A power-assisted adjustment method, an electronic power-assisted steering (EPS) system and an electronic device

Abstract

An assist adjustment method, an electronic power steering (EPS) system, and an electronic device are disclosed to reduce the degree of assist fluctuation when assist control is cut off. The EPS system includes a first control unit, a second control unit, and a dual-winding motor. The first control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a first assist, and the second control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a second assist. When an abnormality is detected in the assist link corresponding to the first control unit, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is reduced from the first assist to a third assist within a first time period, and the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is increased from the second assist to a fourth assist. The sum of the third and fourth assists equals the sum of the first and second assists. This reduces the degree of assist fluctuation when the EPS system cuts off or reduces assist control on the faulty side, avoiding abrupt changes in steering feel for the driver and improving the steering experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electronic power steering technology, and in particular to a power steering adjustment method, an electronic power steering EPS system, and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of automotive technology, people's requirements for overall vehicle comfort are also increasing. As an important subsystem of the automotive chassis system, the electric power steering (EPS) system can be used to change the direction of the vehicle. Its performance directly affects the vehicle's steering performance, as well as handling stability, driving comfort, and driving safety. It has now become one of the mainstream configurations in automobiles.

[0003] Traditional EPS systems use an electronic control unit (ECU) to control a single-winding motor to generate assist (i.e., torque). Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1a In the event of a serious malfunction, the EPS system will directly cut off power steering, causing the Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) to disengage immediately. If the driver fails to take over the steering wheel in time, the vehicle may easily veer off course, potentially leading to a traffic accident. To address this, Level 3+ and higher ADAS vehicles utilize a redundant EPS architecture. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1b This architecture uses two ECUs (1-2) to control a dual-winding motor to generate power assist. When the power assist system of one ECU fails, the power assist control of that ECU is cut off. At this time, the dual-winding motor can still be controlled by the other ECU to generate power assist, thus maintaining ADAS functionality. However, this solution has a relatively obvious power assist fluctuation at the moment of cutting off the power assist control of one side, causing a rather abrupt change in the driver's feel, which is not conducive to maintaining the driver's driving experience.

[0004] In summary, how to reduce the degree of power assist fluctuation when power assist control is cut off is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the field of electronic power steering. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a power assist adjustment method, an electronic power steering (EPS) system, and an electronic device to reduce the degree of power assist fluctuation when power assist control is cut off.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a power assist adjustment method applicable to an electronic power steering (EPS) system. The EPS system includes a first control unit, a second control unit, and a dual-winding motor. The first control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a first power assist, and the second control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a second power assist. The first and second power assists are used together to achieve steering of the electronic device. The method includes: detecting an anomaly in the power assist link corresponding to the first control unit; within a first time period, decreasing the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit from the first power assist to a third power assist; and increasing the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit from the second power assist to a fourth power assist. The sum of the third and fourth power assists is equal to the sum of the first and second power assists.

[0007] In the above scheme, by gradually reducing the power assist controlled by the faulty side control unit and gradually increasing the power assist controlled by the normal side control unit, and keeping the sum of the reduced power assist corresponding to the faulty side control unit and the increased power assist corresponding to the normal side control unit constant, the total power assist of the EPS system can be prevented from fluctuating significantly. This effectively reduces the degree of power assist fluctuation when the EPS system cuts off or reduces the power assist control on the faulty side, avoids abrupt changes in the driver's feel, and improves the driver's driving experience.

[0008] In one possible design, the first duration is less than or equal to the duration of the fault tolerant time interval (FTTI).

[0009] With the above design, the first control unit and the second control unit can complete the power assist switching at or before the end of FTTI to ensure the safety of the EPS system.

[0010] In a further possible design, the first duration could be equal to the duration of FTTI.

[0011] Through the above design, the first control unit and the second control unit can complete the assist switching exactly at the end of FTTI. While ensuring the safety of the EPS system by cutting off the assist control on the fault side within FTTI, it can also extend the assist switching time as much as possible and reduce the amplitude of assist fluctuations.

[0012] In one possible design, during the initial period of the first duration, the deceleration rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit or the increase rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is lower than a set rate. This can be understood as the deceleration rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit during the initial period of the first duration being lower than the deceleration rate during the middle period of the first duration, and the increase rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit during the initial period of the first duration being lower than the increase rate during the middle period of the first duration.

[0013] With the above design, the assistance generated by the first control unit or the second control unit on the dual-winding motor changes relatively little in the initial period. In this way, if the abnormality is quickly restored to normal, the assistance generated by the first control unit or the second control unit can be quickly restored to the original assistance. This can restore the original assistance capability of the first control unit or the second control unit as soon as possible while avoiding large fluctuations in assistance.

[0014] In one possible design, at any point in time within the first duration, the sum of the assistance generated by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor and the assistance generated by the second control unit controlling the dual-winding motor is equal to the sum of the first assistance and the second assistance.

[0015] Through the above design, the total assist generated by the dual-winding motor can remain constant during the first period of time, and the total assist of the EPS system will not fluctuate much, or will only fluctuate by a very small amount, which can give the driver a very good steering experience.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes: if the assist link is detected to return to normal within a first time period, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is restored to the first assist by increasing the assist, and the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is restored to the second assist by decreasing the assist.

[0017] With the above design, the original assist capabilities of the first control unit and the second control unit can be restored in a timely manner after the assist link is detected to be back to normal, thereby achieving a stable assist experience by combining the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0018] In one possible design, the third assist is 0 when the anomaly is a severe anomaly, and greater than 0 when the anomaly is a minor anomaly. A severe anomaly refers to an anomaly that prevents the control unit from controlling the dual-winding motor to generate assist, or an anomaly that still allows the control unit to control the dual-winding motor to generate assist, but will have serious consequences for the EPS system. A minor anomaly refers to an anomaly that allows the control unit to still control the dual-winding motor to generate assist, and will not have serious consequences for the EPS system.

[0019] Through the above design, the EPS system will cut off the power assist control of the fault-side control unit in severe abnormal scenarios to avoid the severe abnormality of the fault-side control unit affecting the power assist process of the EPS system. In the case of minor abnormal scenarios, the power assist generated by the fault-side control unit can be appropriately reduced instead of being cut off directly. In this way, the remaining power assist capacity of the fault-side control unit can be fully utilized to maintain the stability of the EPS system power assist.

[0020] In a further possible design, the first duration corresponding to a severe anomaly is shorter than the first duration corresponding to a minor anomaly.

[0021] Through the above design, the assist deceleration rate corresponding to severe anomalies can be greater than that corresponding to minor anomalies. Thus, the EPS system can quickly cut off the assist control of the fault-side control unit in severe anomaly scenarios to reduce the impact of severe anomalies on the EPS system. In minor anomaly scenarios, the assist generated by the fault-side control unit can be reduced slightly and slowly to minimize the degree of assist fluctuation.

[0022] In further possible designs, serious anomalies may include at least one of the following: a wiring fault between the first control unit and the dual-winding motor, a sensor fault that provides data to the first control unit, or a wiring fault between the first control unit and the sensor. Minor anomalies include at least one of the following: the power supply voltage of the boost link is lower than the normal power supply voltage, or the temperature of the winding to which the first control unit is connected exceeds the normal operating temperature.

[0023] Through the above design, by pre-configuring the types of anomalies included in severe and minor anomalies, the EPS system can quickly determine the corresponding assist switching strategy after detecting the occurrence of the corresponding anomaly, thereby accelerating the response speed of assist switching.

[0024] Secondly, this application provides an Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system, including a first control unit, a second control unit, and a dual-winding motor. The first and second control units are respectively connected to the two windings of the dual-winding motor. When the EPS system is operating, the first control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a first power assist. Upon detecting an anomaly in the corresponding power assist link, the first control unit reduces the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control from the first power assist to a third power assist within a first time period, and sends first power assist adjustment information to the second control unit. The second control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a second power assist. Upon receiving the first power assist adjustment information, the second control unit increases the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control from the second power assist to a fourth power assist within a first time period. The sum of the fourth and third power assists is equal to the sum of the first and second power assists. The power assist generated by the dual-winding motor under the control of the first and second control units is used together to achieve steering of the electronic device.

[0025] In one possible design, the first control unit is specifically used to: periodically send first assist adjustment information to the second control unit within a first duration, wherein the first assist adjustment information in any period includes the assist downgrade ratio of the first control unit in the current period; the second control unit is specifically used to: increase the assist generated by the second control unit according to the assist downgrade ratio, wherein the sum of the increased assist corresponding to the second control unit and the decreased assist corresponding to the first control unit is equal to the sum of the first assist and the second assist.

[0026] In the above design, by using a periodic approach to synchronize multiple first assist adjustment information between the first control unit and the second control unit, the consistency of the assist adjustment by the first control unit and the second control unit can be ensured, avoiding the phenomenon that the assist reduced by the first control unit and the assist increased by the second control unit are very large, thus effectively avoiding large assist fluctuations.

[0027] In one possible design, the first assist adjustment information may also include the assist adjustment reason. Before the second control unit increases the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit from the second assist to the fourth assist within the first time period, it may first determine that the assist adjustment reason is an abnormality in the assist link corresponding to the first control unit.

[0028] In the above design, by carrying the reason for the assist adjustment in the first assist adjustment information, it can be ensured that the second control unit only increases the assist in the scenario of an abnormal assist link, and does not adjust the assist in other scenarios where the assist does not need to be adjusted (such as power off, standby, etc.).

[0029] In one possible design, the first duration is less than or equal to the duration of the fault tolerance time interval (FTTI). After the first control unit detects an abnormality in the booster link, it can repeatedly probe the status of the booster link within the FTTI until the FTTI ends. If the probe results show that the booster link is always abnormal, then the booster link is confirmed to be faulty.

[0030] In a further possible design, the first control unit is also used to: if the assist link is detected to be back to normal within the FTTI, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit can be restored to the first assist by increasing the assist, and the second assist adjustment information is sent to the second control unit; the second control unit is also used to: according to the second assist adjustment information, restore the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit to the second assist by decreasing the assist.

[0031] In one possible design, the first control unit is specifically used to: reduce the assistance generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit at a rate of change lower than a set rate during the initial period of the first duration.

[0032] In one possible design, the first control unit is specifically used to: if the abnormality is determined to be a serious abnormality, reduce the assistance generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit to 0 within a first time period; if the abnormality is determined to be a minor abnormality, reduce the assistance generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit to an assistance greater than 0 within a first time period.

[0033] In a further possible design, the first duration corresponding to a severe anomaly is shorter than the first duration corresponding to a minor anomaly.

[0034] In further possible designs, serious anomalies include at least one of the following: a line fault between the first control unit and the dual-winding motor, a sensor fault that provides data to the first control unit, and a line fault between the first control unit and the sensor; minor anomalies include at least one of the following: the power supply voltage of the boost link is lower than the normal power supply voltage, and the temperature of the winding connected to the first control unit exceeds the normal operating temperature.

[0035] In one possible design, the EPS system may also include a mechanical steering system connected to a dual-winding motor. This mechanical steering system is used to maintain the EPS system at a desired position or to rotate it by a corresponding angle based on the torque output by the dual-winding motor. As a transmission mechanism between the dual-winding motor and the wheels, the mechanical steering system drives the EPS system to steer according to the instructions of the dual-winding motor.

[0036] Thirdly, this application provides an electronic device including an axle, a left wheel, a right wheel, and an EPS system as described in the second aspect or any of the second aspects above, wherein the left wheel and the right wheel are connected to opposite ends of the axle, and the axle is also connected to a mechanical steering system in the EPS system, for driving the left wheel and the right wheel to rotate according to the rotation of the mechanical steering system, thereby realizing the steering of the electronic device.

[0037] Fourthly, this application provides a computer program product including computer program code that, when run on an EPS system, causes the EPS system to perform the assist adjustment method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0038] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on an EPS system, causes the EPS system to perform the assist adjustment method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0039] The technical effects that can be achieved by the second to fifth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1a An exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a traditional EPS system is shown;

[0041] Figure 1b An exemplary schematic diagram of a redundant EPS system is shown.

[0042] Figure 2 An exemplary schematic diagram illustrates a possible application scenario provided by this application;

[0043] Figure 3a An exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of an EPS system to which this application applies is shown;

[0044] Figure 3b An example is shown in the diagram illustrating the change in assist power when the assist power is cut off in an existing redundant EPS system;

[0045] Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of an assist adjustment method provided in this application is shown;

[0046] Figure 5a An example is shown below, illustrating a decreasing contribution graph corresponding to different anomaly types provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 5b An exemplary diagram is shown corresponding to another severe anomaly provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 6 The illustrations provide several possible forms of a decreasing pattern provided in this application.

[0049] Figure 7 An exemplary diagram illustrates the change in assist function during FTTI recovery provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 8a An example is shown in the interaction flowchart corresponding to a severe exception provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 8b An exemplary diagram illustrating the change in force corresponding to a severe anomaly provided in this application is shown.

[0052] Figure 8c An exemplary diagram showing the contribution change corresponding to another severe anomaly provided in this application is shown;

[0053] Figure 9a An example is shown in the interaction flowchart corresponding to a minor anomaly provided in this application;

[0054] Figure 9b An exemplary diagram showing the change in effort corresponding to a minor anomaly provided in this application is shown.

[0055] Figure 10 An exemplary diagram illustrating the change in recovery assistance provided in this application is shown.

[0056] Figure 11 An exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of an electronic device provided in this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] The following provides explanations for some of the terms used in this application. It should be noted that these explanations are for the convenience of those skilled in the art and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0059] I. Assistance (Power)

[0060] In EPS systems, power assist, also known as steering assist, is primarily used to help the driver adjust the vehicle's direction, reducing the effort required to turn the steering wheel. The unit of power assist is usually Nm, which can be understood as the torque acting on the motor. This torque is transmitted to the vehicle's wheel axles via the mechanical steering system (such as the steering lever), causing the vehicle to steer.

[0061] II. Fault Tolerant Time Interval (FTTI)

[0062] FTTI is a pre-configured time parameter in the EPS system, with a specific duration, typically referring to the time from the occurrence of a fault to the potential for harm. When a single-side power steering system failure occurs in the EPS system, the ECU on that side does not directly cut off power steering control. Instead, it continues to control the motor to generate power steering within the FTTI and executes a debounce strategy. The debounce strategy is used to confirm whether an event has stabilized in a certain state, preventing misjudgments and incorrect responses caused by rapid state changes. A commonly used debounce strategy is as follows: the ECU on the failed side repeatedly calculates the power steering assist within the FTTI. If the power steering calculation returns to normal, it indicates that the previous failure was intermittent and has now recovered, so the ECU does not need to cut off power steering control. Conversely, if the power steering calculation continues to fail or malfunction until the end of the FTTI, it can be determined that the power steering system on that side has failed. In this case, the power steering control of that ECU is then cut off to avoid steering abnormalities caused by power steering failure, ensuring personal safety and implementing a fail-safe mechanism.

[0063] The preceding text introduced some of the terms used in this application. The following text introduces the possible application scenarios of this application.

[0064] Please see Figure 2 This illustration demonstrates a possible application scenario of this application. Taking the EPS system integrated into a vehicle as an example, when the vehicle is turning on a curve, the EPS system can provide steering assistance to help the driver complete the turn, giving the driver a feel of being able to turn the steering wheel with minimal force, thus improving the driver's sense of direction and driving stability. When the vehicle is traveling on a straight road, the EPS system may not be active, for example, it may be in a dormant state awaiting activation, to save vehicle energy to some extent. For example, the EPS system can be adapted to various types of vehicles, including but not limited to pure electric vehicles (pure EVs / battery electric vehicles), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), other new energy vehicles (NEVs), or gasoline vehicles. These vehicles can be applied to fields such as autonomous driving, assisted driving, intelligent driving, autonomous driving, or connected vehicles.

[0065] It should be understood that the above application scenarios are merely examples, and the EPS system provided in this application can also be applied to other possible scenarios, not limited to those listed above. For example, the EPS system can also be integrated into other means of transportation, such as ships, airplanes, drones, trains, subways, high-speed trains, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), or unmanned vehicles, to assist drivers in achieving or automatically achieving vehicle steering. As another example, the EPS system can also be integrated into robots as an auxiliary power source for robot steering, enabling the robot to maneuver with greater flexibility. Robots may include, but are not limited to, home robots, navigation robots, autonomous food delivery robots, medical robots, or industrial robots. Furthermore, the EPS system can also be applied in smart living scenarios, such as being integrated into automatically following suitcases, smart dining chairs, or smart transportation tools, etc. These will not be listed exhaustively here.

[0066] It should be noted that the application scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0067] For an example of integrating an EPS system into a vehicle, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3a This diagram illustrates the architecture of an EPS system to which this application applies. The EPS system is a redundant EPS system and may include at least two control units, such as control unit 311 and control unit 312. It may also include a dual-winding motor 320, a mechanical steering system 330, and a power supply 340. The power supply 340 may be, for example, a battery, used to provide electrical energy, such as 12V, to control units 311 and 312. Figure 3a As shown, control units 311 and 312 can be connected to the two windings of the dual-winding motor 320, respectively. The dual-winding motor 320 can also be connected to the mechanical steering system 330. For example, the mechanical steering system 330 may include a mechanical steering gear and other transmission devices, such as a reducer. The reducer and mechanical steering gear are sequentially connected between the dual-winding motor 320 and the vehicle axle, transmitting the torque output by the dual-winding motor 320 to the vehicle axle. Typically, the torque output by the dual-winding motor 320 is in Nm. This torque, after being reduced and amplified by the reducer, is applied to the mechanical steering gear. After being transmitted to the vehicle axle via the mechanical steering gear, its torque unit can be increased to kNm, which is sufficient to steer the vehicle.

[0068] Optionally, control units 311 and 312 can form a main-main architecture or a main-auxiliary architecture. In the main-main architecture, both control units 311 and 312 are main control units. Each main control unit calculates the total assist (i.e., total drive torque) based on the vehicle's state information, multiplies the total assist by its own assist distribution ratio to obtain its corresponding assist, and then converts its corresponding assist into a corresponding drive current and provides it to the dual-winding motor 320. In the main-auxiliary architecture, control units 311 and 312 contain one main control unit and one auxiliary control unit. The main control unit calculates the total assist based on the vehicle's state information, multiplies the total assist by its own assist distribution ratio to obtain its corresponding assist, converts its corresponding assist into a corresponding drive current and provides it to the dual-winding motor 320. Simultaneously, the main control unit also sends the total assist to the auxiliary control unit, which multiplies the total assist by its own distribution ratio to obtain its corresponding assist, converts it into a corresponding drive current, and also provides it to the dual-winding motor 320.

[0069] The assist distribution ratio of each control unit refers to the ratio of the assist provided by that control unit to the total assist. When only control units 311 and 312 are included, the sum of their assist distribution ratios is 1. Optionally, regardless of whether control units 311 and 312 form a master-master or master-slave architecture, the assist distribution ratio of each control unit can be pre-configured in each control unit. The assist distribution ratio of each control unit can also be adjusted according to the actual application scenario, such as according to user instructions. Currently, the most commonly used assist distribution ratio for the two control units is 0.5:0.5. Therefore, if the total assist is 10 Nm, control units 311 and 312 will each control the dual-winding motor 320 to generate 5 Nm of assist, thus generating a total of 10 Nm of assist on the dual-winding motor 320.

[0070] Taking a primary-secondary architecture as an example, assuming control unit 311 is the primary control unit, it can also connect to various sensors deployed within the vehicle, such as torque sensor 351, steering angle sensor 352, and vehicle speed sensor 353. Torque sensor 351 and steering angle sensor 352 can be connected to the vehicle's steering wheel. Torque sensor 351 periodically collects the torque applied to the steering wheel and sends it to control unit 311, while steering angle sensor 352 periodically collects the steering wheel's rotation angle and sends it to control unit 311. Vehicle speed sensor 352 can be installed in the vehicle's drive axle housing or transmission housing, and in some scenarios, it can also be installed at the center of the front or rear axle to periodically collect the vehicle's speed and send it to control unit 311. The control unit 311 can calculate the total assist required in each cycle based on the information received in each cycle, such as torque, rotation angle, and driving speed, using a preset assist calculation algorithm. It can then send the total assist to the control unit 312. Simultaneously, it can multiply the total assist by its own assist distribution ratio to obtain its own corresponding assist, and then convert its corresponding assist into a corresponding drive current, which is applied to its corresponding winding on the dual-winding motor 320. The drive current on this winding, combined with the drive current applied by the control unit 312 on the other winding, drives the dual-winding motor 320 to rotate. The torque output by the rotation of the dual-winding motor 320 is then transmitted to the vehicle's wheel axles through the mechanical steering system 330, assisting in vehicle steering.

[0071] It should be noted that, Figure 3a The given EPS system architecture is only an example. In other examples, the EPS system may include more, fewer, or different components, and each component may include more, fewer, or different parts. The parts shown or not shown may be combined or divided in any way, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0072] As described in the background section, existing redundant EPS systems exhibit significant boost fluctuations when one side of the boost control is switched off. This is determined by the operating principle of existing redundant EPS systems. For example, please refer to... Figure 3b This example illustrates a change in boost control when the boost control is cut off in an existing redundant EPS system. Figure 3b Figure (A) shows the change in the assist generated by the motor controlled by the faulty side control unit. Figure 3b Figure (B) shows the variation in the assist power generated by the motor controlled by the normal side control unit. Figure 3bThe diagram (C) shows the change in total assist. The diagram uses an assist distribution ratio of 0.5:0.5 as an example. t represents time, N1 is the assist generated by the fault-side control unit controlling the motor, N2 is the assist generated by the normal-side control unit controlling the motor, t0 is the time point when the fault-side control unit detects the abnormality, and t1 is the time point when the fault-side control unit determines the fault. Combined with... Figure 3b (A) and Figure 3b In section (B), according to the existing power assist control logic, when an anomaly is detected in the power assist system of one control unit at time node t0, the redundant EPS system does not immediately cut off its power assist control. Instead, it tests whether it has recovered to normal within the duration of the FTTI (Flexible Time Interval). If it has not recovered to normal by time node t1 after the FTTI has elapsed, it is confirmed that the power assist system on that side is indeed faulty. At this time, the power assist control of the faulty control unit is directly cut off, and the power assist generated by the motor controlled by the normal control unit is increased to twice its original value. However, this method will cause the power assist N1 generated by the faulty control unit on the motor to become 0 at the instant of time node t1, while the power assist N2 generated by the normal control unit on the motor will take some time to increase to twice its original value. Therefore, the total power assist generated by the motor will decrease to half at the instant of time node t1, and then quickly increase to twice its original value. Figure 3b As shown in (C), this causes the total assist of the redundant EPS system to fluctuate significantly for a period of time after time node t1, giving the driver a feeling that turning the steering wheel suddenly becomes more difficult. This abrupt change in feel greatly reduces the driver's driving experience.

[0073] In view of this, this application provides a power assist adjustment method, which reduces the power assist generated by the fault-side control unit on the motor in a decreasing manner over a certain period of time, and increases the power assist generated by the normal-side control unit on the motor in an increasing manner. This allows the total power assist generated by the fault-side control unit and the normal-side control unit on the motor to change in a relatively stable manner, so as to avoid the sudden change in feel caused by obvious fluctuations in the total power assist and improve the driving experience.

[0074] The assist adjustment method proposed in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0076] Furthermore, in this application, "duration" does not refer to an absolute duration, and a certain degree of engineering error is permissible. "Assist value" does not refer to an absolute numerical value, and a certain degree of engineering error is permissible. The form of the assistance change does not refer to an absolute form, as long as it exhibits the same upward, stable, or downward trend. For example, the upward (or downward) can be vertical, step-like, wave-like, sawtooth-like, or curved, etc.

[0077] Please see Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an assist adjustment method provided in this application. This method is applicable to redundant EPS systems, such as... Figure 3a The EPS system shown. (As shown in the image.) Figure 4 As shown, the method includes:

[0078] Step 401: An anomaly was detected in the power assist link corresponding to the first control unit.

[0079] Optionally, the first control unit can be any one of control unit 311 or control unit 312. For example, during the process of controlling the dual-winding motor 320 to generate assistance, each control unit in control unit 311 and control unit 312 can also periodically acquire the status information of the assistance link. Once at least one abnormality is found in the status information, it can be determined that the current assistance link has malfunctioned.

[0080] Status information can be understood as information related to the assisted control process, such as hardware status information, software status information, and environmental status information. These information will be described in detail below.

[0081] First, hardware status information refers to information related to the hardware of the electronic components used in the power assist system. This includes information on whether there are any abnormalities in the various sensors, control units, motor windings, power supplies, and the connecting lines between these components. Some common hardware status anomalies may include: processor core failure in the control unit, hard drive failure in the control unit, memory failure in the control unit, sensor failure, power supply failure, faulty lines in the sensor data acquisition circuit, faulty lines in the circuit where the sensor reports sensor information to the control unit, faulty lines in the power supply circuit that supplies power to the control unit, and faulty lines in the circuit where the control unit sends drive current to the motor windings, etc.

[0082] Secondly, software status information refers to information related to the software of the electronic components used in the power assist system, such as whether there are any abnormalities in the control unit's program execution, sensor data acquisition and reporting, power supply voltage, and motor winding current. Some common software status anomalies may include: control unit reset, abnormal sensor acquisition frequency, abnormal sensor reporting frequency, abnormal power supply voltage, and motor winding overcurrent.

[0083] Furthermore, environmental status information refers to information related to the environment of the electronic components used in the power assist system, such as the temperature of the motor windings, the temperature of the control unit, and the position information of the sensors. Some common environmental status anomalies may include: excessively high motor winding temperature, excessively high control unit temperature, and sensor misalignment.

[0084] It should be understood that the above content is only an example of several possible forms of status information. In actual EPS systems, other types of status information may also be included, and it may also be possible to determine whether the power assist link is abnormal based on other status information. For example, it may also be possible to combine at least two types of status information to determine whether the power assist link is abnormal, etc. This application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0085] Furthermore, optionally, anomalies can be categorized into severe anomalies and minor anomalies. Severe anomalies refer to those that prevent the control unit from controlling the dual-winding motor to generate assist, or those that still allow the control unit to control the dual-winding motor to generate assist, but will have serious consequences for the EPS system. Conversely, minor anomalies refer to those where the control unit can still control the dual-winding motor to generate assist, and continued use of the control unit will not have serious consequences for the EPS system. Typically, when a hardware anomaly occurs in the electronic components of the assist link, the entire assist link becomes unusable; therefore, hardware anomalies can be classified as severe anomalies. However, when a software or environmental anomaly occurs in the electronic components of the assist link, the assist link is likely still usable, although it will have some impact, but this impact is generally within the acceptable range for the EPS system; therefore, software and environmental anomalies can be classified as minor anomalies.

[0086] Understandably, not all software or environmental anomalies are minor. Some specific software or environmental anomalies can have a significant impact on the EPS system. For example, if the motor winding temperature is high but not exceeding the upper temperature limit (e.g., 100°C), the motor winding is still usable, and continued use will not burn out the motor. In this case, the environmental anomaly can be classified as minor. However, if the motor winding temperature exceeds the upper temperature limit, continued use will have a very high probability of burning out the motor. In this case, the environmental anomaly can be classified as severe. Similarly, if the sensor reporting frequency decreases but the reporting interval is only slightly later than the control unit's control assist cycle, the control unit can still obtain the sensor information, albeit with a waiting period. This information can be used as the basis for the next control assist. In this case, the software anomaly can be classified as minor. Conversely, if the sensor reporting frequency is so low that the control unit does not receive any sensor information for several cycles, the software anomaly can be classified as severe. And so on. They will not be listed here one by one.

[0087] Step 402: Within a first time period, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is reduced from the first assist to the third assist, and the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is increased from the second assist to the fourth assist. The sum of the third assist and the fourth assist is equal to the sum of the first assist and the second assist.

[0088] Optionally, considering that FTTI is the longest time interval that the EPS system can tolerate for faults, the first duration can be configured to be less than or equal to the duration corresponding to FTTI. For example, assuming FTTI is 40ms, the first duration can be less than or equal to 40ms, such as being configured to be exactly equal to 40ms. In this way, the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor can be reduced to the third assist exactly at the end of 40ms. While ensuring the safety of the EPS system by cutting off the assist control on the fault side within FTTI, it can also extend the assist reduction time as much as possible and reduce the amplitude of assist fluctuations.

[0089] Furthermore, optionally, the third assist can be 0, or a value greater than 0 but less than the first assist. The specific value of the third assist can be determined, for example, by the type of anomaly in the assist link where the first control unit is located. For instance, when the anomaly is a severe anomaly, it means that the first control unit can no longer control the dual-winding motor to generate assist, or although it can still control the motor to generate assist, continuing to use the first control unit would have serious consequences for the EPS system. In this case, the first control unit should no longer participate in assist control; therefore, the third assist can be configured to 0, meaning that the first control unit no longer sends drive current to the connected motor windings. Conversely, when the anomaly is minor, it means that the first control unit can still control the dual-winding motor to generate assistance, and continuing to use the first control unit will not have serious consequences for the EPS system. In this case, the first control unit can continue to participate in assistance control, but its assistance capability should be appropriately reduced. That is, the magnitude of the drive current sent by the first control unit to the connected motor windings should be reduced to reduce the magnitude of the assistance generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor. Therefore, in this case, the third assistance can be configured to a value greater than 0 but less than the first assistance to mitigate the adverse effects of continuing to use the first control unit to participate in assistance control.

[0090] For example, when a minor anomaly manifests as the supply voltage of the first control unit being lower than the normal supply voltage, the first control unit can still be powered, but its power supply capacity is weakened, thus reducing its assist capability. Therefore, it is only necessary to appropriately reduce the drive current sent by the first control unit to the corresponding winding on the dual-winding motor to match its power supply capacity, without needing to cut off the assist control of the first control unit. In other words, it is only necessary to appropriately reduce the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor. As another example, when a minor anomaly manifests as the temperature of the motor winding connected to the first control unit being higher than the normal operating temperature, the motor winding can still operate. However, continuing to apply the original drive current may cause the motor winding to overheat more severely, potentially burning out the motor. Therefore, to avoid safety issues, the drive current sent by the first control unit to the motor winding can also be appropriately reduced to alleviate the overheating phenomenon, ensuring safety while continuing to use both control units for assist control.

[0091] Furthermore, optionally, the assist-deceleration rate corresponding to a severe anomaly may be greater than the assist-deceleration rate corresponding to a minor anomaly. In other words, the first duration corresponding to a severe anomaly may be shorter than the first duration corresponding to a minor anomaly. For example, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5a This illustration shows a decreasing contribution curve for different anomaly types, as provided in this application. The example uses a first contribution of 5 Nm and an FTTI duration of 30 ms. Figure 5a Figure (A) shows the contribution decline plot corresponding to severe abnormalities. Figure 5a Figure (B) shows the decreasing contribution curve corresponding to minor abnormalities. Combined with... Figure 5a (A) and Figure 5a In section (B), the first duration corresponding to a severe anomaly can be configured to be less than 30ms, such as 20ms, while the first duration corresponding to a minor anomaly can be configured to be exactly 30ms. Thus, when the anomaly type of the power assist link is a severe anomaly, the first control unit can reduce the drive current sent to the motor windings, rapidly decreasing the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor from 5Nm to 0 within 20ms, thereby reducing the impact of the severe anomaly on the EPS system. If the anomaly type is a minor anomaly, the first control unit can reduce the drive current sent to the motor windings, gradually decreasing the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor from 5Nm to 2Nm (or other values ​​greater than 0 but less than 5Nm) within 30ms, thereby minimizing the power assist fluctuation. It is evident that by configuring different power assist deceleration rates for severe and minor anomalies, the safety and stability of the EPS system can be balanced under different fault scenarios.

[0092] It should be noted that the first duration corresponding to severe anomalies and the first duration corresponding to minor anomalies can also be the same, for example, both can be configured to the duration corresponding to FTTI. For example, still using... Figure 5a For example, please refer to the scenario shown. Figure 5b This illustrates another type of assist reduction diagram corresponding to a severe anomaly provided in this application. In this example, when the anomaly type of the assist link is a severe anomaly, the first control unit reduces the assist generated by controlling the dual-winding motor from 5 Nm to 0 within 30 ms by decreasing the drive current sent to the motor windings. Compared to... Figure 5a As shown in the assist reduction method, the assist reduction rate of severe anomalies will be slower, which will make its assist fluctuations more moderate. However, since its assist eventually drops to 0, the assist reduction rate of severe anomalies will still be faster than that of mild anomalies.

[0093] Optionally, during the first duration, the assistance generated by the dual-winding motor under the control of the first control unit can be reduced according to any decreasing mode. For example, please refer to... Figure 6 The illustration shows several possible forms of the decreasing mode provided in this application, with a severe anomaly as an example. Assuming the first duration is the duration corresponding to FTTI, the severe anomaly requires the assistance generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit to be reduced from the first assistance to 0 within the duration of FTTI. The first control unit can then proceed according to… Figure 6 The linear deceleration mode shown in Figure (A) controls the assistance of the dual-winding motor to decrease at a constant speed, or it can also be done according to... Figure 6The broken-line decreasing mode shown in (B) controls the variable speed decrease of the dual-winding motor's assist, or it can also be done according to... Figure 6 The stepped decreasing mode shown in (C) controls the assistance of the dual-winding motor to decrease step by step, or it can also be controlled according to... Figure 6 The first curve reduction mode shown in (D) uses a gradually decreasing deceleration rate, starting small and increasing, to control the assistance of the dual-winding motor for reduction. Alternatively, it can be done according to... Figure 6 The second curve reduction mode shown in (E) uses a decreasing rate of deceleration from large to small to control the assistance of the dual-winding motor, or it can be done according to... Figure 6 The wave-decreasing pattern shown in Figure (F) controls the continuous oscillating decrease of the assist of the dual-winding motor. And so on. There are many other possible decreasing forms, such as a combination of at least two of the following: linear, curved, stepped, wave-like, etc., or a decrease according to... Figure 5a or Figure 5b The third curve shown decreases in a decreasing pattern with a decreasing rate that starts small, then increases, and then decreases again. This application will not list these patterns in detail.

[0094] Furthermore, optionally, if the first control unit detects that the assist link has returned to normal within the first time period, it can then incrementally restore the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under the control of the first control unit to the first assist level. For example, please refer to... Figure 7 This illustration shows a boost change diagram for restoring normal operation within the FTTI period, as provided in this application. The diagram uses an example where the first boost is 5 Nm and the first duration is the duration of the FTTI. Assuming the first control unit detects a severe anomaly in its boost link at time node t0, the first control unit can immediately follow a pre-defined decreasing pattern (using...). Figure 5b Taking the decreasing curve pattern as an example, by reducing the drive current sent to the motor windings, the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced. Furthermore, during the assist reduction process, the first control unit can also execute a debounce strategy to determine whether the current anomaly is intermittent. For example, the first control unit can simultaneously control the decrease in assist while re-acquiring the status information of the assist link. If, at time node t3 before the end of FTTI, the re-acquired status information shows that the assist link has returned to normal, it means that the current anomaly was intermittent and has now been resolved. In this case, the first control unit can stop reducing the assist and instead increase the drive current sent to the motor windings to increase the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor back to 5Nm. For example, the assist can be increased back to 5Nm during the time period between time node t3 and time node t1 when FTTI arrives. Conversely, if the re-acquired status information still shows an assist link anomaly until the end of FTTI, the set decreasing pattern (e.g., ...) will be followed. Figure 5bAs shown, the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor has decreased to 0 at this point. In other words, when the fault tolerance time interval (FTTI) is reached, the assist control of the first control unit has been cut off, thus ensuring the safe state of the EPS system.

[0095] Further, optionally, during the initial period of the first duration, the assist deceleration rate corresponding to the first control unit can be lower than the set rate. In other words, the deceleration rate of the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor during the initial period of the first duration is lower than the deceleration rate during the middle period of the first duration. Figure 5a , Figure 5b , Figure 6 (B) Figure 6 (D) or Figure 7 As shown, it should be understood that Figure 6 Other decreasing patterns shown can also be modified to obtain new decreasing patterns with lower initial periods, which will not be listed in detail in this application. According to this configuration, the assistance generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor decreases less during the initial decreasing period. Therefore, if an anomaly occurs and recovery is quick, the assistance generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor can quickly recover from the current assistance to the first assistance, thus restoring the original assistance capacity of the first control unit as quickly as possible.

[0096] Similarly, if it is determined that the power assist link has returned to normal within the first time period, the first control unit can then increase the corresponding power assist on the dual-winding motor back to the first power assist. The initial power assist increase rate can be lower than the set rate; in other words, the initial power assist increase rate can be lower than the subsequent increase rate. For example, please refer to... Figure 7 If the power assist link is detected to have returned to normal at time node t3, the first control unit can slowly increase the drive current sent to the motor windings for a period of time after time node t3, so as to slowly increase the power assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor. Since the power assist increases relatively little, when the abnormality is detected again, the power assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor can quickly return to the previous power assist. In this way, the power assist can be effectively prevented from fluctuating greatly in scenarios where abnormalities occur frequently, so that the power assist fluctuates in a wave-like manner, avoiding the phenomenon of abrupt steering wheel feel when the user turns the steering wheel.

[0097] The above content provides a detailed introduction to the reduction of assist by the first control unit. To maintain the stability of the total assist of the EPS system, the second control unit also needs to synchronously increase the assist as the first control unit reduces the assist. For example, at each time point of the first duration, the assist increased by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit can be the same as the assist decreased by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit, so that the sum of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit and the assist generated by the second control unit remains constant, that is, the total assist of the EPS system remains constant throughout the first duration. The synchronization of the assist reduction controlled by the first control unit and the assist increase controlled by the second control unit requires linkage between the first and second control units. Therefore, the following section will explain how the first and second control units work together to achieve synchronous increase and decrease of assist.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the first control unit may have a pre-defined correspondence between various anomalies and reduction modes. This correspondence may be stored in the first control unit or related memory in the form of tables, graphs, stacks, databases, and formulas. After detecting an anomaly in the boost link, the first control unit can first determine the target anomaly type, then query the correspondence between various anomalies and reduction modes to determine the target reduction mode corresponding to the target anomaly type. Following the indication of the target reduction mode, it reduces the drive current sent to the corresponding motor winding within a first time period, thereby reducing the boost generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor from the first boost to the third boost according to the target reduction mode. Simultaneously, the first control unit can also send first boost adjustment information to the second control unit. This first boost adjustment information contains information related to how the first control unit controls the boost reduction. The second control unit can refer to the boost reduction control method of the first control unit in the first boost adjustment information and increase the drive current sent to the corresponding motor winding within a first time period, thereby increasing the boost generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor from the second boost to the fourth boost according to the reverse mode of the target reduction mode. The sum of the third and fourth assists is equal to the sum of the first and second assists, so that the total assist after the EPS system is adjusted is the same as the total assist before the adjustment, thus maintaining the total assist capacity of the EPS system unchanged.

[0099] Optionally, the first control unit may send only one first assist adjustment message to the second control unit throughout the entire process to save communication losses. For example, after determining the target anomaly type, the first control unit can send the first assist adjustment message carrying the target anomaly type to the second control unit. The second control unit has pre-stored the correspondence between various anomalies and increment modes. By querying this correspondence, the second control unit can determine the target increment mode corresponding to the target anomaly type in the first assist adjustment message, and can increase the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit according to the target increment mode within the first time period. As another example, after determining the target decrement mode, the first control unit can send the first assist adjustment message to the second control unit. This first assist adjustment message is used to indicate the decrement ratio of the first control unit at each time point within the first time period. After receiving the first assist adjustment message, the second control unit can refer to the decrement ratio of the first control unit at each time point within the first time period, and increase the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit at each time point within the first time period, for example, making the increased assist equal to the decreased assist corresponding to the first control unit, so that the total assist at each time point within the first time period remains unchanged.

[0100] Alternatively, the first control unit may send multiple first assist adjustment messages to the second control unit within a first duration, such as sending them in real-time or periodically. Real-time sending can be understood as sending them at a relatively short interval, for example, a first duration of 30ms. When the first control unit sends the first assist adjustment messages at a interval of 1ms or less, it can be considered that the first control unit is sending the first assist adjustment messages in real-time. Taking 1ms as an example, each first assist adjustment message sent by the first control unit may, for instance, carry the assist reduction ratio for the first control unit in the next 1ms. For example, in the next 1ms, the first control unit will control the reduction of assist in the dual-winding motor to the ratio of the total assist. Thus, the second control unit can refer to the first assist adjustment messages received in the current cycle and control the dual-winding motor to correspondingly increase the assist in the next 1ms, for example, making the increased assist the same as the decrease in assist by the first control unit, so as to maintain the consistency of the total assist as much as possible in each cycle. By synchronizing multiple first assist adjustment information in real time or periodically, the consistency of assist adjustment between the first control unit and the second control unit can be ensured, avoiding the phenomenon that the assist reduced by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor and the assist increased by the second control unit controlling the dual-winding motor are very different, thus effectively avoiding large assist fluctuations.

[0101] Furthermore, optionally, the first control unit may reduce the assist of the dual-winding motor for various reasons. When the assist is reduced due to an anomaly, the second control unit needs to synchronously increase the assist. However, when the assist is reduced for other reasons, the second control unit may not need to synchronously increase the assist. For example, when the vehicle switches from turning to straight driving, the EPS system needs to switch from operating mode to standby mode. In this case, both the first and second control units need to cut off the assist control. Therefore, the first control unit only needs to notify the second control unit that it is in a reduced assist state, and the second control unit does not need to increase the assist. Based on this, to ensure that the second control unit only increases the assist in the required scenarios, the first assist adjustment information sent by the first control unit may also include the reason for the assist adjustment, or the reason for the assist downgrade. When the assist is reduced due to an abnormality in the assist link, the reason for the assist adjustment may, for example, be information that indicates an abnormality in the assist link, such as "assist link abnormality," "assist abnormality," or "abnormality." After receiving the first assist adjustment information, the second control unit can first determine whether the reason for the assist adjustment is an abnormality in the assist link of the first control unit. If so, it can increase the drive current sent to the corresponding motor winding within a first time period to upgrade the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor from the second assist to the fourth assist. If not, there is no need to change the drive current sent to the corresponding motor winding. In some scenarios, the second control unit may also reduce the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor based on the assist adjustment reason. For example, when the assist adjustment reason is "power off" or "standby", the second control unit can also reduce the drive current sent to the corresponding motor winding to synchronously reduce the assist, so that the EPS system can successfully switch to the off state or standby state.

[0102] To facilitate understanding, a specific example will be used below to illustrate the linkage process between the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0103] In this example, it is assumed that the first assist N1 provided by the first control unit and the second assist N2 provided by the second control unit are both 10 Nm, and the first control unit stores the correspondence between the two types of abnormalities and the reduction mode as shown in Table 1. The assist degradation ratio in Table 1 can be understood as the ratio of the assist reduced by the first control unit to the total assist. When the drive current is less than the rated current, the drive current is proportional to the assist; therefore, the assist degradation ratio can also be considered as the current degradation ratio.

[0104] Table 1

[0105]

[0106] Referring to Table 1, the assistance adjustment process corresponding to the severe abnormality type will be introduced below.

[0107] Please see Figure 8a and Figure 8b The diagrams illustrate the interaction flowchart and auxiliary change diagram corresponding to a severe anomaly provided in this application, with the first duration of the severe anomaly being the FTTI duration of 30ms as an example. Figure 8b Image (A) shows the change in the assist force generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor under severe abnormal conditions. Figure 8b Image (B) shows the change in the assist force generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor under severe abnormal conditions. Figure 8b (C) shows the change in total assist generated by the first and second control units on a dual-winding motor under severe abnormal conditions. (Refer to Table 1...) Figure 8a and Figure 8b When the first control unit detects a serious abnormality in the power assist link, it can refer to the decreasing pattern corresponding to the serious abnormality shown in Table 1 and reduce the drive current sent to the connected motor windings every 1ms. That is, it reduces the power assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor every 1ms. At the same time, it sends a first power assist adjustment information to the second control unit every 1ms to instruct the second control unit to adjust the power assist synchronously with the first control unit at a period of 1ms. The specific implementation steps are as follows:

[0108] Step 801: When the first control unit detects a serious abnormality, it can send the first first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries the assist degradation ratio of 1 / 100 and the reason for assist degradation. The reason for assist degradation is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link.

[0109] Step 802: Within the next 1ms, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1 / 100 of the total drive current, so that the assistance generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced by 1 / 100 of the total assistance, that is, the current assistance is reduced from 5Nm to 4.9Nm. Meanwhile, according to the first assistance adjustment information, the second control unit increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assistance generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased by 1 / 100 of the total assistance, that is, the current assistance is increased from 5Nm to 5.1Nm. The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assistance adjustment within the 1ms.

[0110] Step 803: 1ms after the first control unit detects a serious abnormality, it may send a second first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries an assist degradation ratio of 1.1 / 100 and may also carry the reason for assist degradation, which is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link;

[0111] In step 804, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1.1 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced by 1.1 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is reduced from 4.9Nm to 4.79Nm. Meanwhile, the second control unit, based on the second first assist adjustment information, increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1.1 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased by 1.1 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is increased from 5.1Nm to 5.21Nm. The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assist adjustment within the 2ms, and the assist adjustment rate within the 2ms is higher than the assist adjustment rate within the 1ms.

[0112] And so on;

[0113] Step 8059: 29ms after the first control unit detects a serious abnormality, it may send the 30th first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries the assist degradation ratio of 1 / 100 and the reason for assist degradation, which is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link.

[0114] In step 8060, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced from the current assist to 1 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is reduced from 0.1Nm to 0. Meanwhile, the second control unit, based on the 30th first assist adjustment information, increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 1 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased from the current assist to 1 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is increased from 9.9Nm to 10Nm (i.e., the sum of the first assist and the second assist). The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assist adjustment within the 30ms, and the assist adjustment rate within the 30ms is lower than the assist adjustment rate within the 29ms.

[0115] In summary, after steps 801 to 8060, the first control unit and the second control unit synchronized a total of 30 first assist adjustment messages within a first duration of 30ms. The assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor gradually decreased from 5Nm to 0 within 30ms. Figure 8b As shown in (A), the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is synchronized with the adjustment of the first control unit based on 30 first assist adjustment information, gradually increasing from 5Nm to 10Nm within 30ms, as... Figure 8b As shown in (B), since the second control unit provides synchronous assistance in accordance with the decreasing assistance of the first control unit, ideally, the total assistance generated by the first and second control units on the dual-winding motor will remain at 10 Nm for 30 ms. Figure 8b As shown in (C). In irrational situations, even if one control unit adjusts its speed faster than another due to some reason (such as the failure of a first assist adjustment information transmission), the control unit with the incorrect adjustment speed can be corrected by the first assist adjustment information sent in the next cycle. This allows the control unit with the incorrect adjustment speed to return to the normal adjustment speed as soon as possible, avoiding large fluctuations in total assist.

[0116] Understandable. Figure 8a and Figure 8b This example uses the FTTI duration (30ms) as the first duration corresponding to a severe anomaly. However, this first duration can also be less than 30ms, such as 20ms. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 8c This diagram illustrates a possible assist change when the duration of the first abnormality is less than the FTTI (Fixed Time Interval). The diagram shows t0 as the time point when the first control unit detects the abnormality, t1 as the time point when the first control unit confirms the abnormality, and t2 as the time point when the first and second control units complete the assist switching. In this example, the first control unit reduces the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control to 0 within 20ms after detecting the abnormality. Figure 8c As shown in (A), the second control unit also increases the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control to 10 Nm within 20 ms, as... Figure 8c As shown in (B), the total assist of the dual-winding motor can remain at 10 Nm throughout these 20 ms, as... Figure 8c As shown in (C). With this scheme, the first control unit and the second control unit have completed the power assist switch before the serious anomaly is confirmed. As a result, the total power assist of the EPS system in the case of serious anomaly can be taken over by the second control unit more quickly, and the adverse effects of the serious anomaly can be ended in advance.

[0117] Based on Table 1, the assistance adjustment process corresponding to the minor abnormality type will be introduced below.

[0118] Please see Figure 9a and Figure 9b The diagrams illustrate the interaction flowchart and assistance change diagram corresponding to a minor anomaly provided in this application, with the first duration of the minor anomaly being the FTTI duration of 30ms as an example. Figure 9b Image (A) shows the change in the assist force generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor under slightly abnormal conditions. Figure 9b Image (B) shows the change in assist power generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor under slightly abnormal conditions. Figure 9b (C) shows the change in total assist generated by the first and second control units on the dual-winding motor under slightly abnormal conditions. (Refer to Table 1...) Figure 9a and Figure 9b When the first control unit detects a slight abnormality in the power assist link, it can refer to the decreasing pattern corresponding to the slight abnormality shown in Table 1 and reduce the drive current sent to the connected motor windings every 1ms. That is, it reduces the power assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor every 1ms. It also sends a first power assist adjustment message to the second control unit every 1ms to instruct the second control unit to adjust the power assist synchronously with the first control unit at a period of 1ms. The specific implementation steps are as follows:

[0119] Step 901: When the first control unit detects a slight abnormality, it can send the first first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries the assist degradation ratio of 0.5 / 100 and the reason for assist degradation. The reason for assist degradation is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link.

[0120] In step 902, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.5 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced by 0.5 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is reduced from 5Nm to 4.95Nm. Meanwhile, the second control unit, based on the first assist adjustment information, increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.5 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased by 0.5 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is increased from 5Nm to 5.05Nm. The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assist adjustment within the 1ms.

[0121] Step 903: 1ms after the first control unit detects a minor abnormality, it may send a second first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries an assist degradation ratio of 0.65 / 100 and may also carry an assist degradation reason, which is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link.

[0122] In step 904, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.65 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced by 0.65 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is reduced from 4.95Nm to 4.885Nm. Meanwhile, the second control unit, based on the second first assist adjustment information, increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.65 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased by 0.65 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is increased from 5.05Nm to 5.115Nm. The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assist adjustment within the 2ms, and the assist adjustment rate within the 2ms is higher than the assist adjustment rate within the 1ms.

[0123] And so on;

[0124] Step 9059: 29ms after the first control unit detects a minor abnormality, it may send the 30th first assist adjustment information to the second control unit, which carries an assist degradation ratio of 0.5 / 100 and may also carry the reason for assist degradation, which is used to indicate an abnormality in the assist link.

[0125] In step 9060, the first control unit reduces the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.5 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor is reduced by 0.5 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is reduced from 1.05Nm to 1Nm. Meanwhile, the second control unit, based on the 30th first assist adjustment information, increases the drive current sent to the connected motor winding by 0.5 / 100 of the total drive current within the next 1ms, so that the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased by 0.5 / 100 of the total assist, that is, the current assist is increased from 8.95Nm to 9Nm. The first control unit and the second control unit synchronously complete the assist adjustment within 30ms, and the assist adjustment rate within 30ms is lower than the assist adjustment rate within 29ms.

[0126] In summary, after steps 901 to 9060, the first control unit and the second control unit synchronized a total of 30 first assist adjustment messages within a first duration of 30ms. The assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor gradually decreased from 5Nm to 1Nm within 30ms. Figure 9b As shown in (A), the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is synchronized with the adjustment of the first control unit based on 30 first assist adjustment information, gradually increasing from 5Nm to 9Nm within 30ms, as... Figure 9b As shown in (B), since the second control unit provides synchronous assistance in accordance with the decreasing assistance of the first control unit, ideally, the sum of the total assistance generated by the first and second control units on the dual-winding motor will remain at 10 Nm for 30 ms. Figure 9b As shown in (C). In irrational situations, even if one control unit adjusts its speed faster than another due to some reason (such as the failure of a first assist adjustment information transmission), the control unit with the incorrect adjustment speed can be corrected by the first assist adjustment information sent in the next cycle. This allows the control unit with the incorrect adjustment speed to return to the normal adjustment speed as soon as possible, avoiding large fluctuations in total assist.

[0127] Understandably, according to Figures 8a to 9b The power assist adjustment method shown here, since the second control unit synchronously increases the power assist by referring to the power assist reduction mode of the first control unit, can maintain consistency between the form of power assist increase controlled by the second control unit and the form of power assist reduction controlled by the first control unit. For example, the second control unit can control the rate of increase of the power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor during the initial period of the first duration to be lower than the set rate, or in other words, the power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor increases at a rate that is initially small and then increases. Another example is that the second control unit can control the rate of increase of the power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor under severe abnormalities to be greater than the rate of increase under minor abnormalities, or in other words, the duration of the increase in power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor under severe abnormalities is shorter than the duration of the increase in power assist under minor abnormalities. Yet another example is that the fourth power assist corresponding to a severe abnormality is equal to the sum of the first and second power assists, while the fourth power assist corresponding to a minor abnormality is less than the sum of the first and second power assists. And so on, not to be repeated here.

[0128] In one possible implementation, if the first control unit detects that the power assist link has returned to normal within the first time period, the first control unit can also send second power assist adjustment information to the second control unit. This second power assist adjustment information contains some information related to how the first control unit increases back to the first power assist. The second control unit can refer to the power assist increase method of the first control unit in the second power assist adjustment information, and then restore the power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor to the second power assist in the corresponding decrease method. For example, the power assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor is increased back to the second power assist from the current moment until the end of the first time period, and it is ensured that the power assist increased at each time point is equal to the power assist decreased by the first control unit, so that the total power assist generated by the first and second control units on the dual-winding motor remains unchanged at each time point during the recovery process.

[0129] For example, please refer to Figure 10 This diagram illustrates the change in recovery assistance provided in this application, wherein... Figure 10 Figure (A) shows the assist recovery diagram of the assist generated by the first control unit on a dual-winding motor. Figure 10 Figure (B) shows the assist recovery diagram of the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor. Figure 10 Figure (C) shows the change in total assist output of a dual-winding motor, controlled by the first and second control units. (Combined with...) Figure 10 (A) and Figure 10 In section (B), the first control unit begins to decrease the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control at time node t0. When the decrease reaches time node t3, the assist link is found to have returned to normal. Therefore, the first control unit can increase the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control back to the first assist level during the time period from time node t3 to time node t1. Simultaneously, during the increase, it can send second assist adjustment information to the second control unit in real time or periodically, so that the second control unit can decrease the assist generated by the dual-winding motor under its control back to the second assist level during the time period from time node t3 to time node t1. Since the second control unit synchronously decreases the assist in accordance with the assist increase method of the first control unit, ideally, the total assist generated by the dual-winding motor under the control of the first and second control units will remain at 10 Nm during the time period from time node t3 to time node t1. Figure 10 As shown in (C).

[0130] Optionally, during the process of restoring the original assist, the rate of increase of the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor during the initial recovery period and the rate of decrease of the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor during the initial recovery period can be lower than the set rate. In other words, the assist generated by the first control unit on the dual-winding motor can increase back to the first assist at a rate that starts small and gradually increases, and the assist generated by the second control unit on the dual-winding motor can decrease back to the second assist at a rate that starts small and gradually increases. Thus, even if an anomaly occurs again in a short period, since the changes in the assist generated by the first and second control units on the dual-winding motor are not significant, the first control unit can quickly increase the assist generated by the first control unit back to its previous level, and the second control unit can quickly decrease the assist generated by the second control unit back to its previous level. This avoids large fluctuations in assist during frequent anomaly scenarios.

[0131] Furthermore, optionally, after the first duration ends, if the assist capability of the first control unit is taken over by the second control unit, then the total assist required by the EPS system will be entirely controlled by the second control unit. In this case, if the assist capability of the second control unit is insufficient to provide the total assist required by the EPS system at a later time, the second control unit can control the dual-winding motor to generate an assist less than the total assist required by the EPS system. For example, it can send the maximum drive current that the second control unit can provide to the connected motor windings to control the dual-winding motor to generate the maximum assist that the second control unit can provide. For example, after the first duration, if the EPS system detects that the driver turns the steering wheel more forcefully, causing the required total assist to increase from the original 10Nm to 20Nm, but the maximum drive current of the second control unit can only drive the dual-winding motor to generate 15Nm of assist, then the second control unit can only send the maximum drive current to the motor windings, and by providing the maximum assist within its own capabilities, it can make up for the assist lost by the first control unit as much as possible, reducing the deviation between the actual total assist and the required total assist.

[0132] It should be noted that the total assistance required by the EPS system may change within the first time period. Therefore, the second control unit can control the total assistance required after the change in the dual-winding motor within the first time period. However, if its assistance capacity is insufficient to provide the total assistance, the second control unit can also appropriately increase the assistance produced by the dual-winding motor according to its own assistance capacity. For example, it can be increased to the assistance corresponding to the maximum drive current that the second control unit can provide. In this way, the assistance loss on the first control unit side can also be compensated to a certain extent.

[0133] As is understandable, the examples above all use a 0.5:0.5 power assist distribution ratio between the first and second control units as an example. However, in actual EPS systems, the power assist distribution ratio between the first and second control units may not be 0.5:0.5; for example, it could be 0.8:0.2, or 0.3:0.7, and so on. Regardless of the power assist distribution ratio, both the first and second control units can adjust the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor according to the power assist adjustment method described above. This ensures that the total power assist provided by the dual-winding motor remains stable for a period of time after an anomaly is detected, thereby improving the driver's steering experience.

[0134] Furthermore, the above-mentioned method of achieving assist adjustment through the joint interaction of the first and second control units is only one optional implementation scheme. In other optional implementation schemes, assist adjustment can also be achieved by other devices in the EPS system. For example, in another optional implementation scheme, a centralized control unit can be added to the EPS system. This centralized control unit is used to monitor the status information of the assist links where the first and second control units are located. Once an anomaly is detected in one of the assist links, control commands can be sent to the first and second control units to instruct the fault-side control unit to reduce the assist generated by the fault-side control unit on the dual-winding motor controlled by the fault-side control unit from the first assist to the third assist within a first time period, and to instruct the normal-side control unit to increase the assist generated by the normal-side control unit on the dual-winding motor controlled by the normal-side control unit from the second assist to the fourth assist within a first time period. Alternatively, in another optional implementation, the central control unit, the first control unit, and the second control unit can be combined to jointly achieve the assist adjustment. For example, after the central control unit detects an anomaly in the assist link of one control unit, it can send a control command only to that control unit, instructing it to reduce the assist generated by that control unit on the dual-winding motor from the first assist to the third assist within a first time period. During the assist reduction process, the control unit can synchronize the first assist adjustment information to the other control unit in real time or periodically, so that the other control unit can synchronously complete the assist reduction by referring to the assist increase process of the control unit. There are many other possible implementations, which will not be listed here.

[0135] Based on the assist adjustment method described above, this application can also provide an EPS system, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 11The EPS system 1100 may include a first control unit 1111, a second control unit 1112, and a dual-winding motor 1120. The first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 are respectively connected to the input terminals of the two windings of the dual-winding motor 1120. The first control unit 1111 is used to send a first drive current to the connected windings, and the second control unit 1112 is used to send a second drive current to the connected windings. The dual-winding motor 1120 is used to generate a first assist based on the first drive current and a second assist based on the second drive current. When the EPS system 1100 is working, the first control unit 1111 is used to reduce the drive current sent to the connected windings when an abnormality is detected in the boost link, thereby reducing the boost generated by the first control unit 1111 on the dual-winding motor 1120 from the first boost to the third boost within a first time period. The second control unit 1112 is used to increase the drive current sent to the connected windings, thereby increasing the boost generated by the second control unit 1112 on the dual-winding motor 1120 from the second boost to the fourth boost within a first time period. The sum of the third boost and the fourth boost is equal to the sum of the first boost and the second boost.

[0136] In one possible implementation, please refer to Figure 11 The EPS system 1100 may also include a mechanical steering system 1130, which is connected to the output of a dual-winding motor 1120. The mechanical steering system 1130 is used to maintain the vehicle at a desired position or rotate it by a corresponding angle based on the assistance output by the dual-winding motor 1120. For example, when the vehicle experiences a certain rotational resistance, if the assistance output by the dual-winding motor 1120 is exactly equal to that rotational resistance, the vehicle can maintain its current steering position. If the assistance output by the dual-winding motor 1120 is greater than that rotational resistance, the vehicle can be controlled to continue steering.

[0137] In a further possible implementation, the mechanical steering system 1130 may include a reducer and a mechanical steering gear (not shown in the figure). The reducer is connected between the mechanical steering gear and the dual-winding motor 1120 and is used to reduce and increase the torque output of the dual-winding motor 1120 before transmitting it to the mechanical steering gear. The mechanical steering gear is used to maintain the desired position or rotate the corresponding angle according to the torque output of the reducer, so as to drive the electronic equipment where the EPS system is located to steer.

[0138] In one possible implementation, please refer to Figure 11The EPS system 1100 may also include various sensors 1140. Taking a master-master architecture as an example, the various sensors 1140 can be connected to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 respectively, for periodically collecting the status information of the electronic equipment where the EPS system is located, and sending it to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112. The first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 are also used to determine the total assistance required by the EPS system based on the status information of the electronic equipment where the EPS system is located, and then calculate their corresponding assistance according to their respective assistance allocation ratios, and then provide the drive current of their corresponding assistance to the windings connected to them on the dual-winding motor 1120.

[0139] Understandably, in a master-auxiliary architecture, various sensors 1140 can be connected only to the master control unit in the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112. The master control unit can calculate the total assistance required by the EPS system based on the status information of the electronic devices sent by various sensors 1140, and can calculate its own corresponding assistance according to its own assistance allocation ratio. Then, it provides the drive current of its corresponding assistance to the winding connected to the dual-winding motor 1120. At the same time, the master control unit can also send the total assistance to the auxiliary control unit, which calculates its own corresponding assistance according to its own assistance allocation ratio, and then provides the drive current of its corresponding assistance to the winding connected to the dual-winding motor 1120.

[0140] For further possible implementations, please refer to Figure 11 The various sensors 1140 may include torque sensors, steering angle sensors, and vehicle speed sensors. Taking a master-master architecture as an example, the torque sensor is used to collect steering wheel torque and send it to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112; the steering angle sensor is used to collect steering wheel angle and send it to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112; and the vehicle speed sensor is used to collect vehicle speed and send it to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112. The first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 determine the total power assist required by the EPS system based on the steering wheel torque, steering wheel angle, and vehicle speed, according to a preset power assist calculation algorithm.

[0141] In one possible implementation, please refer to Figure 11 The EPS system 1100 may also include a power supply 1150, which is connected to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 respectively, and is used to provide electrical energy, such as 12V electrical energy, to the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 so that the first control unit 1111 and the second control unit 1112 have sufficient electrical energy to provide assistance to the connected windings.

[0142] It should be noted that the functions of each device in the EPS system 1100, the concepts involved that are related to the technical solution provided in this application, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps are described in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0143] It should be understood that the division of units in the EPS system 1100 described above is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. For example, in another example, any control unit can be divided into an EPS controller and a motor controller. The EPS controller is used to determine the required assistance according to the aforementioned method embodiments and sends the assistance to the motor controller. The motor controller then calculates the drive current corresponding to the assistance and sends it to the motor windings to drive the motor to rotate. In yet another example, the torque sensor and the steering angle sensor can also be encapsulated in a single sensor, which can be called a steering sensor and can be used to simultaneously collect steering wheel angle and torque information. And so on, which will not be listed here.

[0144] Based on the structure and functional principles of the EPS system described above, this application may also provide an electronic device; please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 11 The electronic device may include the EPS system in any of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] In one possible implementation, please refer to Figure 11 The electronic device may also include an axle 1200, a left wheel 1310, and a right wheel 1320, wherein the left wheel 1310 is the left front wheel and the right wheel 1320 is the right front wheel, or the left wheel 1310 is the left rear wheel and the right wheel 1320 is the right rear wheel. The left wheel 1310 and the right wheel 1320 are connected to opposite ends of the axle 1200, which is connected to a mechanical steering system 1130, such as a mechanical steering gear in the mechanical steering system 1130, for rotating according to the rotation of the mechanical steering gear, thereby driving the left and right wheels to rotate and realizing the steering of the vehicle.

[0146] For example, electronic devices can be any device with steering capabilities, such as including but not limited to: vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorboats, tractors, buses, ships, airplanes, helicopters, recreational vehicles, amusement park vehicles, construction vehicles, trams, golf carts, trains, driverless cars, intelligent cars, and digital cars), robots (e.g., robotic vacuum cleaners, industrial robots, food delivery robots), surveying equipment, intelligent manufacturing equipment (e.g., industrial equipment, lawnmowers), and intelligent transportation equipment (e.g., AGVs, unmanned transport vehicles, or trucks).

[0147] Based on the above-described assist adjustment method, this application can also provide a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when executed on the first control unit and the second control unit, causes the first control unit and the second control unit to perform... Figure 4 , Figure 8a or Figure 9a The method of any one of the embodiments shown.

[0148] Based on the above-described assist adjustment method, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code. When the program code is executed on the first control unit and the second control unit, it causes the first control unit and the second control unit to perform... Figure 4 , Figure 8a or Figure 9a The method of any one of the embodiments shown.

[0149] In this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "At least one" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, in this application, the terms "exemplarily" and "optionally" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "optional" in this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Alternatively, it can be understood that the use of the terms "exemplary" or "optional" is intended to present concepts in a specific manner and does not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0150] Furthermore, the term "connection" in this application can be understood as an electrical connection. The connection between two electrical components can be a direct or indirect connection. For example, the connection between A and B can be a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through one or more other electrical components, such as A and B being connected. Alternatively, A can be directly connected to C, and C can be directly connected to B, with A and B connected through C. In some scenarios, "connection" can also be understood as coupling, such as electromagnetic coupling between two inductors. In short, the connection between A and B enables the transmission of electrical energy and signals between them.

[0151] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic. Terms such as "first," "second," and similar expressions are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as including a series of steps or units. A method, system, product, or device is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

Claims

1. A method for assisting adjustment, characterized in that, The method is applicable to electronic power steering (EPS) systems, wherein the EPS system includes a first control unit, a second control unit, and a dual-winding motor. The first control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a first power assist, and the second control unit controls the dual-winding motor to generate a second power assist. The first power assist and the second power assist are used together to achieve steering of the electronic device. An anomaly was detected in the power assist link corresponding to the first control unit; Within a first time period, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is reduced from the first assist to the third assist, and the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is increased from the second assist to the fourth assist. The sum of the third assist and the fourth assist is equal to the sum of the first assist and the second assist.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first duration is less than or equal to the duration of the Fault Tolerance Time Interval (FTTI).

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, During the initial period of the first duration, the deceleration rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit or the acceleration rate of the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is lower than the set rate.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, At any point in time within the first duration, the sum of the assistance generated by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor and the assistance generated by the second control unit controlling the dual-winding motor is equal to the sum of the first assistance and the second assistance.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the power assist link is detected to have returned to normal within the first time period, the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is restored to the first power assist by increasing the power assist, and the power assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit is restored to the second power assist by decreasing the power assist.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, When the anomaly is a severe anomaly, the third assistance is 0; when the anomaly is a minor anomaly, the third assistance is greater than 0.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first duration corresponding to the severe abnormality is shorter than the first duration corresponding to the minor abnormality.

8. The method as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The serious anomaly includes at least one of the following anomalies: a line fault between the first control unit and the dual-winding motor, a sensor fault for providing data to the first control unit, and a line fault between the first control unit and the sensor; The minor anomaly includes at least one of the following: the power supply voltage of the booster link is lower than the normal power supply voltage, or the temperature of the winding connected to the first control unit exceeds the normal operating temperature.

9. An electronic power steering (EPS) system, characterized in that, It includes a first control unit, a second control unit, and a dual-winding motor, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit are respectively connected to the two windings of the dual-winding motor; The first control unit is used to control the dual-winding motor to generate a first assist, and when an abnormality is detected in the corresponding assist link, to reduce the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit from the first assist to a third assist within a first time period, and to send the first assist adjustment information to the second control unit. The second control unit is configured to control the dual-winding motor to generate a second assist, and, after receiving the first assist adjustment information, to increase the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit from the second assist to a fourth assist within the first time period, wherein the sum of the fourth assist and the third assist is equal to the sum of the first assist and the second assist. The assist generated by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor and the assist generated by the second control unit controlling the dual-winding motor are used together to achieve the steering of the electronic device.

10. The EPS system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The first control unit is specifically used to: periodically send the first assist adjustment information to the second control unit within the first duration, wherein the first assist adjustment information in any period includes the assist downgrade ratio of the first control unit in the current period; The second control unit is specifically used to: increase the assist generated by the control unit according to the assist downgrade ratio, and the sum of the increased assist corresponding to the second control unit and the decreased assist corresponding to the first control unit is equal to the sum of the first assist and the second assist.

11. The EPS system as described in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The first assist adjustment information includes the reason for assist adjustment. Before the second control unit increases the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit from the second assist to the fourth assist within the first time period, it is also used for: The cause of the power assist adjustment was determined to be an abnormality in the power assist link corresponding to the first control unit.

12. The EPS system as described in any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, The first duration is less than or equal to the duration of the Fault Tolerance Time Interval (FTTI). After detecting an anomaly in the booster link, the first control unit is further configured to: Within the FTTI, the status of the booster link is repeatedly probed until the FTTI ends. If the probe results show that the booster link is always abnormal, then the booster link is determined to be faulty.

13. The EPS system as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The first control unit is further configured to: within the FTTI, if it is detected that the assist link has returned to normal, restore the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit to the first assist in an incremental manner, and send the second assist adjustment information to the second control unit; The second control unit is further configured to: restore the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the second control unit to the second assist by decreasing the assist according to the second assist adjustment information.

14. The EPS system as described in any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that, The first control unit is specifically used for: During the initial period of the first duration, the assist generated by the dual-winding motor controlled by the first control unit is reduced at a rate of change lower than the set rate.

15. The EPS system as described in any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that, The first control unit is specifically used for: If the abnormality is determined to be a serious abnormality, the assist generated by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor will be reduced to 0 within the first time period. If the abnormality is determined to be a minor abnormality, the assist generated by the first control unit controlling the dual-winding motor will be reduced to an assist greater than 0 within the first time period.

16. The EPS system as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The first duration corresponding to the severe abnormality is shorter than the first duration corresponding to the minor abnormality.

17. The EPS system as described in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The serious anomaly includes at least one of the following anomalies: a line fault between the first control unit and the dual-winding motor, a sensor fault for providing data to the first control unit, and a line fault between the first control unit and the sensor; The minor anomaly includes at least one of the following: the power supply voltage of the booster link is lower than the normal power supply voltage, or the temperature of the winding connected to the first control unit exceeds the normal operating temperature.

18. The EPS system as described in any one of claims 9 to 17, characterized in that, It also includes a mechanical steering system connected to the dual-winding motor; The mechanical steering system is used to maintain the desired position or rotate the corresponding angle according to the torque output by the dual-winding motor.

19. An electronic device, characterized in that, The system includes an axle, a left wheel, a right wheel, and an EPS system as described in any one of claims 9 to 18, wherein the left wheel and the right wheel are connected to opposite ends of the axle, and the axle is also connected to a mechanical steering system in the EPS system; The axle is used to drive the left wheel and the right wheel to rotate according to the rotation of the mechanical steering system, thereby enabling the electronic device to steer.

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