Jtekt Corporation

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Ryouichi Suzuki

Yuji Takatsuka

Takanobu Takamatsu

Yuuichi Fukuyama

Norio Hosomi

Tadakatsu Take

Junya Takekawa

Shuta Togashi

An electric power steering apparatus includes a steering column that is swung around a tilting spindle during tilt adjustment, a fixing bracket that supports the steering column through the tilting spindle, and an electric motor that is supported by the steering column and used as a steering auxiliary. The fixing bracket includes a pair of side plates facing each other with the steering shaft therebetween in a vehicle width direction and a connection member through which the pair of side plates are connected together. Either one of the pair of side plates is provided with a first restraining portion that restrains the steering column from rotating in a first rotation direction around the tilting spindle. The remaining one of the pair of side plates is provided with a second restraining portion that restrains the steering column from rotating in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

Electric power steering apparatus

An electric power steering apparatus is provided that has a controller by which no current flows in one phase among current paths of three phases for supplying electric power from a motor driving circuit to a three-phase brushless motor and currents that have an identical absolute value and that have different signs flow in the other two phases. Thus, the status at one energization angle on the driving current waveform of the three-phase brushless motor can be given continuously and relatively-high currents can simultaneously flow in opposite directions in the contacts inserted to the two phases. By flowing of such high current in the contacts, a secure conduction check can be performed and foreign matters on the surface of the contact can be fused or thermally destroyed.

Growing community of inventors

Ebina, Japan

Ryouichi Suzuki