Power Steering Rust Detection via Load Averaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power steering apparatuses detect abnormalities based on water invasion, leading to increased costs and potential misdiagnosis of rust development, which can cause inconvenience such as rack shaft fixation, necessitating unnecessary component replacement.
Innovation Solution
A power steering apparatus with a steering load average value calculating circuit and abnormality detection circuit that compares the average steering load values with specified values to detect abnormalities, allowing for the detection of rust progression without additional components, thereby avoiding immediate and unnecessary replacements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a water droplet sensor is installed to detect water invasion, then abnormality detection capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The power steering apparatus uses its own existing components (steering load sensor, control unit) to detect rust abnormalities. The control unit calculates average steering load values and compares them against thresholds to detect rust, allowing the system to self-diagnose without requiring external specialized sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing steering load sensor and control unit are made multi-functional by enabling them to detect both normal steering operations and rust abnormalities. The control unit performs its existing control functions while also calculating average steering load values and comparing them against thresholds to detect rust, eliminating the need for dedicated rust detection hardware.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If water droplet detection is used to determine abnormality, then detection simplicity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to misdiagnosis of rust progression
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors steering load and provides feedback by calculating average values over time. The control unit compares the calculated average steering load against a predetermined threshold, creating a feedback mechanism that accurately distinguishes between normal temporary load increases and actual rust abnormalities, thereby improving detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit calculates the average steering load value before making an abnormality determination. This preliminary calculation step allows the system to account for normal variations in steering load and establish a baseline for comparison, ensuring that rust detection is based on sustained abnormal conditions rather than transient fluctuations.
3Speed
If immediate abnormality determination is made upon water droplet detection, then response speed is improved, but loss of time increases due to unnecessary component replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit calculates the average steering load value as a preliminary step before determining abnormality. This calculation process filters out transient load variations and ensures that only sustained abnormal conditions trigger replacement warnings, preventing premature or unnecessary component replacements while maintaining timely detection of actual rust issues.
Data Source
AI summary
A power steering apparatus includes: a steering load average value calculating circuit 39 which calculates a steering torque average value Trav which is the average value of steering torque Tr within a predetermined interval of time; and an abnormality detection circuit 40 which compares steering torque average value Trav with a specified steering torque value Trrf and detects the abnormality of the apparatus when steering torque average value Trav is larger than the specified value.