Control device, control method, and motor module used in an electric power steering apparatus

The control device for electric power steering systems addresses high computational loads by varying the integrator gain or switching its activation, enabling efficient switching between manual and autonomous driving modes with reduced processing needs.

JP7705395B2Active Publication Date: 2025-07-09NIDEC CORP(JP)
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2022531725
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-06-17
Filing Date
2021-06-09
Publication Date
2025-07-09
Estimated Expiration
2041-06-09

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing electric power steering systems face high computational loads when switching between manual and autonomous driving modes due to the simultaneous processing of assist and angle control units.

Method used

A control device for electric power steering systems that reduces computational load by varying the gain of an integrator in PI control or switching its activation based on steering inputs, allowing a single angle control unit to handle both manual and autonomous driving functions.

Benefits of technology

This approach enables efficient switching between manual and autonomous driving modes while reducing the processing requirements, thereby lowering the cost of the arithmetic circuit and maintaining effective steering control.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The present invention reduces the operation load on an operation circuit while realizing both automatic driving and manual driving functions. This control device is used in an electric power steering device provided with a motor, and has the purpose of controlling the motor, a processor executing, according to a program, computation of a target assist torque by performing PI control on the basis of a target steering wheel angle and a steering angle, and control of the motor on the basis of the target assist torque. The gain of an integrator used for I control of PI control is variable.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, and a motor module used in an electric power steering device. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-104210 filed in Japan on June 17, 2020, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] General motor vehicles are equipped with an electric power steering device (EPS) including an electric motor (hereinafter simply referred to as "motor") and a control device for the motor. The electric power steering device is a device that assists the operation of the driver's steering wheel (or steering wheel) by driving the motor.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of autonomous driving technology, it has been required for EPS to realize both autonomous driving and manual driving functions. In the case of realizing both autonomous driving and manual driving functions using a single actuator, a technique for switching the control method between the two has been proposed. WO 2019 / 107437 discloses a technique for switching the control between an assist control unit used for controlling manual driving and an angle control unit used for controlling autonomous driving by adjusting a weight coefficient (that is, a ratio) for performing weighted addition between the two.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Further reduction of the calculation load is desired.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control device and a control method for an electric power steering device capable of reducing a computational load while realizing both automatic driving and manual driving functions.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In a non-limiting and exemplary embodiment, the control device of the present disclosure is a control device for controlling a motor used in an electric power steering device including a motor, and includes a processor and a memory that stores a program for controlling the operation of the processor. The processor calculates a target assist torque by performing PI control based on a target steering angle and a steering angle according to the program, and controls the motor based on the target assist torque. A gain of an integrator used for the I control of the PI control is variable.

[0008] In a non-limiting and exemplary other embodiment, the control device of the present disclosure is a control device for controlling a motor used in an electric power steering device including a motor, and includes a processor and a memory that stores a program for controlling the operation of the processor. The processor calculates a target assist torque by performing PI control based on a target steering angle and a steering angle according to the program, switches in response to a trigger between enabling and disabling an integrator used for the I control of the PI control, and controls the motor based on the target assist torque.

[0009] In a non-limiting and exemplary embodiment, the motor module of the present disclosure includes a motor and the above control device.

[0010] The control method of the present disclosure is a control method for controlling a motor used in an electric power steering apparatus including a motor in a non-limiting and exemplary embodiment, the method including calculating a target assist torque by performing PI control based on a target steering angle and a steering angle, and controlling the motor based on the target assist torque, wherein a gain of an integrator used for the I control of the PI control changes according to a steering torque indicating an automatic driving signal.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a novel control device and a control method for an electric power steering apparatus are provided, which can reduce a calculation load while realizing both automatic driving and manual driving functions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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[0013] Before describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the findings discovered by the inventors and their technical background will be described.

[0014] In the control device disclosed in International Publication No. 2019 / 107437, an assist control unit and an angle control unit are provided as separate control units. The assist control unit sets a target value of the assist torque required for manual operation, and the angle control unit sets a target value of the torque required for angle control. An angle deviation depending on the input state of the driver indicating manual operation or automatic operation is input as input information to the shared control unit. The shared control unit calculates a weight coefficient for performing weighted addition based on the target values set by the assist control unit and the angle control unit, and outputs a target assist torque. However, according to this method, it is necessary to process the functions of both the assist control unit and the angle control unit simultaneously, which imposes a large computational load on the arithmetic circuit. As a result, there is a problem that an expensive arithmetic circuit with a large data processing amount is required.

[0015] According to the study by the present inventors, in the control device of an electric power steering apparatus, it is effective to make the gain of an integrator that performs I control in PI control variable or to switch the activation and deactivation of this integrator according to the input target steering angle. As a result, it has been found that it is possible to realize the functions of both the assist control unit related to manual operation and the angle control unit related to automatic operation in one angle control unit, leading to the present invention.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of a control device, a control method of an electric power steering apparatus, and an electric power steering apparatus including the control device of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, a more detailed description may be omitted as necessary. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters and a redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0017] The following embodiments are illustrative, and the control device and control method of the electric power steering apparatus according to the present disclosure are not limited to the following embodiments. For example, the numerical values, steps, order of the steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications are possible as long as there is no technical contradiction. Each of the embodiments described below is merely illustrative, and various combinations are possible as long as there is no technical contradiction.

[0018] [1. Configuration of Electric Power Steering Apparatus 1000] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of an electric power steering apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment.

[0019] The electric power steering apparatus 1000 (hereinafter referred to as "EPS") includes a steering system 520 and an assist torque mechanism 540 that generates an assist torque. The EPS 1000 generates an assist torque that assists the steering torque of the steering system generated when the driver operates the steering wheel. The assist torque reduces the burden on the driver's operation.

[0020] The steering system 520 includes, for example, a steering wheel 521, a steering shaft 522, universal joints 523A and 523B, a rotating shaft 524, a rack and pinion mechanism 525, a rack shaft 526, left and right ball joints 552A and 552B, tie rods 527A and 527B, knuckles 528A and 528B, and left and right steering wheels 529A and 529B.

[0021] The auxiliary torque mechanism 540 includes, for example, a steering torque sensor 541, a steering angle sensor 542, an automotive electronic control unit (ECU) 100, a motor 543, a reduction gear 544, an inverter 545, and a torsion bar 546. The steering torque sensor 541 detects the steering torque in the steering system 520 by detecting the amount of twist of the torsion bar 546. The steering angle sensor 542 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. Note that the steering torque may be an estimated value derived from calculations rather than the value of the steering torque sensor. The steering angle can also be calculated based on the output value of the angle sensor.

[0022] The ECU 100 generates a motor drive signal based on detection signals detected by the steering torque sensor 541, the steering angle sensor 542, a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, etc., and outputs it to the inverter 545. For example, the inverter 545 converts DC power into three-phase AC power, which is a pseudo-sine wave of phases A, B, and C, according to the motor drive signal and supplies it to the motor 543. The motor 543 is, for example, a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) or a switched reluctance motor (SRM), and generates an auxiliary torque corresponding to the steering torque upon receiving the supply of three-phase AC power. The motor 543 transmits the generated auxiliary torque to the steering system 520 via the reduction gear 544. Hereinafter, the ECU 100 will be described as the control device 100 of the EPS.

[0023] The control device 100 and the motor are modularized and manufactured and sold as a motor module. The motor module includes the motor and the control device 100 and is suitably used for the EPS. Alternatively, the control device 100 can be manufactured and sold as a control device for controlling the EPS independently of the motor.

[0024] [Configuration Example of Control Device 100] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical example of the configuration of the control device 100 according to the present embodiment. The control device 100 includes, for example, a power supply circuit 111, an angle sensor 112, an input circuit 113, a communication I / F 114, a drive circuit 115, a ROM 116, and a processor 200. The control device 100 can be realized as a printed wiring board (PCB) on which these electronic components are mounted.

[0025] A vehicle speed sensor 300, a steering torque sensor 541, and a steering angle sensor 542 mounted on the vehicle are electrically connected to the processor 200, and the vehicle speed v, the steering torque Ts, and the steering angle θ are transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 300, the steering torque sensor 541, and the steering angle sensor 542 to the processor 200, respectively.

[0026] The control device 100 is electrically connected to an inverter 545 (see FIG. 1). The control device 100 controls the switching operation of a plurality of switch elements (for example, MOSFETs) included in the inverter 545. Specifically, the control device 100 generates a control signal (hereinafter referred to as a "gate control signal") for controlling the switching operation of each switch element and outputs it to the inverter 545.

[0027] The control device 100 generates a torque command value based on the vehicle speed v, the steering torque Ts, etc., and controls the torque and rotational speed of the motor 543 by, for example, vector control. The control device 100 can perform other closed-loop controls not limited to vector control. The rotational speed is represented by the number of revolutions (rpm) of the rotor per unit time (for example, one minute) or the number of revolutions (rps) of the rotor per unit time (for example, one second). Vector control is a method of decomposing the current flowing through the motor into a current component contributing to torque generation and a current component contributing to magnetic flux generation, and independently controlling each current component orthogonal to each other.

[0028] The power supply circuit 111 is connected to an external power supply (not shown) and generates a DC voltage required for each block in the circuit. The generated DC voltage is, for example, 3V or 5V.

[0029] The angle sensor 112 is, for example, a resolver or a Hall IC. Alternatively, the angle sensor 112 can also be realized by a combination of an MR sensor having a magnetoresistive (MR) element and a sensor magnet. The angle sensor 112 detects the rotation angle of the rotor and outputs it to the processor 200. The control device 100 may include a speed sensor and an acceleration sensor that detect the rotational speed and acceleration of the motor instead of the angle sensor 112.

[0030] The input circuit 113 receives the motor current value (hereinafter referred to as the "actual current value") detected by a current sensor (not shown), converts the level of the actual current value to the input level of the processor 200 as necessary, and outputs the actual current value to the processor 200. A typical example of the input circuit 113 is an analog-to-digital conversion circuit.

[0031] The processor 200 is a semiconductor integrated circuit, also referred to as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor. The processor 200 sequentially executes a computer program describing a group of instructions for controlling motor drive stored in the ROM 116 to realize a desired process. The processor 200 is widely interpreted as a term including an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an ASSP (Application Specific Standard Product) equipped with a CPU. The processor 200 sets a target current value according to the actual current value, the rotation angle of the rotor, etc., generates a PWM signal, and outputs it to the drive circuit 115.

[0032] The communication I / F 114 is, for example, an input / output interface for transmitting and receiving data in accordance with an in-vehicle control area network (CAN).

[0033] The drive circuit 115 is typically a gate driver (or pre-driver). The drive circuit 115 generates a gate control signal according to the PWM signal and applies the gate control signal to the gates of a plurality of switching elements included in the inverter 545. When the drive target is a motor that can be driven at a low voltage, the gate driver may not always be required. In that case, the function of the gate driver can be implemented in the processor 200.

[0034] The ROM 116 is electrically connected to the processor 200. The ROM 116 is, for example, a writable memory (e.g., PROM), a rewritable memory (e.g., flash memory, EEPROM), or a read-only memory. The ROM 116 stores a control program including a set of instructions for causing the processor 200 to control motor driving. For example, the control program is once expanded into a RAM (not shown) at boot time.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functional blocks implemented in the processor 200 of the EPS controller 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 200 in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized by an EPS controller 230 having an angle control unit 231, a current control unit 232, and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) modulation unit 233 as functional blocks. Typically, the processing (or tasks) of the functional blocks corresponding to each unit are described in a computer program in units of software modules and stored in the ROM 116. However, when using an FPGA or the like, all or part of these functional blocks can be implemented as a hardware accelerator.

[0036] When each functional block is implemented in the control device 100 as software (or firmware), the execution subject of the software can be the processor 200. The control device of the present disclosure, in one aspect, includes the processor 200 and a memory that stores a program for controlling the operation of the processor 200. The processor 200, according to the program, (1) the target handle angle and the steering angle θg Perform PI control based on this to calculate the target assist torque T r and (2) control the motor based on the target assist torque T r Execute. Controlling the motor based on the target assist torque T r includes calculating a command voltage Vr by performing current control based on the target assist torque T r and generating a PWM signal by PWM modulating the command voltage Vr. Here, the gain of the integrator used for the I control of the PI control is variable.

[0037] In another aspect, the processor 200, according to a program, (1) performs PI control based on the target steering angle and the steering angle θ g to calculate the target assist torque T r and (2) switch the activation and deactivation of the integrator used for the I control of the PI control in response to a trigger, and (3) control the motor based on the target assist torque T r Execute. Examples of triggers are hands-on / hands-off commands indicating a hands-on or hands-off state, signals that change according to the magnitude relationship between the steering torque or torsion torque indicating an automatic driving signal and a threshold value, or mode commands output from a host device. An example of the host device is a host ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Details of the trigger will be described later.

[0038] When each functional block is implemented in the control device 100 as software and / or hardware, in another aspect, the control device 100 of the present disclosure performs PI control based on the target steering angle and the steering angle θ g to calculate the target assist torque T r and an angle control unit that calculates the target assist torque T rA current control unit that calculates a command voltage Vr by performing current control based on the above, and a PWM modulation unit that PWM-modulates the command voltage Vr to generate a PWM signal. Here, the gain of the integrator used for the I control of the PI control is variable. Further, in another aspect, the control device 100 includes a target steering wheel angle and a steering angle θ g and based on this, performs PI control to calculate a target assist torque T r and an angle control unit capable of switching in response to a trigger for enabling and disabling the integrator used for the I control of the PI control, and a current control unit that calculates a command voltage Vr by performing current control based on the target assist torque T r and a PWM modulation unit that PWM-modulates the command voltage Vr to generate a PWM signal.

[0039] The EPS controller 230 calculates a target assist torque T by performing PI control based on the target steering wheel angle and the steering angle θ g and. The target steering wheel angle in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a manual steering wheel angle θ r and an automatic target steering wheel angle θ d r . In this specification, the manual steering wheel angle θ d or the automatic target steering wheel angle θ r d may be referred to as the target steering wheel angle.

[0040] The control device 200 of the EPS in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be regarded as one angle controller. The EPS controller 230 in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes an angle control unit 231, a current control unit 232, and a PWM modulation unit 233. The automatic target steering wheel angle θ r , the manual steering wheel angle θ d and the steering angle θ g are input to the EPS controller 230 as input signals. The EPS controller 230 switches the control between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode by switching the command value related to the angle including the automatic target steering wheel angle θ r and the manual steering wheel angle θ d and adjusting the integral term.

[0041] The angle control unit 231 calculates the target assist torque T r based on the automatic target steering wheel angle θ d or the manual steering wheel angle θ g and the steering angle θ r and outputs the result. The manual steering wheel angle θ d represents the angle of the steering wheel moved by the driver in the manual driving mode. The automatic target steering wheel angle θ r represents the target value of the steering wheel angle derived from sensors such as cameras in the automatic driving mode. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, according to the target steering wheel angle, the gain of the integrator that performs I control in PI control may change, or the activation and deactivation of this integrator may be switched.

[0042] In the manual driving mode, the angle control unit 231 performs power assist control while making the steering angle θ d follow the manual steering wheel angle θ g . The residual deviation in this power assist control becomes the steering torque. On the other hand, in the automatic driving mode, the angle control unit 231 makes the steering angle θ r follow the automatic target steering wheel angle θ g and performs control to eliminate the residual deviation. In this way, both the assist control involved in manual driving and the angle control involved in automatic driving are implemented in one angle control unit. The difference in control between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode lies in the difference in the command value regarding the angle, and further, in the presence or absence of the integrator used for I control described later.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the EPS controller 230 generally has a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, but based on the combination of the target steering wheel angle input to the angle control unit 231 and the activation, deactivation, or variable gain of I control, the above two modes can be further divided into four control modes. Four control modes are listed below. In the following second to fourth control modes, by changing the gain in I control according to the target steering wheel angle, it is possible to appropriately adjust the steering feeling felt by the driver. [First control mode] The first control mode is the manual steering wheel angle θd This is a mode in which the processor is made to execute P control based on d . This mode corresponds to the manual driving mode. The driver can feel the residual deviation of the steering angle with respect to the manual steering wheel angle in the steering as the steering feeling. [Second control mode] The second control mode is the manual steering wheel angle θ d This is a mode in which the processor is made to execute PI control based on d . This mode corresponds to the manual driving mode, but the torque is assisted by adding I control. Therefore, the driver is less likely to feel fatigue. [Third control mode] The third control mode is the manual steering wheel angle θ d and the automatic target steering wheel angle θ r This is a mode in which the processor is made to execute PI control based on r . This mode corresponds to the semi-automatic driving mode. The driver has a feeling of being more guided for the steering wheel angle. [Fourth control mode] The fourth control mode is the automatic target steering wheel angle θ r This is a mode in which the processor is made to execute PI control based on r . This mode corresponds to the full automatic driving mode. The driver can drive the vehicle even in a hands-off state.

[0044] With reference to FIGS. 4A to 6, the functions and operations of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 will be described in detail.

[0045] (First Embodiment) According to the EPS controller 230 in this embodiment, the gain of the integrator used for the I control of the PI control is variable triggered by some signal or command. PI The integrator used for the I control in the PI control is activated.

[0046] FIG. 4A is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional blocks of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 in a state where the integrator 12c is activated. FIG. 4B is a functional block diagram illustrating other configurations of the functional blocks of the angle control unit 231 in a state where the integrator 12c is activated. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the gain or weight of the integrator 12c with respect to the steering torque T h h .

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the angle control unit 231 includes a subtractor 10, a torsion bar rigidity unit 11, a P controller 12a, a D controller 12b, an I controller 12c, and an adder 13. In this specification, the I controller may be described as an integrator, and the D controller may be described as a differentiator. The angle control unit 231 performs PI control based on the target steering wheel angle and the steering angle θ g to calculate the target assist torque T r .

[0048] In the example of the graph shown in FIG. 5, the state where the steering torque T h does not exist or is minute even if it exists is the hands-off state. This state corresponds to the automatic driving mode. The EPS controller 230 operates according to the fourth control mode. Here, the steering torque T h indicates an automatic driving signal. In the fourth control mode, the gain of the integrator 12c is maximized, and the gain shows a constant value without depending on the steering torque T h .

[0049] The state where the steering torque T h always occurs is the manual driving state. The EPS controller 230 operates according to the second control mode. In the second control mode, the gain of the integrator 12c does not become completely zero but shows a minute value. However, the value is constant.

[0050] The region located between the ranges of the steering torque T h defining the second and fourth control modes, that is, the transition period from automatic driving to manual driving is the hands-on state. The EPS controller 230 operates according to the third control mode. In the third control mode, as the steering torque T h increases, the gain of the integrator 12c continuously decreases. However, it is not limited to this example. For example, the gain of the integrator 12c may decrease stepwise or may change non-linearly continuously.

[0051] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the integrator 12c is activated regardless of the control mode. As the target handle angle, at least one of the manual handle angle θ d and the automatic target handle angle θ r is input to the angle control unit 231. In the second and third control modes, the target handle angle including the manual handle angle θ d and the automatic target handle angle θ r output from the subtracter 10, and the deviation from the steering angle θ g is input to each of the P controller 12a, D controller 12b, and I controller 12c. In the fourth control mode, the deviation between the automatic target handle angle θ r output from the subtracter 10 and the steering angle θ g is input to each of the controller 12a, D controller 12b, and I controller 12c. The adder 13 adds the output values output from each of the P controller 12a, D controller 12b, and I controller 12c and outputs the target assist torque Tr. However, as shown in FIG. 4B, the D controller 12b is not an essential component, and the angle control unit 231 may have at least the P controller 12a and the I controller 12c. By using the D controller 12b, the responsiveness to instantaneous disturbances can be improved.

[0052] The handle torque T h can be used to determine the hands-on or hands-off state. In the example of FIG. 5, the gain of the integrator 12c changes continuously according to the value of the handle torque T h when the third control mode is selected. By always activating the integrator 12c, it is possible to make the residual deviation that may remain only with P control zero. As a result, the angular error generated between the target handle angle and the actual steering angle can be eliminated, and as a result, it is possible to travel along the target travel trajectory. As a modification, instead of the handle torque T h , the value of the torsion torque T tor can be used.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows the manual handle angle θ d and the automatic target handle angle θr This is a graph illustrating a gain that changes according to the ratio with respect to d and the automatic target handle angle θ r The gain of the integrator 12c can change according to the ratio with respect to. This ratio, that is, the slope of the straight line, can be determined according to the mode command output from the upper device. In the example of FIG. 6, the ratio changes linearly, but is not limited thereto, and can change non-linearly or stepwise.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 3 again.

[0055] As input signals, for example, the target assist torque T r , the motor angle θ m , and the actual current value I m are input to the current control unit 232. The current control unit 232 calculates the command voltage Vr by performing current control based on, for example, the target assist torque T r , the motor angle θ m , and the actual current value I m according to vector control. The PWM modulation unit 233 PWM-modulates the command voltage Vr to generate a PWM signal and outputs it to the drive circuit 115.

[0056] According to the present embodiment, since control of the manual and automatic operation modes is realized by one angle controller, the amount of data to be processed by an arithmetic circuit such as a processor can be reduced compared to the prior art. As a result, it is possible to suppress the cost of the arithmetic circuit.

[0057] (Second Embodiment) Referring to FIGS. 7A to 9, the EPS controller 230 in the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, differences from the EPS controller 230 according to the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0058] FIG. 7A is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional blocks of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 in the manual operation mode. FIG. 7B is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional blocks of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 in the automatic operation mode. FIG. 8A is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional blocks of another configuration of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 in the manual operation mode. FIG. 8B is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional blocks of another configuration of the angle control unit 231 of the EPS controller 230 in the automatic operation mode. FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the relationship of the gain of the integrator 12c with respect to the steering torque T h is a graph illustrating the relationship of the gain of the integrator 12c with respect to the steering torque T.

[0059] In the EPS controller 230 of the present embodiment, activation and deactivation of the integrator 12c used for the I control of the PI control are switched triggered by some signal or command. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the control mode in the present embodiment includes a first control mode and a fourth control mode. When the steering torque T h does not exist or is minute even if it exists, that is, in the hands-off state, the EPS controller 230 operates according to the fourth control mode. The integrator 12c is activated, and its gain can be fixed at a certain value. As shown in FIG. 7B, the angle control unit 231 calculates a target assist torque Tr based on the automatic target steering angle θr and the steering angle θg. However, as shown in FIG. 8B, the differentiator 12b is not essential.

[0060] When the steering torque T h always occurs, that is, in the hands-on state, the EPS controller 230 operates according to the first control mode. The integrator 12c is completely deactivated, and as a result, its gain is zero. As shown in FIG. 7A, the angle control unit 231 calculates a target assist torque T d based on the manual steering angle θ g and the steering angle θ r . However, as shown in FIG. 8A, the differentiator 12b is not essential.

[0061] Examples of triggers include hands-on / hands-off commands indicating a hands-on state or a hands-off state, mode commands output from a host device, or a steering torque T indicating an autonomous driving signal h and a threshold value V th and is a signal that changes according to the magnitude relationship therebetween. However, instead of the steering torque T h the value of the torsion torque T tor can be used. As shown in FIG. 9, in a range where the steering torque T h is less than the threshold value V th the EPS controller 230 operates according to the fourth control mode, and in a range where the steering torque T h is greater than or equal to the threshold value V th the EPS controller 230 operates according to the first control mode.

[0062] In the present embodiment, the angle control unit 231 responds to a hands-on / hands-off command indicating a hands-on state or a hands-off state, or a mode command output from a host device, and selects one of the manual steering angle θ d and the automatic target steering angle θ r as an input value to be used for PI control. The angle control unit 231 switches between enabling and disabling the integrator 12c according to the selected input value. More specifically, the angle control unit 231 selects the automatic target steering angle θr as an input value to be used for PI control in response to a hands-on / hands-off command indicating a hands-off state, and enables the integrator 12c. On the other hand, the angle control unit 231 selects the manual steering angle θ d as an input value to be used for PI control in response to a hands-on / hands-off command indicating a hands-on state, and disables the integrator 12c.

[0063] According to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, control of the manual / autonomous driving mode is realized by one angle controller, so that the amount of data processed by an arithmetic circuit such as a processor can be reduced compared to the prior art. As a result, the cost of the arithmetic circuit can be suppressed.

Industrial Applicability

[0064] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in a control device for controlling an EPS mounted on a vehicle.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0065] 100: Control device, 111: Power supply circuit, 112: Angle sensor, 113: Input circuit, 114: Communication I / F, 115: Drive circuit, 116: ROM, 200: Processor, 230: EPS controller, 231: Angle control unit, 232: Current control unit, 233: PWM modulation unit

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a motor used in an electric power steering apparatus including a motor, comprising: a processor; a memory storing a program for controlling the operation of the processor; The control device is configured to: The processor is configured to: calculate a target assist torque by performing PI control based on a target steering angle and a steering angle; control the motor based on the target assist torque; and execute: wherein a gain of an integrator used for the I control of the PI control is variable; the target steering angle includes a manual steering angle and an automatic target steering angle; the gain varies according to a ratio between the manual steering angle and the automatic target steering angle; and the ratio is determined according to a mode command output from a host device.

2. The gain of the integrator varies according to a value of a steering torque or a torsion torque indicating an automatic driving signal. The control device according to claim 1.

3. A control device for controlling a motor used in an electric power steering apparatus including a motor, comprising: a processor; a memory storing a program for controlling the operation of the processor; The control device is configured to: The processor is configured to: calculate a target assist torque by performing PI control based on a target steering angle and a steering angle; switch in response to a trigger between enabling and disabling an integrator used for the I control of the PI control; control the motor based on the target assist torque; and execute.

4. The trigger is a hands-on / hands-off command indicating a hands-on state or a hands-off state. The control device according to claim 3.

5. The trigger is a signal that varies according to a magnitude relationship between a steering torque or a torsion torque indicating an automatic driving signal and a threshold value. The control device according to claim 3.

6. The trigger is a mode command output from a host device. The control device according to claim 3.

7. The target steering angle includes a manual steering angle and an automatic target steering angle, and the processor

7. The target steering angle includes a manual steering angle and an automatic target steering angle, the processor In response to a hands-on / hands-off command indicating a hands-on state or a hands-off state, or a mode command output from a host device, one of the manual handle angle and the automatic target handle angle is selected as an input value used for the PI control, The control device according to claim 3, wherein activation and deactivation of the integrator are switched according to the selected input value.

8. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the PI control further includes D control.

9. A motor, The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A motor module comprising the same.

Citation Information

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