Electric brake device

1. An electric brake device comprising:

a brake rotor configured to rotate integrally with a wheel;

a friction pad configured to come into contact with the brake rotor to generate a braking force;

an electric motor;

a transmission mechanism configured to convert an output of the electric motor into a pressing force of the friction pad;

a braking force command section configured to detect an operation amount of a brake operation portion and to command a target braking force;

a braking force estimation section configured to obtain an estimated value of a braking force that presses the friction pad against the brake rotor;

a motor rotation angle detector configured to detect a rotation angle of the electric motor; and

a controller configured to control the electric motor in accordance with a command value and the estimated value of the braking force, wherein

the braking force estimation section includes a load sensor configured to detect elastic deformation of a determined member forming the electric brake device, and

the controller includes a sensor abnormality detector configured to store a sensor output of the load sensor at a motor rotation angle at which the braking force becomes zero, and to infer an occurrence of plastic deformation in the load sensor from transition of the stored sensor output.

2. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor abnormality detector includes:

a zero point detection section configured to estimate a zero point of the motor rotation angle at which the braking force is cancelled and a load to be applied to the load sensor becomes equal to or less than zero, from a motor rotation angle detected by the motor rotation angle detector when a sensor output detected by the load sensor becomes a reference output; and

a plastic deformation detection section configured to store a sensor output detected by the load sensor when the motor rotation angle shifts from the zero point to a position at which the friction pad is separated from the brake rotor after a determined load is applied to the load sensor, and to detect the occurrence of plastic deformation in the load sensor from transition of the stored sensor output.

3. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the load sensor is a load sensor employing a magnetic field detection method of detecting a change in a magnetic flux in a vicinity, of a pair of magnetic poles aligned so as to be inverted 180 degrees, including a boundary between the magnetic poles.

4. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the zero point detection section obtains, as the zero point, a motor rotation angle at a position at which the friction pad is separated from the brake rotor by a distance corresponding to a determined motor rotation angle, from a position at which a component, in a magnetic pole direction, of a magnetic field becomes zero, or a position at which a magnetic field vector is orthogonal to the magnetic pole direction.

5. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the plastic deformation detection section detects plastic deformation of the load sensor by comparing at least one of the sensor output detected by the load sensor at the zero point and a change amount of the sensor output detected by the load sensor at the zero point each time a repetitive load is applied to the load sensor, with a determined value.

6. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, when the occurrence of plastic deformation in the load sensor is detected from transition of the sensor output of the load sensor at the zero point, the controller sets a maximum braking force of the electric brake device to a value obtained by decreasing, by a specified amount, a maximum braking force that has been set before the plastic deformation is detected.

7. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, when the occurrence of plastic deformation in the load sensor is detected, the controller estimates a degree of the plastic deformation from transition of the sensor output of the load sensor at the zero point, and decreases a maximum braking force of the electric brake device as the degree increases.

8. The electric brake device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the controller includes a use limit time estimation section configured to estimate a time taken until a use limit of the load sensor from transition of the sensor output of the load sensor when the occurrence of plastic deformation in the load sensor is detected from transition of the sensor output of the load sensor at the zero point.