JP2006168624A - Vehicle steering system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle steering system of compact construction capable of performing a torque control and a gear ratio control using a single motor without involving large cost-up and a deterioration of the layout to a great extent. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle steering system equipped with a VGR mechanism and assisting electrically the steering force of a steering wheel includes a transmitting mechanism to transmit the steering force from the steering wheel 2 to each wheel 16 and is furnished with an epicyclic gearing mechanism 7, a 2-output motor 8 to perform both the torque control and the gear ratio control of the VGR mechanism, and a wavy motion gearing mechanism 9, the three being positioned one by one from the side with the steering wheel 2, wherein the outer rotor 82 of the 2-output motor 8 is coupled with the external gear 74 of the epicyclic gearing mechanism 7 so as to assist the steering force of the steering wheel, while the inner rotor 83 of the 2-output motor 8 is coupled with the wave generator 91 of the wavy motion gearing mechanism so as to control the transmission ratio in the steering wheel rotating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering system using EPS (electric power steering), and more particularly to a vehicle steering system including a VGR (variable steering gear ratio).

  In recent years, VGR devices have come to be used in vehicle steering systems using EPS devices. Conventionally, the torque control of the EPS device and the gear ratio control of the VGR device are generally performed by separate electric motors. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-30922 (Patent Document 1) discloses a steering system that performs both torque control of the EPS device and gear ratio control of the VGR device with a single one-axis output electric motor. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-30922 JP 2000-142135 A JP 2001-78408 A JP 2004-7975 A JP 2001-30922 A

However, automobiles are required to further reduce the space occupied by the vehicle steering system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact vehicle steering system that can perform torque control and VGR gear ratio control with a single motor without significant cost increase and significant layout deterioration. It is said.

  In order to achieve this object, a vehicle steering system according to the present invention is a vehicle steering system that electrically assists the steering force of a steering handle, which includes a VGR mechanism that variably controls a gear ratio between a steering handle and a wheel of an automobile. The transmission mechanism that transmits the steering force from the steering wheel of the automobile to the wheels is provided with the first reduction mechanism, which is sequentially provided from the steering wheel side, and both the torque control of the steering system and the gear ratio control of the VGR mechanism. A two-output motor, and a second reduction mechanism. The two-output motor includes a stator, an outer rotor disposed on the outer peripheral side of the stator, and an inner rotor disposed on the inner peripheral side of the stator. And one of the two rotors of the two-output motor is coupled to the first reduction mechanism so as to assist the steering force of the steering handle. Other rotor of the two rotors, so as to control the transmission ratio of the rotation of the steering wheel, is characterized in that it is connected to the second reduction mechanism.

According to the vehicle steering system of the present invention configured as described above, both the torque control of the EPS device and the gear ratio control of the VGR device are performed using a single two-output motor. Here, the two-output motor refers to a rotating electric machine that drives two rotors with a single stator. The rotation of the inner rotor and the rotation of the outer rotor are mutually performed by flowing a composite current through the multiphase coil of the stator. It is controlled independently (for example, Patent Documents 2 to 4).
Thus, torque control and gear ratio control can be performed with a single motor without significant cost increase and significant layout deterioration.

In the present invention, preferably, the outer rotor of the two-output motor is connected to the first reduction mechanism, and the inner rotor of the two-output motor is connected to the second reduction mechanism.
Since the outer rotor has a larger radius of rotation than the inner rotor, high torque can be easily generated. For this reason, if the outer rotor is connected to the first reduction mechanism, an EPS having a large torque capacity for assisting the steering force can be easily configured. Further, the inner rotor can easily generate a higher rotational speed than the outer rotor. For this reason, if the inner rotor is connected to the second reduction mechanism, a VGR with high accuracy of gear ratio control can be easily configured.

In the present invention, preferably, the first speed reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism, and the second speed reduction mechanism is a wave gear mechanism.
The planetary gear mechanism is a mechanism that has a simple structure, provides a high reduction ratio, and can transmit a large torque. Therefore, if a planetary gear mechanism is used as the first reduction mechanism, an EPS having a large torque capacity can be easily configured.
The wave gear mechanism is a reduction device known as "Harmonic Drive (registered trademark)", and is a mechanism that can easily obtain a high reduction ratio with a simple structure and high accuracy. Therefore, if a wave gear mechanism is used as the second reduction mechanism, a VGR that can accurately control the gear ratio can be easily configured.

In the present invention, preferably, the first reduction mechanism, the two-output motor, and the second reduction mechanism are arranged so that the respective rotation center axes are located on the same straight line.
As a result, the arrangement configuration of the speed reduction mechanism and the two-output motor becomes compact, and excellent layout can be provided.

  According to the vehicle steering system of the present invention, torque control and gear ratio control can be performed by a single motor without significant cost increase and significant layout deterioration.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle steering system of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the transmission mechanism which comprises the steering system 1 of this embodiment and transmits steering force from the steering wheel of a motor vehicle to a wheel is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of a steering shaft 4 is connected to the steering handle 2. The upper end of the intermediate shaft 6 is connected to the lower end portion of the steering shaft 4 via a universal joint 5. Further, a first reduction mechanism 7, a two-output motor 8, and a second reduction mechanism 9 are connected in series to the lower end portion of the intermediate shaft 6 sequentially from the steering handle 2 side.

  Further, an intermediate shaft 10 is coupled under the second reduction mechanism 9, and a steering gear box 12 is provided at the lower end portion of the intermediate shaft 10. Tie rods 14 are connected to both sides of the steering gear box 12, and tires (wheels) 16 are attached to the tie rods 14. FIG. 1 shows a housing that houses the first reduction mechanism 7, the two-output motor 8, and the second reduction mechanism 9.

Next, the vehicle steering system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part including the first reduction mechanism 7, the two-output motor 8, and the second reduction mechanism 9 in the vehicle steering system. In the present embodiment, the first reduction mechanism is the planetary gear mechanism 7, and the second reduction mechanism is the wave gear mechanism 9. The planetary gear mechanism 7, the two-output motor 8, and the wave gear mechanism 9 are arranged so that their rotation center axes are located on the same straight line.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the planetary gear mechanism 7 includes a sun gear 71, a plurality of sets of compound planetary gears 72 and 73 disposed on the sun gear 71, and outside the compound planetary gears 72 and 73. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the outer ring gear 74 arranged and a planet carrier 75 (not shown in FIG. 3) that supports the compound planetary gears 72 and 73 are configured. An intermediate shaft 6 that is an input shaft is fixed to the sun gear 71. Further, an outer peripheral shaft 11 as an output shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 7 is fixed to the outer ring wheel 74. The compound planet gears 72 and 73 are fixed to the planet carrier 75. Further, the center shaft 73 a of the planetary gear 73 is fixed to the vehicle body by a support member 76. Therefore, each of the compound planetary gears 72 and 73 rotates but does not revolve.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wave gear mechanism 9 basically includes an elliptical wave generator 91, a flex spline 92 provided on the outer periphery thereof, and a circular spline 93 provided on the outer periphery thereof. Has been. An outer peripheral shaft 11 as an input shaft of the wave gear mechanism 9 is fixed to the flex spline 92. Further, an intermediate shaft 10 that is an output shaft is fixed to the circular spline 93.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the two-output motor 8 includes a stator 81, an outer rotor 82 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the stator 81, and an inner rotor 83 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the stator 81. Yes. The stator 81 is fixed to the planet carrier 75 of the planetary gear mechanism 7 via the support member 85. Further, the outer rotor 82 is fixed to the outer peripheral shaft 11 so as to rotate together. Further, the inner rotor 83 is fixed to the wave generator 91 of the wave gear mechanism 9 through the central shaft 84 so as to be integrally rotated.

  Then, the rotational steering force of the steering handle 2 is transmitted to the sun gear 71 of the planetary gear mechanism 7 via the intermediate shaft 6. This steering force is transmitted to the outer ring gear 74 through the compound planetary gears 72 and 73 that do not revolve in order. Thereby, rotation is decelerated. Further, the rotation of the outer ring gear 74 is transmitted to the flex spline 92 of the wave gear 9 through the outer peripheral shaft 11.

  At that time, by rotating the outer rotor 83 of the two-output motor fixed to the outer peripheral shaft 11, torque can be applied to the outer peripheral shaft 11 so as to assist the steering force of the steering handle. In this case, in particular, since a rotational force is applied to the outer peripheral shaft 11 having a large turning radius, a high torque capacity can be easily obtained.

  Furthermore, since the high rotational speed of the intermediate shaft 6 is input to the sun gear 71, the rotational speed of the outer peripheral shaft 11 is also increased. For this reason, the outer rotor 83 is used at a high rotational speed. As a result, the rotation speed can be controlled with high accuracy.

  Subsequently, the rotation of the outer peripheral shaft 11 is input to the flex spline 92 of the wave gear mechanism 9. The rotation of the flex spline 92 is transmitted to the circular spline 93 and output from the intermediate shaft 10.

  Further, the rotation of the inner rotor 82 of the two-output motor 8 is input to the wave generator 91 via the center shaft 84. Each time the wave generator 91 makes one rotation, the rotation of the flex spline 92 is delayed by two teeth with respect to the circular spline 93. Therefore, the transmission ratio in the wave gear mechanism 9 can be controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the inner rotor 82.

  The rotation of the outer rotor 92 and the rotation of the inner rotor 93 of the two-output motor 2 are controlled independently of each other by controlling the composite current flowing through the multiphase coil of the stator 91. This composite current is controlled by the controller 20.

Here, the configuration and operation of the controller 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
Output signals are respectively input to the controller 20 from the vehicle speed sensor 31, the steering angle sensor 32, the inner rotor rotation angle sensor 33, the torque sensor 34, and the outer rotor rotation angle sensor 35.

  The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the speed of the vehicle. The rudder angle sensor 32 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The inner rotor rotation angle sensor 33 detects the rotation angle of the inner rotor 93 of the two-output motor 9. The torque sensor 34 detects a steering torque acting on the intermediate shaft 10. The outer rotor rotation angle sensor 35 detects the rotation angle of the outer rotor 91 of the two-output motor 9.

  The controller 20 includes a characteristic storage unit 21, a basic steering ratio calculation unit 22, a correction steering ratio calculation unit 23, a target control amount calculation unit 24, an inner rotor driving unit 25, and an outer rotor driving unit 26. Has been.

  In the characteristic storage unit 21, for example, a first map in which a target transmission ratio R with respect to the vehicle speed V is set and a second map in which a correction transmission ratio according to the steering angle θH of the steering wheel 2 is set are stored. . Then, the steering ratio calculation unit 22 calculates a target transmission ratio corresponding to the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 31 with reference to the first map. Subsequently, the correction steering ratio calculation unit 23 calculates a correction transmission ratio corresponding to the steering angle θH detected by the steering angle sensor 32 with reference to the second map, and sets this as a target transmission ratio. Subsequently, the target control amount calculation unit 24 calculates the target rotation angle θm of the inner rotor 93 corresponding to the target transmission ratio. The inner rotor driving unit 25 rotates the inner rotor 91 so that the detected value θi of the inner rotor rotation angle sensor 33 matches the target rotation angle θm.

  Further, the outer rotor drive unit 26 generates a predetermined correction torque based on the driver's steering force (steering torque) detected by the torque sensor 34 and the detected value of the outer rotor rotation angle sensor 35. The outer rotor 93 is rotationally driven to reduce the driver's steering force.

  In each embodiment mentioned above, although the example which constituted the present invention on specific conditions was explained, the present invention can perform various change and combination, and is not limited to this. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the planetary gear mechanism is used as the first reduction mechanism and the wave gear mechanism is used as the second reduction mechanism has been described. However, each configuration of the first and second reduction mechanisms Is not limited to this.

It is the schematic of the vehicle steering system of this invention. It is a principal part schematic diagram of the vehicle steering system of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing in alignment with AA of FIG. 2 for demonstrating the structure of a planetary gear mechanism. It is sectional drawing in alignment with BB of FIG. 2 for demonstrating the structure of a wave gear mechanism. It is a functional block diagram for demonstrating a controller.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle steering system 2 Steering handle 4 Steering shaft 5 Universal joint 6 Intermediate shaft 8 1st deceleration mechanism 9 2 output motor 9 2nd deceleration mechanism 10 Intermediate shaft 11 Outer periphery shaft 12 Steering gear box 14 Tie rod 16 Tire 20 Controller 21 Characteristic memory | storage part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Basic steering ratio calculating part 23 Correction | amendment steering ratio calculating part 24 Target control amount calculating part 25 Inner rotor drive part 26 Outer rotor drive part 31 Vehicle speed sensor 32 Steering angle sensor 33 Inner rotor rotation angle sensor 34 Torque sensor 35 Outer rotor rotation angle sensor 71 Sun gear 72, 73 Planetary gear 74 Outer ring gear 75 Planetary carrier 76 Support member 81 Stator 82 Outer rotor 83 Inner rotor 84 Center shaft 85 Support member 91 Wave generator 2 flexspline 93 circular spline

Claims (4)

A vehicle steering system for electrically assisting a steering force of a steering wheel, comprising a VGR mechanism for variably controlling a gear ratio between a steering wheel and a wheel of an automobile,
In order to perform both the first speed reduction mechanism and the torque control of the steering system and the gear ratio control of the VGR mechanism that are sequentially provided from the steering handle side to the transmission mechanism that transmits the steering force from the steering wheel of the automobile to the wheels. A two-output motor and a second reduction mechanism,
The two-output motor is
A stator,
An outer rotor disposed on the outer peripheral side of the stator;
An inner rotor disposed on the inner peripheral side of the stator,
Consisting of
One of the two rotors of the two-output motor is coupled to the first reduction mechanism so as to assist the steering force of the steering handle,
The other rotor of the two rotors of the two-output motor is connected to the second reduction mechanism so as to control the transmission ratio of the rotation of the steering handle. . The outer rotor of the two-output motor is coupled to the first reduction mechanism,
The vehicle steering system according to claim 1, wherein the inner rotor of the two-output motor is connected to the second reduction mechanism. The first reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism,
The vehicle steering system according to claim 1, wherein the second reduction mechanism is a wave gear mechanism.   The said 1st reduction mechanism, the said 2 output motor, and the said 2nd reduction mechanism are arrange | positioned so that each rotation center axis line may be located on the same straight line. Vehicle steering system.

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