a value for limiting the limit value of the angular velocity of the steered side motor 32 obtained from the well-known N-T characteristic, which is a relationship with the motor torque of the steered side motor 32, so that the actual angular velocity does not exceed the limit value. In other words, the second offset compensated angle θp5* is subjected to a compensation calculation to suppress unreasonable movement of the steered wheels 5 according to various vehicle conditions, by taking into account the excess amount θov, in order to actually steer the steered wheels 5 according to the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the steering that reflects the driver's intention. The second offset compensated angle θp5* thus obtained is output to the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the angle conversion unit 66. In addition, the final offset remaining amount θo3 is output to the gradual change processing calculation unit 75 and the angle conversion unit 66.

The second offset-compensated angle θp5* is input to the output compensation processing calculation unit 77. The output compensation processing calculation unit 77 calculates the output compensation angle θp6* as one of the intermediate control variables θinf so that the second offset-compensated angle θp5* is within a range that does not exceed the upper and lower limits set for the second offset-compensated angle θp5*. The upper and lower limits set for the second offset-compensated angle θp5* vary, for example, according to the vehicle speed value V. In other words, the output compensation angle θp6* is subjected to a compensation calculation to suppress unreasonable movement of the steered wheels 5 according to various vehicle conditions, by setting the upper and lower limits, in order to actually steer the steered wheels 5 according to the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the steering that reflects the driver's intention. The output compensation angle θp6* obtained in this manner is output to the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 and the angle conversion unit 66.

The residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 receives the output compensation angle θp6*. The residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 calculates the residual current reduction processing angle θp7* as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the residual current amount θri corresponding to the residual current steadily generated in the steering side motor 32 to the output compensation angle θp6*. For example, the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 subtracts and removes the residual current amount θri so as not to reflect it in the output compensation angle θp6*. In this case, the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 gradually adds the residual current amount θri that was subtracted and removed at a predetermined timing so as to reflect it. The residual current amount θri is obtained based on the steering side actual current value Ib or the current command value Ib* as a current steadily generated in the steering side motor 32 at a low vehicle speed including a stop where the vehicle is not running. In addition, the predetermined timing is, for example, when the vehicle is turning, from the viewpoint of suppressing the driver's discomfort even if the residual current amount θri is reflected. In other words, the residual current reduction process angle θp7* is subjected to a compensation calculation to suppress unintended movement of the steered wheels 5 according to various vehicle conditions, by taking into account the residual current amount θri, in order to actually turn the steered wheels 5 in response to the steering mechanism 4, i.e., the steering wheel steering that reflects the driver's intention. The residual current reduction process angle θp7* obtained in this manner is output to the pinion angle feedback control unit 63 and the axial force calculation unit 56 as the control pinion angle θp*. In addition, the residual current reduction process angle θp7* is output to the angle conversion unit 66.

As shown in FIG. 4, the angle conversion unit 66 has an information adjustment unit 81 and an inverse conversion calculation unit 82 .
The pinion angle θp, the active steering control amount θactv, the offset request FLG(A), and the intermediate control amount θinf are input to the information adjustment unit 81. The intermediate control amount θinf input to the information adjustment unit 81 is the final offset remaining amount θo3, the second offset compensated angle θp5*, the output compensated angle θp6*, and the residual current reduction process angle θp7*.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the information adjustment unit 81 calculates the adjusted pinion angle θp' by taking into account the active steering control amount θactv, the final offset remaining amount θo3, the angle after second offset compensation θp5*, the angle after output compensation θp6*, and the angle after residual current reduction processing θp7*, with respect to the pinion angle θp. The adjusted pinion angle θp' is a control amount in which the effects of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 have been adjusted.

For example, the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing and the angle θp6* after output compensation are output to the first multiplier 92 via a subtractor 91 as a first difference Δθ1' obtained by subtracting the angle θp6* after output compensation from the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing. The first difference Δθ1' corresponds to the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78.

In this case, the first multiplier 92 calculates the first information adjustment amount Δθ1 by multiplying the first difference Δθ1' by the first gain K1. The first gain K1 is set from the viewpoint of adapting the axial force calculation unit 56, which is the use destination of the steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp', that is, the deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b, to calculate the deviation compensation axial force Fv. This is appropriately set based on the degree of influence of the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 to calculate the deviation compensation axial force Fv, for example, a value less than 1 to reduce the influence, or a value greater than 1 to increase the influence. The first information adjustment amount Δθ1 obtained in this way is output to the adder/subtractor 96.

For example, the output compensated angle θp6* and the second offset compensated angle θp5* are output to the second multiplier 94 as the second difference Δθ2' obtained by subtracting the second offset compensated angle θp5* from the output compensated angle θp6* via the subtractor 93. The second difference Δθ2' corresponds to the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77.

In this case, the second multiplier 94 calculates the second information adjustment amount Δθ2 by multiplying the second difference Δθ2' by the second gain K2. The second gain K2 is set from the same perspective as the first gain K1. In other words, the second gain K2 is appropriately set for the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The second information adjustment amount Δθ2 thus obtained is output to the adder/subtractor 96.

For example, the final offset remaining amount θo3 is calculated as the third information adjustment amount Δθ3 obtained by multiplying the third gain K3 through the third multiplier 95. In this case, the third multiplier 95 switches and changes the third gain K3 according to the offset request FLG (A) so that the third gain K3 is obtained according to the type of the offset angle θo1 calculated based on the offset request FLG (A) through the offset angle calculation unit 74. The third gain K3 is set from the same perspective as each of the gains K1 and K2. In other words, the third gain K3 is appropriately set for the final offset remaining amount θo3, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence when the first request flag is r1, or to a value equal to or greater than 1 to increase the degree of influence when the second request flag is r2. For example, when the value of the third gain K3 is changed between each request flag r1 and r2, a gradual change process is performed on the third gain K3 with respect to time. The third information adjustment amount Δθ3 thus obtained is output to the adder/subtractor 96.

For example, in the adder/subtracter 96, the first information adjustment amount Δθ1 and the second information adjustment amount Δθ2 are added to the pinion angle θp based on the pinion angle θp, and the third information adjustment amount Δθ3 and the active steering control amount θactv are subtracted to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'. The active steering control amount θactv is subtracted in the adder/subtracter 96 in order to prevent the movement of the steered wheels 5 that is unrelated to the steering operation by the driver, i.e., the effect of the characteristic variable calculation, from being applied to the deviation compensation axial force Fv. The adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained in this way is output to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82.

The inverse conversion calculation unit 82 receives the vehicle speed value V and the adjusted pinion angle θp'. The inverse conversion calculation unit 82 performs a scale inverse conversion according to the vehicle speed value V so that the adjusted pinion angle θp' becomes a state variable based on the steering angle θs, thereby calculating the turning conversion angle θp_s. In other words, the turning conversion angle θp_s is subjected to an inverse conversion calculation as a scale inverse conversion, in order to scale the turning conversion angle θp_s to a calculation rule that defines a static characteristic in which the relationship between the input and output is reversed with respect to the calculation rule defined by the first conversion calculation unit 71 in the scale conversion. The turning conversion angle θp_s obtained in this manner is output to the axial force calculation unit 56 of the steering side control unit 50. In this embodiment, the turning conversion angle θp_s is an example of steering information.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described.
3, in the control of the operation of the steering mechanism 4, the calculation of the deviation compensation axial force Fv in the steering side control unit 50 uses the steering conversion angle θp_s based on the pinion angle θp obtained while controlling the steering side actuator 31 in order to reflect the state of the steering mechanism 6. Here, the pinion angle θp is obtained by reflecting the result of feedback control using the control pinion angle θp* that has been subjected to conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation in order to be adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 6.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the angle conversion unit 66 calculates the steering conversion angle θp_s, the pinion angle θp is not used as is, but the influence of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation is adjusted via the information adjustment unit 81.

In particular, in the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the first information adjustment amount Δθ1 is taken into account, so that the occurrence of the deviation compensation axial force Fv caused by the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 can be adjusted when the driver holds the steering wheel. In addition, in the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the second information adjustment amount Δθ2 is taken into account, so that the occurrence of the deviation compensation axial force Fv caused by the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 can be adjusted. In addition, in the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the third information adjustment amount Δθ3 is taken into account, so that the occurrence of the deviation compensation axial force Fv caused by the control amount taken into account through the compensation calculation in the offset angle calculation unit 74, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75, and the tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76 can be adjusted.

That is, even if the steering conversion angle θp_s is used in controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 4, it can be used as information adjusted to suit the deviation compensation axial force calculation section 56b.
The effects of this embodiment will be described below.

(1-1) According to this embodiment, the turning conversion angle θp_s is calculated using the pinion angle θp obtained while being adapted to control the operation of the turning mechanism 6, but is adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 4, taking into account the influence of the conversion calculation, the characteristic variable calculation, and the compensation calculation. Therefore, the turning conversion angle θp_s can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the turning mechanism 6.

(1-2) In this embodiment, the control pinion angle θp*, which results in the pinion angle θp, is subjected to conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations to make it suitable for controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 6. In response to this, the information adjustment unit 81 adjusts the influence of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 as an adjustment according to the steering mechanism 4.

This allows for suitable response even in cases where it is required that the effects of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 not be directly reflected in the calculation of the deviation compensation axial force Fv.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the vehicle control device will be described. Note that the same components as those in the already described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the steering control device 2 is connected to a driving assistance control device 47 as a vehicle control device via an in-vehicle network 45 such as a CAN. The driving assistance control device 47 is provided in the vehicle separately from the steering control device 2. The driving assistance control device 47 controls the operation of the steering mechanism 6, i.e., the steering device 1, to provide various driving assistance functions to further improve the comfort of the vehicle. The driving assistance control device 47 determines the optimal control method based on the vehicle's current state. The driving assistance control device 47 controls the operation of the steering mechanism 6, i.e., the steering device 1, according to the required control method. For example, the driving assistance control device 47 instructs a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5 to prevent the vehicle from leaving its lane or to assist in emergency avoidance, or to take over driving while the vehicle is stopped.

The driving assistance control device 47 then calculates the driving assistance control amount θadas, which is defined as an angle as a directional variable control amount for instructing a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5. The driving assistance control device 47 is connected to various detection devices, not shown, including a vehicle speed sensor 41 and a lane recognition camera, for example, for grasping the state of the vehicle. The driving assistance control device 47 calculates the driving assistance control amount θadas for the driving assistance to be realized based on the state of the vehicle detected through the above detection devices. The driving assistance control amount θadas is a control amount for instructing a change in the steering angle of the steered wheels 5 to change the traveling direction in which the vehicle travels, regardless of the state of the steering mechanism 4, i.e., regardless of the steering wheel operation by the driver.

The driving assistance control amount θadas also includes information on which driving assistance is to be realized. The driving assistance control device 47 generates a driving assistance request FLG (B) based on a request by the driver, such as a switch operation. The driving assistance request FLG (B) is information indicating which driving assistance is to be realized. For example, two types of driving assistance request FLG (B) are prepared: a third request flag r3 indicating the realization of driving assistance that supports lane departure and emergency avoidance of the vehicle, and a fourth request flag r4 indicating the realization of driving assistance that substitutes for parking while the vehicle is stopped. In addition, when driving assistance is not realized, neither of the request flags r3 and r4 is generated for the driving assistance request FLG (B). Note that three or more types of driving assistance request FLG (B) may be prepared according to the specifications of the vehicle, or a flag indicating that driving assistance is not to be realized may be prepared. In addition, the function of generating the driving assistance request FLG (B) is not limited to the function of the driving assistance control device 47, but may be a function of the steering side control unit 50 or the turning side control unit 60, or may be realized as a function of an external control device different from the driving assistance control device 47, such as the stable driving control device 46. The driving assistance control amount θadas and the driving assistance request FLG (B) obtained in this way are output to the steering control device 2.

Specifically, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figures 2 and 4, the driving assistance control amount θadas and the driving assistance request FLG(B) are input to the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 of the steering side control unit 60, i.e., the external command value addition calculation unit 73.

Then, the external command value addition calculation unit 73 calculates the third converted angle θp3* as one of the intermediate control amounts θinf by adding the driving assistance control amount θadas together with the active steering control amount θactv to the second converted angle θp2*. The external command value addition calculation unit 73, for example, adds or subtracts the driving assistance control amount θadas together with the active steering control amount θactv to the second converted angle θp2*. In other words, a direction addition calculation is performed on the third converted angle θp3* to change the traveling direction in which the vehicle travels regardless of the steering by the driver through the addition of the driving assistance control amount θadas. The third converted angle θp3* thus obtained is output to the gradual change processing calculation unit 75. In this embodiment, the driving assistance control amount θadas is an example of an intermediate control amount obtained through the driving assistance control device 47 to be added to the direction addition calculation. In other words, the driving assistance control amount θadas is a control amount used in a predetermined calculation in the external command value addition calculation unit 73 in the process of obtaining the control pinion angle θp*. The external command value addition calculation unit 73 obtains the driving assistance control amount θadas from the driving assistance control device 47.

As indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the driving assist control amount θadas is input to the information adjustment unit 100 of this embodiment.
6, the first converted angle θp1*, the active steering control amount θactv, and the driving assist control amount θadas are input to the information adjustment unit 100. The information adjustment unit 100 calculates the adjusted pinion angle θp' by taking into account the active steering control amount θactv and the driving assist control amount θadas to the first converted angle θp1*.

The adjusted pinion angle θp' in this embodiment is input to the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa in FIG. 3 in place of the control pinion angle θp*. In other words, the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa in this embodiment calculates the angle axial force Fr based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' and the vehicle speed value V.

For example, the information adjustment unit 100 calculates the active steering control amount θactv as a fourth information adjustment amount Δθ4 obtained by multiplying the fourth gain K4 through the fourth multiplier 101. The fourth gain K4 is set from the viewpoint of adapting the axial force calculation unit 56, which uses the adjusted pinion angle θp', that is, the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa, to calculate the angular axial force Fr. This is appropriately set based on the degree of influence of the active steering control amount θactv in calculating the angular axial force Fr, for example, a value less than 1 to reduce the influence, or a value greater than 1 to increase the influence. The fourth information adjustment amount Δθ4 obtained in this way is output to the adder/subtractor 103.

For example, the driving assistance control amount θadas is calculated as a fifth information adjustment amount Δθ5 obtained by multiplying the fifth gain K5 through a fifth multiplier 102. The fifth gain K5 is set from the same perspective as the fourth gain K4. In other words, the fifth gain K5 is appropriately set for the driving assistance control amount θadas, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The fifth information adjustment amount Δθ5 obtained in this manner is output to the adder/subtractor 103.

For example, the adder/subtractor 103 calculates the adjusted pinion angle θp' by adding the fourth information adjustment amount Δθ4 to the first converted angle θp1* and subtracting the fifth information adjustment amount Δθ5 from the first converted angle θp1* based on the first converted angle θp1*. The adder/subtractor 103 uses the first converted angle θp1* as the basis without taking into account the angles θp2* to θp7* in order to avoid the effects of conversion calculations and compensation calculations on the angle axial force Fr. The adjusted pinion angle θp' thus obtained is output to the steering side control unit 50, i.e., the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa. In this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is an example of steering information.

In this embodiment, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by the information adjustment unit 100 of this embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by the information adjustment unit 81 of the first embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the control pinion angle θp* that is not adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, i.e., the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the calculation of the angular axial force Fr in the first embodiment, the control pinion angle θp* obtained while controlling the steering side actuator 31 is used in order to reflect the state of the steering mechanism 6.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, in the calculation of the angular axial force Fr in this embodiment, instead of the control pinion angle θp*, the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained by adjusting the influence of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, direction addition calculation, and compensation calculation through the information adjustment unit 100 for the first converted angle θp1* on which the control pinion angle θp* is based is used.

In particular, in the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the first converted angle θp1* is used as a base, so that it is possible to adjust the degree of influence on the angular axial force Fr of the dynamic characteristics defined by the transfer function resulting from the control amount taken into account through the conversion calculation in the second conversion calculation unit 72. In addition, in the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the fourth information adjustment amount Δθ4 is taken into account, so that it is possible to adjust the degree of occurrence of counter-steer, for example, by encouraging counter-steer resulting from the active steering control amount θactv.

In other words, even if the adjusted pinion angle θp' is used to control the operation of the steering mechanism 4, it can be used as information adjusted to suit the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa.

The effects of this embodiment will be described below.
(2-1) According to this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 4 by taking into consideration the influences of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, direction addition calculation, and compensation calculation, based on the first converted angle θp1* obtained while being adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 6. Therefore, the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the steering mechanism 6.

(2-2) In this embodiment, in order to adapt to controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 6, the control pinion angle θp* is obtained by performing conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, direction addition calculations, and compensation calculations while taking into account the first converted angle θp1*. In response to this, the information adjustment unit 100 adjusts the influence of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, direction addition calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 as adjustments according to the steering mechanism 4.

In this case, by obtaining the adjusted pinion angle θp' based on the first converted angle θp1*, it is possible to appropriately deal with cases where it is required not to directly reflect the effects of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, direction addition calculation, and compensation calculation in the calculation of the angle axial force Fr.

(2-3) In this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be configured in a different form so that it is based on the control pinion angle θp*, i.e., the angle θp7* after the residual current reduction process, instead of based on the first converted angle θp1*.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the active steering control amount θactv, the driving assistance control amount θadas, and the intermediate control amount θinf are input to the information adjustment unit 110 of this alternative embodiment. The intermediate control amounts θinf input to the information adjustment unit 81 are the final offset remaining amount θo3, the first converted angle θp1*, the second converted angle θp2*, the second offset compensated angle θp5*, the output compensated angle θp6*, and the residual current reduction processing angle θp7*.

For example, the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing and the angle θp6* after output compensation are output to the sixth multiplier 112 as the sixth difference Δθ6' corresponding to the first difference Δθ1' through the subtractor 111. In this case, the sixth multiplier 112 calculates the sixth information adjustment amount Δθ6 obtained by multiplying the sixth difference Δθ6' by the sixth gain K6. The sixth gain K6 is set from the same perspective as the gains K4 and K5. In other words, the sixth gain K6 is appropriately set, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the influence or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the influence, for the control amount added through the compensation calculation in the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78. The sixth information adjustment amount Δθ6 obtained in this manner is output to the adder-subtractor 120.

For example, the output compensated angle θp6* and the second offset compensated angle θp5* are output to the seventh multiplier 114 as the seventh difference Δθ7' corresponding to the second difference Δθ2' through the subtractor 113. In this case, the seventh multiplier 114 calculates the seventh information adjustment amount Δθ7 obtained by multiplying the seventh difference Δθ7' by the seventh gain K7. The seventh gain K7 is set from the same perspective as the gains K4 to K6. In other words, the seventh gain K7 is appropriately set for the control amount added through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the influence. The seventh information adjustment amount Δθ7 obtained in this way is output to the adder/subtractor 120.

For example, the final offset remaining amount θo3 is calculated as the eighth information adjustment amount Δθ8 obtained by multiplying the eighth gain K8 through the eighth multiplier 115. The eighth gain K8 is set from the same perspective as the gains K4 to K7. In other words, the eighth gain K8 is appropriately set for the final offset remaining amount θo3, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The eighth information adjustment amount Δθ8 obtained in this way is output to the adder/subtractor 120.

For example, the active steering control amount θactv is calculated as a ninth information adjustment amount Δθ9 obtained by multiplying the ninth gain K9 through a ninth multiplier 116. The ninth gain K9 is set from the same perspective as each of the gains K4 to K8. In other words, the ninth gain K9 is appropriately set for the active steering control amount θactv, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The ninth information adjustment amount Δθ9 obtained in this manner is output to the adder/subtractor 120.

For example, the driving assistance control amount θadas is calculated as a tenth information adjustment amount Δθ10 obtained by multiplying the tenth gain K10 through a tenth multiplier 117. The tenth gain K10 is set from the same perspective as each of the gains K4 to K9. In other words, the tenth gain K10 is appropriately set for the driving assistance control amount θadas, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The tenth information adjustment amount Δθ10 thus obtained is output to the adder/subtractor 120.

For example, the second converted angle θp2* and the first converted angle θp1* are output to the 11th multiplier 119 via the subtractor 118 as an 11th difference Δθ11' obtained by subtracting the first converted angle θp1* from the second converted angle θp2*. The 11th difference Δθ11' corresponds to the control amount taken into account through the conversion calculation in the second conversion calculation unit 72.

In this case, the 11th multiplier 119 calculates the 11th information adjustment amount Δθ11 by multiplying the 11th difference Δθ11' by the 11th gain K11. The 11th gain K11 is set from the same perspective as the gains K4 to K10. In other words, the 11th gain K11 is appropriately set for the control amount taken into account through the conversion calculation in the second conversion calculation unit 72, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence, or a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence. The 11th information adjustment amount Δθ11 thus obtained is output to the adder/subtractor 120.

For example, in the adder/subtractor 120, the ninth information adjustment amount Δθ9 is added to the residual current reduction processing angle θp7* based on the residual current reduction processing angle θp7*, and the information adjustment amounts Δθ6 to Δθ8, Δθ10, and Δθ11 are subtracted from the residual current reduction processing angle θp' to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'. The adjusted pinion angle θp' thus obtained is output to the steering side control unit 50, i.e., the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa.

Third Embodiment
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the vehicle control device will be described. Note that the same components as those in the already described embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the steering force calculation unit 55 has a function of calculating various compensation amounts for compensating for the steering force Tb*. The various compensation amounts include, for example, a return compensation amount, a hysteresis compensation amount, a damping compensation amount, and an inertia compensation amount. The return compensation amount is for compensating for the return movement of the steering wheel 3 that returns the steering shaft 11 to the steering neutral position corresponding to the rack neutral position. The hysteresis compensation amount is for compensating to optimize the hysteresis characteristics due to friction during the operation of the steering wheel 3. The damping compensation amount is for compensating to reduce the micro-vibrations generated in the steering wheel 3. The inertia compensation amount is for compensating to suppress the feeling of sticking when the steering wheel 3 starts to be steered and the feeling of drift when the steering is finished. The various compensation amounts are compensation amounts for compensating so that the operation of the steering wheel 3 realized based on the steering force Tb* shows the desired characteristics.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, steering torque Th, vehicle speed value V, steering angle θs, and steering conversion angle θp_s are input to steering force calculation section 55.
For example, the steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the target steering angular velocity ωs* based on the difference between the steering angle θs and the steering conversion angle θp_s. The steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the return compensation amount Td1* through feedback control of the steering angular velocity ωs so as to follow the steering angular velocity ωs obtained by differentiating the steering angle θs with respect to the target steering angular velocity ωs*. In this case, the return compensation amount Td1* changes according to the steering torque Th and the vehicle speed value V.

For example, the steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the hysteresis compensation amount Td2* based on the steering angle θs and the steering conversion angle θp_s. In this case, the hysteresis compensation amount Td2* changes according to the vehicle speed value V.

For example, the steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the damping compensation amount Td3* based on the steering angular velocity ωs and the steering angular velocity ωp obtained by differentiating the steering conversion angle θp_s. In this case, the damping compensation amount Td3* changes according to the vehicle speed value V.

For example, the steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the inertia compensation amount Td4* based on the steering angular acceleration αs obtained by differentiating the steering angular velocity ωs and the turning angular acceleration αp obtained by differentiating the turning angular velocity ωp. In this case, the inertia compensation amount Td4* changes according to the vehicle speed value V.

When calculating the steering force Tb*, the steering force calculation unit 55 takes into account the return compensation amount Td1*, the hysteresis compensation amount Td2*, the damping compensation amount Td3*, and the inertia compensation amount Td4* through addition, subtraction, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, compared to the second embodiment, the steering side control unit 50 has a function of controlling the steering angle θs so that the state of the steering wheel 3 follows the traveling direction in which the vehicle is traveling, which is changed by the driving assistance control amount θadas.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the steering-side control unit 50 has a steering angle feedback control unit (indicated as “steering angle F/B control unit” in the drawing) 58 .
The steering angle feedback control unit 58 receives the steering angle θs and the turning conversion angle θp_s. The steering angle feedback control unit 58 calculates the steering angle control amount Ta* through feedback control of the steering angle θs so that the steering angle θs, which is the actual steering control amount obtained as a result of rotating the steering wheel 3, follows the turning conversion angle θp_s as the target steering control amount, which is the target control amount that is the target of the steering angle θs. The steering angle control amount Ta* is calculated as a value of the dimension (N·m) of torque. The steering angle control amount Ta* thus obtained is output to the adder 59. In this embodiment, the steering angle feedback control unit 58, i.e., the steering side control unit 50, is an example of a steering wheel control unit, i.e., a second control unit. In this embodiment, the turning conversion angle θp_s is an example of steering information.

The adder 59 calculates the final target reaction torque command value Tsa* by adding the target reaction torque command value Ts* obtained through the target reaction torque calculation unit 52 and the steering angle control amount Ta*. The target reaction torque command value Tsa* thus obtained is output to the current control unit 53.

As indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the driving assist request FLG(B) is input to the information adjustment unit 130 of this embodiment together with the driving assist control amount θadas.
10, the driving assist control amount θadas and the driving assist request FLG(B) are input to the information adjustment unit 130. The information adjustment unit 130 adjusts the driving assist control amount θadas to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'.

For the information adjustment unit 130, for example, the driving assistance control amount θadas is calculated as the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained by multiplying the 12th gain K12 through the 12th multiplier 131. The 12th gain K12 is set from the viewpoint of adapting the steering force calculation unit 55, which is the use destination of the steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp', that is, various compensation amounts, and the steering angle feedback control unit 58, that is, the steering angle control amount Ta*, to be calculated. In other words, the 12th gain K12 is appropriately set for the driving assistance control amount θadas, for example, a value less than 1 to reduce the influence in the case of the fourth request flag r4, a value of 1 or more to increase the influence in the case of the third request flag r3, or when driving assistance is not realized. For example, the 12th gain K12 executes a gradual change process with respect to time when the value is changed between each request flag r3 and r4. The adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained in this way is output to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82.

The information adjustment unit 130 bases the driving assistance control amount θadas on the angle θp1* to θp7* and the active steering control amount θactv without taking them into account in order to prevent the effects of conversion calculations, compensation calculations, and characteristic variable calculations from being applied to the various compensation amounts and steering angle control amount Ta*.

In this embodiment, the turning conversion angle θp_s input to the axial force calculation unit 56 may be a turning conversion angle θp_s based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by the information adjustment unit 130 of this embodiment. Also, the turning conversion angle θp_s input to the axial force calculation unit 56 may be a turning conversion angle θp_s based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100 of the first embodiment or the second embodiment. Also, the turning conversion angle θp_s input to the axial force calculation unit 56 may be a turning conversion angle θp_s based on the control pinion angle θp* not adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 130, that is, the angle θp7* after the residual current reduction process.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described.
In the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the driving assistance control amount θadas is used as a base, so that it is possible to adjust the degree of influence on the change in the steering angle θs caused by the driving assistance control amount θadas. For example, when driving assistance for assisting the vehicle in lane departure or emergency avoidance is realized, or when driving assistance is not realized, the degree of influence of the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be increased to satisfy the relationship taking into account the steering angle ratio between the steering state of the steering wheel 3 and the steering state of the steered wheels 5. In addition, when driving assistance for substituting for parking while the vehicle is stopped is realized, the degree of influence of the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be reduced to hold the steering wheel 3 in the neutral steering position.

In other words, even if the steering conversion angle θp_s is used to control the operation of the steering mechanism 4, it can be used as information adjusted to suit the steering force calculation unit 55 and the steering angle feedback control unit 58.

The effects of this embodiment will be described below.
(3-1) According to this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 4, taking into consideration the influence of the conversion calculation, the characteristic variable calculation, the direction addition calculation, and the compensation calculation, based on the driving assistance control amount θadas. Therefore, the turning conversion angle θp_s can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the turning mechanism 6.

(3-2) In this embodiment, in order to adapt to controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 6, the control pinion angle θp* is obtained by performing conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, direction addition calculations, and compensation calculations while taking into account the driving assistance control amount θadas. In response to this, the information adjustment unit 130 adjusts the influence of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, direction addition calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 as adjustments according to the steering mechanism 4.

In this case, by obtaining the adjusted pinion angle θp' based on the driving assistance control amount θadas, it is possible to appropriately respond to cases where it is required not to directly reflect the effects of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, direction addition calculation, and compensation calculation in the calculation of various compensation amounts and steering angle control amount Ta*.

Fourth Embodiment
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the vehicle control device will be described. Note that the same components as those in the already described embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

In this embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, the stable driving control device 46 specifically uses the adjusted pinion angle θp' as information obtained through the steering control device 2.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained through the information adjustment unit 140 of this embodiment is input to the stable driving control device 46 via the in-vehicle network 45. The information adjustment unit 140 calculates the adjusted pinion angle θp' by taking into account the active steering control amount θactv to the second offset compensated angle θp5*. In this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is an example of steering information.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the second offset-compensated angle θp5* and the active steering control amount θactv are input to the information adjustment unit 140. The information adjustment unit 140 adjusts the second offset-compensated angle θp5* to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'.

Regarding the information adjustment unit 140, for example, the second offset compensated angle θp5* is calculated as the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained by subtracting the active steering control amount θactv through the subtractor 141. The subtractor 141 uses the second offset compensated angle θp5* as the basis without taking into account the angles θp6* and θp7* in order to prevent the influence of the compensation calculations, particularly those in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78, from being given to the control of the stable driving control device 46. In addition, the subtractor 141 subtracts the active steering control amount θactv in order to prevent the influence of the movement of the steered wheels 5 that is unrelated to the steering by the driver, i.e., the characteristic variable calculation, from being given to the control of the stable driving control device 46.

In this embodiment, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by the information adjustment unit 140 of this embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 130 of the first, second, or third embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the control pinion angle θp* not adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 130, 140, i.e., the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described.
In the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the second offset compensated angle θp5* is used as a base, so that it is possible to adjust the compensation calculations in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 and the influence of the active steering control amount θactv on the control of the stable driving control device 46. For example, in the control of the stable driving control device 46, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the compensation calculations in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 and the active steering control amount θactv by making them unnecessary.

In other words, even if the stable driving control device 46 uses the adjusted pinion angle θp', it can use it as information adjusted to suit the control for stable cornering of the vehicle.

The effects of this embodiment will be described below.
(4-1) According to this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is adapted to the control of the stable driving control device 46, taking into consideration the influence of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation, based on the second offset compensated angle θp5* obtained while being adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 6. Therefore, the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the steering mechanism 6.

(4-2) In this embodiment, in order to adapt to controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 6, the control pinion angle θp* is obtained by performing conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations while taking into account the second offset-compensated angle θp5*. In response to this, the information adjustment unit 140 adjusts the influence of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 as an adjustment in accordance with the stable driving control device 46.

In this case, by obtaining the adjusted pinion angle θp' based on the second offset compensated angle θp5*, it is possible to appropriately respond to cases where it is required that the effects of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation are not directly reflected in the control of the stable driving control device 46.

Fifth Embodiment
Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the vehicle control device will be described. Note that the same components as those in the already described embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the steering control device 2 is connected to a route guidance control device 48 as a vehicle control device via an in-vehicle network 45 such as a CAN. The route guidance control device 48 is provided in the vehicle separately from the steering control device 2. The route guidance control device 48 controls the display content of the back guide monitor BGM provided in the vehicle cabin to guide the expected route of the vehicle based on various information including information obtained through the steering control device 2. For example, the route guidance control device 48 controls the display content of the back guide monitor BGM to display a predicted trajectory line indicating the expected route of the vehicle together with an image captured by a camera mounted on the rear of the vehicle to assist in reversing the vehicle during parking, etc. In this case, the route guidance control device 48 calculates the predicted trajectory line based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained through the steering control device 2. In this embodiment, the route guidance control device 48 is an example of a route guidance control unit, that is, a second control unit. Also, the back guide monitor BGM is an example of a route guidance function unit. Additionally, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is an example of steering information.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the adjusted pinion angle θp' obtained through the information adjustment unit 150 of this embodiment is input to the route guidance control device 48 via the in-vehicle network 45. The information adjustment unit 140 calculates the adjusted pinion angle θp' by taking into account the final offset remaining amount θo3, the angle after second offset compensation θp5*, the angle after output compensation θp6*, and the angle after residual current reduction processing θp7* to the pinion angle θp.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the pinion angle θp, the offset request FLG(A), the final offset remaining amount θo3, the angle after second offset compensation θp5*, the angle after output compensation θp6*, and the angle after residual current reduction processing θp7* are input to the information adjustment unit 150.

For example, the residual current reduction processing angle θp7* and the output compensation angle θp6* are output to the 13th multiplier 152 through the subtractor 151 as the 13th difference Δθ13' corresponding to the first difference Δθ1'. In this case, the 13th multiplier 152 calculates the 13th information adjustment amount Δθ13 obtained by multiplying the 13th difference Δθ13' by the 13th gain K13. The 13th gain K13 is set from the viewpoint of adapting the route guidance control device 48, which is the user of the adjusted pinion angle θp', to calculate the predicted trajectory line. In other words, the 13th gain K13 is appropriately set, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the influence or a value greater than 1 to increase the influence, for the control amount added through the compensation calculation in the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78. The 13th information adjustment amount Δθ13 obtained in this manner is output to the adder/subtractor 156.

For example, the output compensated angle θp6* and the second offset compensated angle θp5* are output to the 14th multiplier 154 as the 14th difference Δθ14' corresponding to the second difference Δθ2' through the subtractor 153. In this case, the 14th multiplier 154 calculates the 14th information adjustment amount Δθ14 obtained by multiplying the 14th difference Δθ14' by the 14th gain K14. The 14th gain K14 is set from the same perspective as the 13th gain K13. In other words, the 14th gain K14 is appropriately set, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the influence or a value greater than 1 to increase the influence, for the control amount added through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77. The 14th information adjustment amount Δθ14 obtained in this manner is output to the adder/subtractor 156.

For example, the final offset remaining amount θo3 is calculated as the 15th information adjustment amount Δθ15 corresponding to the third information adjustment amount Δθ3 obtained by multiplying the 15th gain K15 through the 15th multiplier 155. The 15th gain K15 is set from the same perspective as the gains K13 and K14. In other words, the 15th gain K15 is appropriately set for the final offset remaining amount θo3, for example, to a value less than 1 to reduce the degree of influence when the first request flag is r1, or to a value greater than or equal to 1 to increase the degree of influence when the second request flag is r2. For example, when the value is changed between the request flags r1 and r2, the 15th gain K15 executes a gradual change process over time. The 15th information adjustment amount Δθ15 obtained in this manner is output to the adder/subtractor 156.

For example, in the adder/subtractor 156, the thirteenth information adjustment amount Δθ13 and the fourteenth information adjustment amount Δθ14 are added to the pinion angle θp based on the pinion angle θp, and the fifteenth information adjustment amount Δθ15 is subtracted from the pinion angle θp to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'.

In this embodiment, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by the information adjustment unit 150 of this embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the adjusted pinion angle θp' adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 130, 140 of the first, second, third, or fourth embodiment. Also, the information input to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 may be the control pinion angle θp* not adjusted by each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 130, 140, 150, i.e., the angle θp7* after residual current reduction processing.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described.
In the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the thirteenth information adjustment amount Δθ13 and the fourteenth information adjustment amount Δθ14 are taken into consideration, thereby making it possible to adjust the degree of influence on the calculation of the predicted trajectory line caused by the control amount taken into consideration through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78. For example, in the calculation of the predicted trajectory line, the control amount taken into consideration through the compensation calculation in the output compensation processing calculation unit 77 and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78 is not necessary, making it possible to suppress changes in the predicted trajectory line while the vehicle is stopped, and to suppress changes in the predicted trajectory line in response to the acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle when the driver holds the steering wheel.

That is, even if the route guidance control device 48 uses the adjusted pinion angle θp′, it can use the information adjusted to be compatible with the calculation of the predicted trajectory line.
The effects of this embodiment will be described below.

(5-1) According to this embodiment, the adjusted pinion angle θp' is calculated using the pinion angle θp obtained while being adapted to control the operation of the steering mechanism 6, but is adapted to the control of the route guidance control device 48, taking into account the influence of the conversion calculation, characteristic variable calculation, and compensation calculation. Therefore, the adjusted pinion angle θp' can be conveniently used for control other than the function of the steering mechanism 6.

(5-2) In this embodiment, the control pinion angle θp*, which results in the pinion angle θp, is subjected to conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations to make it suitable for controlling the operation of the steering mechanism 6. In response to this, the information adjustment unit 150 adjusts the influence of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 as an adjustment in accordance with the route guidance control device 48.

This allows for optimal response even in cases where it is required that the effects of the conversion calculations, characteristic variable calculations, and compensation calculations in the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 not be directly reflected in the control of the route guidance control device 48.

The above-described embodiments may be modified as follows. In addition, the following other embodiments may be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.
In the first embodiment, the information adjustment unit 81 can appropriately change the specific calculation method such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication related to each information adjustment amount Δθ1 to Δθ3 for calculating the adjusted pinion angle θp' according to the purpose. In addition, the information adjustment unit 81 may use the angle θp7* after the residual current reduction process, that is, the control pinion angle θp*, or other intermediate control amount θinf as a basis instead of the pinion angle θp. In addition, the information adjustment unit 81 may take into account each information adjustment amount Δθ4, Δθ5, Δθ8, Δθ11, and Δθ12 of each of the other embodiments, or may not take into account at least any of the information adjustment amounts Δθ1 to Δθ3. In addition, when taking into account each information adjustment amount Δθ5 and Δθ12, the configuration of the driving assistance control device 47 may be added, as in the second embodiment.

- In the first embodiment, the stable driving control device 46 may generate a control amount having a torque dimension as the active steering control amount θactv. In this case, the active steering control amount θactv having a torque dimension may be converted into a value having an angle dimension and then taken into account by the external command value addition calculation unit 73.

- In the first embodiment described above, the active steering control amount θactv does not have to be input to the steering control device 2. In this case, the external command value addition calculation unit 73 can be deleted from the steering side control unit 60.

- In the first embodiment, the control pinion angle calculation unit 62 only needs to have at least one of the functions of the first conversion calculation unit 71, the second conversion calculation unit 72, the external command value addition calculation unit 73, the offset angle calculation unit 74, the gradual change processing calculation unit 75, the tracking compensation processing calculation unit 76, the output compensation processing calculation unit 77, and the residual current reduction processing calculation unit 78. In this case, the information adjustment unit 81 only needs to adjust the generation of the deviation compensation axial force Fv caused by the function of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62. For example, if the first conversion calculation unit 71 and the second conversion calculation unit 72 are deleted, the steering angle ratio will be fixed. In this case, the inverse conversion calculation unit 82 can be deleted. This is the same for the second to fifth embodiments. In other words, in each of the information adjustment units 100 and 110 of the second embodiment, it is only necessary to adjust the generation of the angle axial force Fr caused by the function of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62. In addition, the information adjustment unit 130 of the third embodiment adjusts the degree of influence on the change in steering angle θs caused by the function of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62. In addition, the information adjustment unit 140 of the fourth embodiment adjusts the degree of influence on the control of the stable driving control device 46 caused by the function of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62. In addition, the information adjustment unit 150 of the fifth embodiment adjusts the degree of influence on the calculation of the predicted trajectory line caused by the function of the control pinion angle calculation unit 62.

- In the first embodiment described above, when calculating the deviation compensation axial force Fv, the deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b needs to use at least the steering angle θs and the turning conversion angle θp_s, and may use other elements such as the vehicle speed value V in combination. Note that, in calculating the deviation compensation axial force Fv, the adjusted pinion angle θp' may be used instead of the turning conversion angle θp_s.

In the second embodiment, the information adjustment unit 100 can appropriately change the specific calculation method such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication related to the information adjustment amounts Δθ4 and Δθ5 for calculating the adjusted pinion angle θp' according to the purpose. Also, the information adjustment unit 100 may take into account the information adjustment amounts Δθ1 to Δθ3, Δθ8, Δθ11, and Δθ12 of the other embodiments, or may not take into account at least one of the information adjustment amounts Δθ4 and Δθ5. Also, in another form of the second embodiment, the information adjustment unit 110 may take into account the information adjustment amounts Δθ4 and Δθ5, or may not take into account at least one of the information adjustment amounts Δθ6 to Δθ11.

- In the second embodiment, the driving assistance control device 47 may generate a control amount having a torque dimension as the driving assistance control amount θadas. In this case, the driving assistance control amount θadas having a torque dimension may be converted into a value having an angle dimension and then taken into account by the external command value addition calculation unit 73.

- In the second embodiment, at least one of the active steering control amount θactv and the driving assistance control amount θadas may be input to the steering control device 2. In another form of the second embodiment, neither the active steering control amount θactv nor the driving assistance control amount θadas may be input to the steering control device 2.

- In the second embodiment described above, when calculating the angle axial force Fr, the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa needs to use at least the adjusted pinion angle θp', and may not use the vehicle speed value V, or may use a combination of other elements. Note that, in the calculation of the angle axial force Fr, instead of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' may be used.

- In the above third embodiment, the information adjustment unit 130 can appropriately change the specific calculation method such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication related to the 12th information adjustment amount Δθ12 for calculating the adjusted pinion angle θp' according to the purpose. Furthermore, the information adjustment unit 130 may use the pinion angle θp, the control pinion angle θp*, or other intermediate control amount θinf as the basis. In this case, the information adjustment unit 130 may take into account the information adjustment amounts Δθ1 to Δθ5, Δθ8, and Δθ11 of the other embodiments, or may not take into account the 12th information adjustment amount Δθ12.

- In the third embodiment, the information adjustment unit 100 of the second embodiment may be added, and the adjusted pinion angle θp' may be calculated by switching between the information adjustment units 100 and 130 depending on whether driving assistance is to be realized. In this case, when driving assistance is not to be realized, the information adjustment unit 100 may be switched to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp', and when driving assistance is to be realized, the information adjustment unit 130 may be switched to calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp'.

- In the third embodiment, the steering side control unit 50 may have a so-called observer function that estimates the steering angle θs based on the steering conversion angle θp_s. For example, the steering angle feedback control unit 58 may calculate the steering angle control amount Ta* based on the difference between the steering conversion angle θp_s and the estimated steering angle obtained by estimating the steering angle θs. In this case, the calculation of the adjusted pinion angle θp' may take into account the first information adjustment amount Δθ1, the second information adjustment amount Δθ2, and the third information adjustment amount Δθ3, as in the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, it is sufficient that at least the driving assist control amount θadas is input to the steering control device 2.
In the third embodiment, when calculating the various compensation amounts, steering force calculation unit 55 needs to use at least steering angle θs and steering conversion angle θp_s, and does not need to use steering torque Th or vehicle speed value V, or may use a combination of other elements. Note that, in calculating the various compensation amounts, adjusted pinion angle θp' may be used instead of steering conversion angle θp_s.

- In the fourth embodiment, the information adjustment unit 140 can appropriately change the specific calculation method such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication related to the active steering control amount θactv for calculating the adjusted pinion angle θp' according to the purpose. In addition, the information adjustment unit 140 may use other intermediate control amount θinf, pinion angle θp, or control pinion angle θp* as a basis instead of the second offset compensated angle θp5*. In this case, the information adjustment unit 140 may take into account the information adjustment amounts Δθ1 to Δθ3, Δθ4, Δθ5, Δθ8, Δθ11, and Δθ12 of the other embodiments, or may not take into account the active steering control amount θactv. Note that when taking into account the information adjustment amounts Δθ5 and Δθ12, the configuration of the driving assistance control device 47 may be added, as in the second embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, it is sufficient that at least the active steering control amount θactv is input to the steering control device 2.
In the fourth embodiment, the stable driving control device 46 only needs to use at least the adjusted pinion angle θp' when calculating the active steering control amount θactv, and may use a combination of other elements such as the vehicle speed value V. Note that in calculating the active steering control amount θactv, instead of the adjusted pinion angle θp', the steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' may be used.

- In the fifth embodiment, the information adjustment unit 150 can appropriately change the specific calculation method such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication related to each information adjustment amount Δθ13 to Δθ15 for calculating the adjusted pinion angle θp' according to the purpose. In addition, instead of the pinion angle θp, the information adjustment unit 150 may use the angle θp7* after the residual current reduction process, that is, the control pinion angle θp*, or other intermediate control amount θinf as the basis. In addition, the information adjustment unit 150 may take into account each information adjustment amount Δθ4, Δθ5, Δθ8, Δθ11, and Δθ12 of each of the other embodiments, or may not take into account at least one of the information adjustment amounts Δθ13 to Δθ15. Note that when each information adjustment amount Δθ5 and Δθ12 is taken into account, the configuration of the driving assistance control device 47 may be added, as in the second embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, at least one of the active steering control amount θactv and the driving assist control amount θadas does not have to be input to the steering control device 2.
In the fifth embodiment, the route guidance control device 48 needs to use at least the adjusted pinion angle θp' when calculating the predicted trajectory line, and may use other elements in combination, such as the vehicle speed value V. Note that, in the calculation of the predicted trajectory line, instead of the adjusted pinion angle θp', a steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp' may be used.

- In each of the above embodiments, each information adjustment unit 81, 100, 110, 130, 140, 150 may be realized as a function of the destination of the adjusted pinion angle θp' or the steering conversion angle θp_s obtained based on the adjusted pinion angle θp'. That is, in the first embodiment, the angle conversion unit 66, i.e., the information adjustment unit 81, may be realized as a function of the steering side control unit 50. In the second embodiment, each information adjustment unit 100, 110 of the angle conversion unit 66 may be realized as a function of the steering side control unit 50. In the third embodiment, the angle conversion unit 66, i.e., the information adjustment unit 130, may be realized as a function of the steering side control unit 50. In the fourth embodiment, the information adjustment unit 140 may be realized as a function of the stable driving control device 46. In the fifth embodiment, the information adjustment unit 150 may be realized as a function of the route guidance control device 48.

- In each of the above embodiments, the axial force calculation unit 56 may have, in addition to the distribution axial force calculation unit 56a and the deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b, a function of calculating an end axial force to inform the driver of a situation in which the steering limit of the steering wheel 3, i.e., the steering limit of the steered wheels 5, is reached. In this case, the axial force calculation unit 56 selects the axial force with the largest absolute value between the deviation compensation axial force Fv and the end axial force, and outputs the selected axial force to the adder 56c.

- In each of the above embodiments, when calculating the current axial force Fi, the current axial force calculation unit 56ab needs to use at least the turning side actual current value Ib, and may use other elements such as the vehicle speed value V in combination. Note that the current axial force calculation unit 56ab may use the current command value Ib* obtained in order to eliminate the deviation from the current value on the dq coordinates obtained by converting the turning side actual current value Ib based on the rotation angle θb, instead of the turning side actual current value Ib.

- In each of the above embodiments, when calculating the allocation gain Di, the allocation ratio calculation unit 56ac may use other elements such as the pinion angle θp, the control pinion angle θp*, the steering angle θs, or angular velocities obtained by differentiating these elements, instead of or in addition to the vehicle speed value V.

- In each of the above embodiments, the axial force calculation unit 56 needs to have at least the deviation compensation axial force calculation unit 56b and the angle axial force calculation unit 56aa. In this case, the current axial force calculation unit 56ab and the distribution ratio calculation unit 56ac may be deleted.

- In each of the above embodiments, when the steering force calculation unit 55 calculates the steering force Tb*, it is sufficient to use at least a state variable related to the operation of the steering wheel 3, and it is not necessary to use the vehicle speed value V, or it may be possible to use a combination of other elements. The steering torque Th exemplified in each of the above embodiments does not have to be used as a state variable related to the operation of the steering wheel 3.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering side control unit 50 may calculate the target reaction torque command value Ts* using as the steering force Tb* a value calculated by executing torque feedback control that causes the steering torque Th to follow a target steering torque calculated based on the steering torque Th and the axial force F.

- In each of the above embodiments, the first conversion calculation unit 71 may perform scale conversion according to, for example, the yaw rate detected by the vehicle's yaw rate sensor in addition to the vehicle speed value V. This also applies to the inverse conversion calculation unit 82.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering angle calculation unit 51 may take into account the amount of twist of the steering shaft 11 that corresponds to the steering torque Th, and calculate the steering angle θs by taking this amount of twist into account through addition, subtraction, etc., to the rotation angle θa.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering angle θs may be determined using the detection result of a steering sensor provided on the steering shaft 11 to detect the rotation angle of the steering shaft 11.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering-side motor 32 may be, for example, arranged coaxially with the rack shaft 22, or connected to the rack shaft 22 via a worm and wheel to a pinion shaft that constitutes a rack-and-pinion mechanism.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering control device 2 can be configured by a processing circuit including: 1) one or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software); 2) one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that executes at least some of the various processes; or 3) a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM, and the memory stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute the processes. Memory, i.e., non-transitory computer-readable media, includes any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. The same applies to the stability control device 46, the driving assistance control device 47, and the route guidance control device 48.

- In each of the above embodiments, the steering device 1 has a linkless structure in which the steering mechanism 4 and the turning mechanism 6 are mechanically separated at all times, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the steering mechanism 4 and the turning mechanism 6 may be mechanically separated by a clutch. The steering device 1 may also be an electric power steering device that applies an assist force, which is a force to assist the driver in steering. In this case, the steering wheel 3 is mechanically connected to the pinion shaft 21 via the steering shaft 11. The steering device 1 may also be an independently steerable structure in which the left and right steerable wheels 5 can be steered independently for the turning mechanism 6. In a turning mechanism with an independently steerable structure, the toe angle of the left and right steerable wheels 5 can be corrected toe-in or toe-out by taking advantage of the advantage of independently steering the left and right steerable wheels 5. In this case, the information adjustment units 81, 100, 110, 130, and 140 of the above embodiments can also calculate the adjusted pinion angle θp' so as to adjust the influence of the corrected toe angles for the left and right steered wheels 5. For example, the above first embodiment can be used effectively even in cases where it is required that the influence of the corrected toe angles for the left and right steered wheels not be directly reflected in the calculation of the deviation compensation axial force Fv. This is the same for the above second to fifth embodiments.

- In each of the above embodiments, the adjusted pinion angle θp' and the steering conversion angle θp_s may be used for functions realized by a four-wheel steering device, a rear-wheel steering device, or other devices of the vehicle other than those exemplified in each of the above embodiments.

1...Steering device 2...Steering control device (vehicle control device)
3...Steering wheel 4...Steering mechanism (steering function part)
5...steered wheel 6...steered mechanism (steered function part, stable driving function part)
46... Stable driving control device (vehicle control device, second control unit)
47... Driving assistance control device (vehicle control device)
48...Route guidance control device (vehicle control device, second control unit)
50...Steering side control unit (second control unit, reaction force control unit, steering wheel control unit)
56...Axial force calculation unit (second control unit, reaction force control unit)
58...Steering angle feedback control unit (second control unit, steering wheel control unit)
60...Steering side control unit (first control unit)
71...First conversion calculation unit (conversion calculation)
72...Second conversion calculation unit (conversion calculation)
73...External command value addition calculation unit (characteristic variable calculation, direction addition calculation)
74: Offset angle calculation unit (compensation calculation)
75... Gradual change processing calculation unit (compensation calculation)
76... Tracking compensation processing calculation unit (compensation calculation)
77...Output compensation processing calculation unit (compensation calculation)
78... Residual current reduction processing calculation unit (compensation calculation)
81, 100, 110, 130, 140, 150... Information adjustment unit BRK... Brake mechanism (stable driving function unit)
BGM…Back guide monitor (route guidance function)

Claims (4)

A first control unit controls a steering function unit among various functional units having various functions mounted on a vehicle, the steering function unit having a function of steering a steered wheel of the vehicle, as a control target;
A vehicle control device having a second control unit that controls a steering function unit having a function of enabling steering of a steering wheel of the vehicle, the steering function unit being a function unit different from the steering function unit among the function units mounted on the vehicle,
the first control unit is configured to perform at least one of a compensation calculation for compensating for a target turning control amount, which is a control amount for operating the steering function unit so as to suppress a change in the actual turning control amount obtained as a result of steering the steered wheels, with respect to an amount by which it is actually desired to change the actual turning control amount obtained as a result of steering the steered wheels, and a conversion calculation for converting the target turning control amount so that a positional relationship related to the rotation of a steering shaft of the steering function unit which rotates in conjunction with the steering of the steering wheel satisfies a predetermined correspondence relationship , thereby obtaining the target turning control amount for turning the steered wheels, and controlling the actual turning control amount based on the target turning control amount,
the second control unit is configured to control the operation of the steering function unit based on steering information calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, an intermediate control amount obtained in relation to the compensation calculation and the conversion calculation in the process of obtaining the target steering control amount, and the actual steering control amount,
The vehicle control device further includes an information adjustment unit configured to obtain the steering information through adjustment of at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit so that the second control unit controls the operation of the steering function unit ,
The second control unit includes a reaction force control unit that controls an operation of the steering function unit to generate a reaction force on the steering wheel,
the reaction force control unit is configured to calculate a reaction force component corresponding to a reaction force from a road surface acting on the steered wheels, based on the adjusted steering information obtained by adjusting a calculated reaction force by the information adjustment unit,
The information adjustment unit is a control device for a vehicle that is configured to adjust the degree of influence of at least one of the compensation calculation and the conversion calculation in the first control unit on at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit, as an adjustment corresponding to the steering function unit. A first control unit controls a steering function unit among various functional units having various functions mounted on a vehicle, the steering function unit having a function of steering a steered wheel of the vehicle, as a control target;
A vehicle control device having a second control unit that controls a steering function unit having a function of enabling steering of a steering wheel of the vehicle, the steering function unit being a function unit different from the steering function unit among the function units mounted on the vehicle,
the first control unit is configured to perform a direction addition calculation for adding a control amount for changing a direction to a target steering control amount, which is a control amount for operating the steering function unit to change the traveling direction in which the vehicle travels regardless of the state of the steering function unit, to obtain the target steering control amount for turning the steered wheels, and to control an actual steering control amount obtained as a result of steering the steered wheels based on the target steering control amount,
The second control unit is configured to control the operation of the steering function unit based on steering information calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, an intermediate control amount obtained in relation to the direction addition calculation in the process of obtaining the target steering control amount, and the actual steering control amount,
The vehicle control device further includes an information adjustment unit configured to obtain the steering information through adjustment of at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit so that the second control unit controls the operation of the steering function unit,
The second control unit includes a steering wheel control unit that controls the operation of the steering function unit to rotate the steering wheel,
the steering wheel control unit is configured to perform a calculation based on the adjusted steering information obtained by adjusting a target steering control amount as a control amount for operating the steering function unit by the information adjustment unit, and to control an actual steering control amount obtained as a result of rotating a steering shaft of the steering function unit, which rotates in conjunction with the steering wheel, based on the target steering control amount,
The information adjustment unit is a control device for a vehicle that is configured to adjust the influence of the direction addition calculation in the first control unit on at least any of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit, as an adjustment corresponding to the steering function unit. A first control unit controls a steering function unit among various functional units having various functions mounted on a vehicle, the steering function unit having a function of steering a steered wheel of the vehicle, as a control target;
A vehicle control device having a second control unit that controls a stable driving function unit having a function of performing stable cornering of the vehicle, the stable driving function unit being a function unit different from the steering function unit among the function units mounted on the vehicle,
the first control unit is configured to obtain the target turning control amount for turning the steered wheels as a result of performing a characteristic changing calculation that adds a control amount for changing characteristics to a target turning control amount, which is a control amount for operating the steering function unit in order to change characteristics that appear in relation to the traveling of the vehicle regardless of the state of a steering function unit having a function of enabling steering of the steering wheel of the vehicle, and to control an actual turning control amount obtained as a result of turning the steered wheels based on the target turning control amount,
The second control unit is configured to control the operation of the stable driving function unit based on steering information calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, an intermediate control amount obtained in relation to the characteristic variable calculation in the process of obtaining the target steering control amount, and the actual steering control amount,
The vehicle control device further includes an information adjustment unit configured to obtain the steering information through adjustment of at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit so that the second control unit controls the operation of the stable driving function unit,
The second control unit includes a stable driving control unit that controls the operation of the stable driving function unit to perform stable cornering of the vehicle,
the stable driving control unit is configured to calculate a control amount for changing a turning characteristic appearing in relation to the turning of the vehicle based on the adjusted steering information obtained by adjusting the information adjustment unit, and to control the turning characteristic based on the control amount,
The information adjustment unit is a control device for a vehicle that is configured to adjust the influence of the characteristic variable calculation in the first control unit on at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit, as an adjustment corresponding to the stable driving function unit. A first control unit controls a steering function unit among various functional units having various functions mounted on a vehicle, the steering function unit having a function of steering a steered wheel of the vehicle, as a control target;
A vehicle control device having a second control unit that controls a route guidance function unit having a function of providing guidance on a predicted route of the vehicle, the route guidance function unit being a function unit different from the steering function unit among the function units mounted on the vehicle,
the first control unit is configured to perform a compensation calculation to compensate for a target steering control amount, which is a control amount for operating the steering function unit so as to suppress a change in an actual steering control amount obtained as a result of steering the steered wheels, by an amount by which the actual steering control amount is actually changed, thereby obtaining the target steering control amount for turning the steered wheels, and to control the actual steering control amount based on the target steering control amount;
The second control unit is configured to control the operation of the route guidance function unit based on steering information calculated using at least one of the target steering control amount, an intermediate control amount obtained in relation to the compensation calculation in the process of obtaining the target steering control amount, and the actual steering control amount,
The vehicle control device further includes an information adjustment unit configured to obtain the steering information through adjustment of at least one of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit so that the second control unit controls the operation of the route guidance function unit,
The second control unit includes a route guidance control unit that controls an operation of the route guidance function unit to provide guidance on a predicted route of the vehicle,
the route guidance control unit is configured to calculate a predicted route of the vehicle based on the adjusted steering information obtained by adjusting the information adjustment unit, and to control guidance of the predicted route,
The information adjustment unit is a control device for a vehicle that is configured to adjust the influence of the compensation calculation in the first control unit on at least any of the target steering control amount, the intermediate control amount, and the actual steering control amount obtained through the first control unit, as an adjustment corresponding to the route guidance function unit.