阅读说明：本技术 电动转向助力方法、系统及其助力装置 (Electric steering power assisting method and system and power assisting device thereof ) 是由 杨昆 尹卫民 刘凯 贺可意 于 2020-06-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种电动转向助力方法、系统及其助力装置,助力装置包括：辅助机构单元；转向轴,沿第一方向穿过所述辅助机构单元；电机,沿第二方向连接于所述辅助机构单元,所述第一方向和所述第二方向形成大于0度且小于180度的夹角；控制单元,包括：逻辑控制器,连接于所述辅助机构单元沿所述转向轴的轴向方向的任一侧,所述逻辑控制器配置成提供逻辑控制,且可集成扭矩传感器和转角传感器；以及功率控制器,连接于所述辅助机构单元与所述电机之间,配置成提供电机控制,且可集成电机位置传感器,所述功率控制器与所述逻辑控制器物理连接。本发明提高电动转向助力系统的灵活性。(The invention provides an electric power steering method, a system and a power assisting device thereof, wherein the power assisting device comprises: an auxiliary mechanism unit; a steering shaft passing through the assist mechanism unit in a first direction; the motor is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit along a second direction, and an included angle which is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees is formed between the first direction and the second direction; a control unit comprising: a logic controller connected to either side of the auxiliary mechanism unit in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the logic controller being configured to provide logic control, and may integrate a torque sensor and a rotation angle sensor; and a power controller connected between the auxiliary mechanism unit and the motor, configured to provide motor control, and integratable with a motor position sensor, the power controller physically connected with the logic controller. The invention improves the flexibility of the electric power steering system.)

1. A booster device, comprising:

an auxiliary mechanism unit;

a steering shaft passing through the assist mechanism unit in a first direction;

the motor is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit along a second direction, and an included angle which is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees is formed between the first direction and the second direction;

a control unit comprising:

a logic controller connected to either side of the auxiliary mechanism unit in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the logic controller being configured to provide logic control; and

a power controller connected between the auxiliary mechanism unit and the motor configured to provide motor control, the power controller being physically connected with the logic controller.

2. The booster of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary mechanism unit comprises:

the plane where the worm wheel is located is perpendicular to the first direction, and the worm wheel is located between the logic controller and the auxiliary mechanism unit;

a worm extending in the second direction, a motor shaft of the motor being connected to the worm through a coupling unit,

wherein the auxiliary mechanism unit provides different gear ratios through the worm wheel and the worm.

3. The booster of claim 1, wherein the logic controller is rotatably connected to the assist mechanism unit about the steering axis.

4. The force assist device of claim 1, wherein the logic controller is integrated with a torque sensor and/or an angle sensor.

5. The booster of claim 1, wherein the power controller is integrated with a motor position sensor and the motor.

6. The force assist device of claim 1, wherein the logic controller is configured between a dual MCU, a single CAN connector, and a dual CAN connector.

7. The booster of claim 1 wherein the power controller is configured between a dual inverter, a single inverter, a brushless motor, a brushed motor, a single power connector, and a dual power connector.

8. The booster of claim 1, further comprising:

and the bracket adapter is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit and is used for providing a mounting interface of the power assisting device and a vehicle.

9. An electric power steering assist method characterized by comprising:

applying a driving steering torque to an input shaft of a steering shaft of the power assist device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and sensing by a torque sensor;

the logic controller and the power controller control the motor according to the output signal of the torque sensor; and

the torque of the motor is transmitted to the output shaft of the steering shaft through the assist mechanism unit.

10. An electric power steering system characterized by comprising:

a booster including the booster according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and

a steering gear.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electric power steering system, and more particularly, to an electric power steering method, system and power steering apparatus.

Background

Electric power steering systems, especially steering column electric power steering systems, have become commodities with high market maturity, and the competitive demands of the market have higher requirements on delivery time, less engineering cost, reliability and reusability.

Therefore, it is an urgent technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art how to implement structural changes of the column type electric power assist system, especially the adaptability of the mechanical interface, so as to diversify the vehicle configurations of the OEMs (Original Equipment manufacturers).

Furthermore, the packaging, different safety requirements of the column electric power assist system are different from each customer application, requiring different controller configurations. Therefore, how to achieve flexibility of the column type electric power assisting system is a technical problem to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a method and a system for electric power steering assistance and an apparatus for assisting the same, which overcome at least some of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art, and thereby achieve flexibility of an electric power steering assistance system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a booster including:

an auxiliary mechanism unit;

a steering shaft passing through the auxiliary mechanism unit in a first direction

The motor is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit along a second direction, and an included angle which is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees is formed between the first direction and the second direction;

a control unit comprising:

a logic controller connected to either side of the auxiliary mechanism unit in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the logic controller being configured to provide logic control; and

a power controller connected between the auxiliary mechanism unit and the motor configured to provide motor control, the power controller being physically connected with the logic controller.

In some embodiments of the invention, the auxiliary mechanism unit comprises:

the plane where the worm wheel is located is perpendicular to the first direction, and the worm wheel is located between the logic controller and the auxiliary mechanism unit;

a worm extending in the second direction, a motor shaft of the motor being connected to the worm through a coupling unit,

wherein the auxiliary mechanism unit provides different gear ratios through the worm wheel and the worm.

In some embodiments of the invention, the logic controller is rotatably connected to the assist mechanism unit about the steering shaft.

In some embodiments of the invention, the logic controller is integrated with a torque sensor and/or an angle sensor.

In some embodiments of the invention, the power controller is integrated with a motor position sensor and the motor.

In some embodiments of the invention, the logic controller is configured between a dual MCU, a single CAN connector and a dual CAN connector.

In some embodiments of the invention, the power controller is configured between a dual inverter, a single inverter, a brushless motor, a brushed motor, a single power connector, and a dual power connector.

In some embodiments of the invention, further comprising:

and the bracket adapter is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit and is used for providing a mounting interface of the power assisting device and a vehicle.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electric power steering assist method including:

applying a driving steering torque to an input shaft of a steering shaft of the power assist device as described above, and sensing by a torque sensor;

the logic controller and the power controller control the motor according to the output signal of the torque sensor; and

the torque of the motor is transmitted to the output shaft of the steering shaft through the assist mechanism unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electric power steering assist system including:

a booster including the booster device as described above; and

a steering gear.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that:

on one hand, the steering shaft, the motor, the logic controller and the power controller are connected together through the auxiliary mechanism unit, and a transmission ratio is provided for the motor and the steering shaft through the auxiliary mechanism unit so as to realize amplification of the steering force. On the other hand, the steering power-assisted system provided by the invention can be adapted to different vehicle configurations through the bracket adapter, so that the vehicle configurations are diversified.

Drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an electric power steering assist system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a power assist device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of the booster according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 without the motor and cover plate installed.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a power assist device without a motor and cover plate installed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an auxiliary mechanism unit according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing another view of the auxiliary mechanism unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of an electric power steering assist method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Furthermore, the drawings are merely schematic illustrations of the invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and thus their repetitive description will be omitted.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a power assist device is provided. The booster unit includes: an auxiliary mechanism unit; a steering shaft passing through the assist mechanism unit in a first direction; the motor is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit along a second direction, and an included angle which is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees is formed between the first direction and the second direction; a control unit comprising: a logic controller connected to either side of the auxiliary mechanism unit in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the logic controller being configured to provide logic control; and a power controller connected between the auxiliary mechanism unit and the motor and configured to provide motor control, the power controller being physically connected to the logic controller. Therefore, the power assisting device provided by the invention can improve the flexibility of an electric power assisting system.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated and described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring initially to fig. 1, fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electric power steering assist system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The electric power steering system may include, for example, a steering wheel 110, a torque sensor 130 (the torque sensor 130 includes a steering shaft 120), a booster (including, for example, an assist motor 140 and a decelerator 150), and a steering gear 160.

When a driver steers the steering wheel 110, the torque sensor 130 detects the steering torque of the driver, the vehicle speed sensor detects the driving vehicle speed of the vehicle, the controller of the power motor 140 determines the control current of the power motor 140 according to the steering torque and the driving vehicle speed of the vehicle, and controls the torque and the rotating direction of the power motor 140 based on the control current, the motor torque is amplified by the motor reducer 150 and acts on the steering shaft 120 as the motor assist torque, and the steering torque of the steering wheel 110 and the motor assist torque of the power booster act on the steering gear 160 together to drive the tire 170 to rotate, thereby realizing the steering function.

The power assist device according to the embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to fig. 2 to 6. Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a power assist device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of the booster according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 without the motor and cover plate installed. FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a power assist device without a motor and cover plate installed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an auxiliary mechanism unit according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing another view of the auxiliary mechanism unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The booster includes an assist mechanism unit 210, a steering shaft 220, a motor 230, and a control unit. Specifically, the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 provides a first accommodating space along a first direction and a second accommodating space along a second direction. The steering shaft 220 passes through the assist mechanism unit 210 in a first direction. Specifically, the input shaft 221 of the steering shaft 220 transmits the torque of the steering rotation to the steering shaft 220, and the rotation torque of the input shaft 221 is amplified by the assist mechanism unit 210 via the motor 230 to provide the amplified torque to the output shaft 222 of the steering shaft 220. The motor 230 is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction form an included angle greater than 0 degree and less than 180 degrees. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first direction and the second direction form an angle of 90 degrees, which is not limited by the present invention. The motor 230 may be a single-winding motor or a double-winding motor. The motor 230 may be a brushless motor or a brushed motor. The control unit includes a logic controller 241 and a power controller 242. In the present embodiment, the logic controller 241 is connected to the side of the assist mechanism unit 210 facing the input shaft 221 of the steering shaft 220. In other embodiments, the logic controller 241 may also be connected to the side of the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 facing the output shaft 222 of the steering shaft 220. The logic controller 241 is configured to provide logic control. The logic controller 241 is located in the first accommodating space. The power assisting device further includes a cover plate 290, configured to accommodate the logic controller 241 in the cover plate 290 and the first accommodating space, which is not limited in the present invention. A power controller 242 is connected between the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 and the motor 230 and is configured to provide motor control. The power controller 242 is located in the second accommodating space. Further, the power assisting device provided by the present invention further includes a motor housing cover, a second accommodating space may be formed by the motor housing cover and the auxiliary mechanism unit 210, and the motor 230 and the power controller 242 are located in the second accommodating space. The power controller 242 is physically connected to the logic controller 241. Specifically, the logic controller 241 is a logic control circuit. The power controller 242 is a power control circuit.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 includes a worm wheel 212 and a worm 211. The plane of the worm gear 212 is perpendicular to the first direction. The worm gear 212 is located between the logic controller 241 and the auxiliary mechanism unit 210. In the present embodiment, the logic controller 241 is located on a side of the worm gear 212 facing away from the output shaft 222 of the steering shaft 220. In the embodiment where the logic controller 241 is connected to the side of the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 facing the output shaft 222 of the steering shaft 220, the logic controller 241 is located on the side of the worm wheel 212 facing away from the input shaft 221 of the steering shaft 220. The worm 211 extends in the second direction, and a motor shaft of the motor 230 is connected to the worm 211 through a coupling unit. The coupling unit may be, for example, a coupling, the invention is not limited thereto, and other devices having a coupling function are also within the scope of the invention. The worm wheel 212 and the worm 211 are linked, and the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 provides different transmission ratios through different configurations of the worm wheel 212 and the worm 211. Further, the assist mechanism unit 210 is applicable to a standard steering shaft 220, an input shaft 221 of the steering shaft 220, and an output shaft 222 of the steering shaft 220. The booster of the present invention can thus be adapted to different requirements by providing different gear ratios by the auxiliary mechanism unit 210.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the logic controller 241 is rotatably connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 about the steering shaft 220. Specifically, the logic controller 241 may rotate about the steering shaft 220 by a maximum of 180 degrees from an initial angle, but the invention is not limited thereto, and other maximum rotation angles may be applied to the invention. Thus, logic controller 241 may be physically connected to power controller 242 to provide motor 230 with flexibility on either side of worm 212.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the logic controller 241 may be integrated with only the torque sensor 243. In other embodiments, the logic controller 241 may be integrated with the torque sensor 243 and the angle sensor. Thus, the logic controller 241 may provide torque and angle information of the input shaft 221.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the power controller 242 may be integrated with the motor position sensor 244 and the motor 230. The motor position sensor 244 may be a standard motor position sensor or a redundant motor position sensor, although the invention is not limited in this respect. In other embodiments of the present invention, the power controller 242 may not be integrated with the motor position sensor 244.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the logic controller 241 is configured in any one or more of a dual MCU (single chip microcomputer), a single MCU, a single CAN (controller area network) connector, and a dual CAN connector. Specifically, a single CAN (controller area network) connector 281 CAN be seen in fig. 4; the dual CAN connector CAN be seen in fig. 3.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the power controller 242 is configured between any one or more of a dual inverter, a single inverter, a brushless motor, a brushed motor, a single power connector 282, and a dual power connector 282. Specifically, the single power connector 282 can be seen in fig. 4; the dual power connector 282 can be seen in fig. 3.

Therefore, the logic controller 241 and the power controller 242 can adapt to different hardware configurations, so as to provide an adaptive control flow and realize the flexibility of the power steering system

In some embodiments of the present invention, the force assist device may further comprise a mount adapter 250. A bracket adapter 250 is connected to the auxiliary mechanism unit 210 for providing a mounting interface of the booster with the vehicle. Specifically, the rack adapter 250 may enable different mounting interfaces, but may maintain a constant interface with the auxiliary mechanism unit 210. Therefore, the power steering system provided by the invention can be adapted to different vehicle configurations, and the diversification of the vehicle configurations is realized.

The above description is only illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position, number, shape, and increase/decrease of the components are within the protection scope of the present invention without departing from the concept of the present invention.

The advantages of the power assist device described herein include at least:

on one hand, the steering shaft, the motor, the logic controller and the power controller are connected together through the auxiliary mechanism unit, and a transmission ratio is provided for the motor and the steering shaft through the auxiliary mechanism unit so as to realize amplification of the steering force. On the other hand, the steering power-assisted system provided by the invention can be adapted to different vehicle configurations through the bracket adapter, so that the vehicle configurations are diversified.

Referring now to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an electric power steering assist method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric power steering assist method includes the steps of:

step S310: the steering torque is applied to the input shaft of the steering shaft of the power assist device as described above, and is sensed by the torque sensor.

Step S320: the logic controller and the power controller control the motor according to the output signal of the torque sensor.

Step S330: the torque of the motor is transmitted to the output shaft of the steering shaft through the assist mechanism unit.

Advantages of the electric power steering assist method described herein include at least:

on one hand, the steering shaft, the motor, the logic controller and the power controller are connected together through the auxiliary mechanism unit, and a transmission ratio is provided for the motor and the steering shaft through the auxiliary mechanism unit so as to realize amplification of the steering force. On the other hand, the steering power-assisted system provided by the invention can be adapted to different vehicle configurations through the bracket adapter, so that the vehicle configurations are diversified.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.