Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Shigeki Ehara

Hiroshi Tabata

Yasuo Shimizu

Koichi Suyama

Hiroyuki Tokunaga

Norifumi Tamura

Yoshinobu Tada

Tomoya Toyohira

Takamitsu Tajima

Takeshi Iijima

Yoshifumi Banno

Kouichi Suyama

Hiroaki Kobayashi

Satoshi Kawabe

There is provided an estimated steering angle calculation device for a vehicle capable of suppressing deterioration in accuracy of an estimated steering angle even if vehicle wheels slips or is locked due to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. Although, when being accelerated during turning, tire gripping force of front wheels serving as a driving wheel increases and a difference between wheel speeds of the front wheels decreases so that an estimated steering angle &#x3b8;es relative to an actual steering angle &#x3b8;act tends to decrease, the deterioration in accuracy of the estimated steering angle &#x3b8;es due to this tendency can be suppressed by increasing a second contribution rate relative to the estimated steering angle &#x3b8;es on the rear wheel side and decreasing a first contribution rate on the front wheel side in accordance with an accelerator opening degree.

Estimated steering angle calculation device for vehicle

An electric power-assist steering system that provides a steering assist control in accordance with the steering angle right after the idle stop to reduce an unpleasant steering feeling and is installed in a vehicle having an idle stop mechanism (engine controller) that automatically performs an idle stop operation in a predetermined condition. The electric power-assist steering system includes a torque sensor, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle relative to a midpoint of a steering angle that is learned, an electric motor whose assist force is controlled based on the steering torque and the steering angle, and a resolver for detecting a rotational angle of the electric motor. A steering angle right after the idle stop is determined based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor right before the idle stop and variation in the rotational angle detected by the resolver during the idle stop.

Electric power-assist steering system

In an electric power steering system for a vehicle that controls a force that urges a steering wheel toward a neutral position thereof, a control unit () for the system is configured such that an electric motor () for providing an assisting force produces a relatively large returning force when a rotational direction of a steering wheel () agrees with a direction of the steering torque applied to the road wheel (), and a relatively small returning force when a rotational direction of the steering wheel disagrees from a direction of the steering torque applied to the road wheel. Thereby, the effort required for a vehicle operator to steer the vehicle is reduced and the steering feel can be thereby and otherwise improved while providing a favorable returning force that urges a steering wheel toward a neutral position.

Electric power steering system

An input deviceA of an electric steering deviceincludes a pair of steering wheelsA,B. When both the steering wheelsA,B or one of the steering wheelsA,B. is operated being rotated, front wheelscan be steered. Further, when both the steering wheelsA,B or one of the steering wheelsA,B is slid in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle, the front wheelscan be steered.

Steering apparatus

A cable steering device in which the steering torque of a steering wheel is transmitted to wheels by a driven pulley provided in a driven pulley housing, cables, a follower pulley provided in a follower pulley housing and a gear box, and a power steering motor for assisting in the generation of the steering torque is provided in the follower pulley housing and not in the gear box.

Cable steering device

A cable steering device is provided such that it can be easily and reliably confirmed whether an inner cable of a Bowden cable is precisely wound around a pulley housed in a housing. Two inner cables are wound around a helical groove defined in an outer peripheral surface of a driven pulley connected to a steering wheel through a driven shaft. An opening is defined in a driven pulley housing enclosing the driven pulley, so that when the steering wheel is assembled to the driven shaft by a spline, it can be confirmed from the outside that the two inner cables have been wound precisely in two turns around the driven pulley.

Operation of a steering wheel is transmitted to a steering gear box through two cables. In this cable-type steering device, a steering torque inputted to the steering wheel is detected by a steering torque detector provided between the steering wheel and the cables. The operation of a motor for a power steering operation for driving the steering gear box is controlled on the basis of the detected steering torque. The steering torque detected by the steering torque detector includes the friction of the cables and hence, a steering torque offsetting the friction of the cables can be generated in the motor for the power steering operation, thereby providing an appropriate steering feeling. A hydraulic power steering device may be used instead of or in addition to a motor for a power steering operation.

Cable-type steering device

A steering-wheel lock mechanism is provided at a position in which a driver can easily operate the lock mechanism in a cable-type steering device, and prevents a large load from being applied to Bowden wires. Bowden wires, wound around and fixed to a driving pulley mounted in a rotary shaft of a steering wheel, are connected to a steering gear box. A cylinder lock operated by an ignition key is mounted on a driving-pulley housing having the driving pulley accommodated therein. By bringing a lock pin protruding from the cylinder lock, operated to a lock position, into engagement into a lock bore in the driving pulley, the rotation of the driving pulley is inhibited to lock the steering wheel.

Cable steering device with steering lock

In a cable-type steering device (in which a steering torque of a steering wheel is transmitted to wheels through a driven pulley, cables, and a follower pulley, and is assisted by a motor for a power-steering operation), a rotational angle of the driven pulley and a rotational angle of the follower pulley upon operation of the steering wheel are detected by potentiometers. A deviation between both of the rotational angles is proportional to an amount of elongation of the cables, i.e., the steering torque. Hence, an electronic control unit U controls the driving of the motor for the power-steering operation based on the deviation.

A cable-type steering device for controlling operation of a power-steering motor in accordance with the tension on stranded metal wire cables which connect a vehicle steering wheel to a steering gearbox. Tensions of the cables are detected by contact with an arm of a potentiometer. The surfaces of the cables are smoothed by a swaging treatment or resin coating treatment to prevent undesirable vibrations of the arm of the potentiometer and improve the detection accuracy of the potentiometer. The smoothing treatment eliminates undesirable vibration which might otherwise occur due to irregularity of the surface of untreated stranded metal wire cable.

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Wako, Japan

Shigeki Ehara