IP Library Granted Patent US 9,981,684
Granted Patent B2
US 9,981,684 · App. 14/344,101 · Granted May 29, 2018

Vehicle power steering control apparatus

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,981,684
App. No.
14/344,101
Granted
May 29, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle steering control apparatus includes a power-supply supply portion 101 supplying a power supply to a micro-controller 102 , an inverter 104 supplying power to drive a motor 5 , a gate driver 103 controlling the inverter 104 , a motor relay 105 opening and closing a current-passing path between the inverter 104 and the motor 5 , a motor relay driver 106 controlling the motor relay 105 , and a monitoring control portion A 108 a and a monitoring control portion B 108 b monitoring a power-supply voltage of the power-supply supply portion 101 . Because multiple monitoring control portions are included, even in the event of an inconvenience in either one of the monitoring control portions A 108 a and B 108 b , the motor 5 can be stopped quickly in a reliable manner when the power-supply voltage goes out of a normal operation range.

Claims (24)

1. A vehicle power steering control apparatus including an electronic control unit configured to monitor a power-supply voltage, the electronic control unit comprising:

an electronic control portion configured to output a control signal that controls an outside load to an outside load controller, the outside load controller including at least two outside load drivers to control the outside load;

a power-supply supply portion configured to adjust a voltage of an outside power supply to be supplied to a supply terminal of the electronic control portion to be a voltage within a normal operation range of the electronic control portion and to supply the adjusted voltage; and

at least two independent monitoring control portions, each of which is configured to monitor the adjusted voltage outputted from the power-supply supply portion, and each of which is connected to a respective one of the outside load drivers,

wherein in the case where the monitoring control portions detect that the adjusted voltage is outside of the normal operation range, each of the monitoring control portions is further configured to output control signals, which bypass the electronic control portion, to the connected one of the outside load drivers so as to stop driving of the outside load by stopping the control of the outside load by the outside load drivers,

wherein the electronic control portion includes an inverter configured to supply power to drive the outside load,

wherein the outside load is a motor that generates a steering assist torque, and

wherein the outside load drivers include a power-supply relay driver configured to control a power-supply relay that opens and closes a power supplying path to the inverter, a gate driver controlling the inverter, and a motor relay driver controlling a motor relay that opens and closes a current-passing path between the inverter and the motor.

2. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

at least one of the monitoring control portions is further configured to, via the electronic control portion, stop the driving of the outside load by inputting a reset signal to a reset terminal of the electronic control portion.

3. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the monitoring control portions is connected to a different one of the outside load drivers.

4. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the monitoring control portions are of circuit configurations different from each other.

5. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the monitoring control portions are formed of circuit parts different from each other.

6. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

one of the monitoring control portions is provided in the power-supply supply portion.

7. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

one of multiple monitoring control portions is provided in the outside load controller.

8. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the electronic control portion includes a main electronic control portion and a secondary electronic control portion, and

wherein one of the monitoring control portions is provided to the secondary electronic control portion.

9. The vehicle power steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple monitoring portions are configured to operate independently from each other.

Assignments (2)
COMPANY SPLIT Recorded Sep 4, 2024
From: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC MOBILITY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068834/0585 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2014
From: MATSUSHITA, MASAKI; KIFUKU, TAKAYUKI; KOZUKI, HIROYUKI; SAITO, MASATOSHI; KAWANO, YU
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032407/0338 →