JP2011218989A - Electric power steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric power steering device that avoids occurrence of stress upon electrically connecting a motor with a control unit, requires no change in the size of a housing and no change in the design upon mounting a motor with higher output power, has a protruding length reduced in the radial direction, and is thus improved in mountability.SOLUTION: The electric power steering device includes an electric motor 5 imparting a steering assist force to a steering system, a steering torque sensor detecting steering torque transmitted to the steering system, and a control unit 19 controlling an electric current to the electric motor in accordance with the steering torque detected by the steering torque sensor, all integrally attached to a housing 10 that stores a deceleration mechanism. The control unit 19 includes a unit side power feeding section disposed close to a motor side power feeding section of the electric motor. A feeding harness 9 having a connector 9c at the tip is led from one of the unit side power feeding section and the motor side power feeding section, while a connector connecting section 25e for connecting the connector 9c is formed in the other power feeding section.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus including an electric motor that applies a steering assist force to a steering system, and a control unit that controls energization of the electric motor in accordance with a steering torque of the steering system.

A control unit including a control board on which a steering assisting force is transmitted to a steering shaft to which steering torque is transmitted via a reduction mechanism in a reduction gear box and a drive circuit for controlling an electric motor is mounted on the reduction gear box is mounted. An electromechanical integrated electric power steering device is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Here, the electrical connection between the electric motor and the control unit is such that the connection terminal formed on the electric motor is screwed to the terminal block formed on the control unit.

JP 2007-276740 A

  However, in the conventional example described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the connection terminal of the electric motor and the terminal block of the control unit are brought into contact with each other and screwed, stress is generated at the time of screwing. In addition to management, it is necessary to use a high-strength resin material that is made up of the control unit. Also, it is necessary to change the terminal block position of the control unit by changing the size of the reduction gearbox, and a motor with high output is installed. Then, it becomes impossible to connect, design change is required, and since the terminal block is L-shaped, there is an unsolved problem such that the connecting portion protrudes in the radial direction of the electric motor, and the mountability is deteriorated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the unsolved problems of the above conventional example, and it is possible to avoid the generation of stress at the time of electrical connection between the motor and the control unit, and to change the size of the housing, It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric power steering device that does not require a design change when a motor with a high output is mounted, and that can further improve the mountability by reducing the protruding length in the radial direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1 includes an electric motor that applies a steering assist force to a steering system, and a steering torque sensor that detects a steering torque transmitted to the steering system. A control unit for controlling energization of the electric motor in accordance with a steering torque detected by the steering torque sensor, and an electric power steering apparatus integrally attached to a housing for storing a speed reduction mechanism, wherein the control unit Is provided with a unit-side power supply unit arranged in proximity to the motor-side power supply unit of the electric motor, and a power supply harness having a connector at the tip from either the unit-side power supply unit or the motor-side power supply unit. A connector connecting portion that leads out and connects the connector to the other is formed.

An electric power steering apparatus according to a second aspect is characterized in that, in the invention according to the first aspect, a base portion of the power supply harness is connected to an internal contact via a grommet.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric power steering apparatus according to the second aspect, the grommet is provided with a bending guide portion for bending the power feeding harness toward the power feeding portion to which the connector is connected. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric power steering device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the power feeding harness is led out from the motor side power feeding section, and the connector is fed to the unit side power feeding. A wire guide groove that is connected to the connector connecting portion formed in the portion and guides the wire of the power supply harness at a position close to the power feeding portion of the electric motor of the control unit; A guide groove is formed toward the motor-side power feeding portion of the electric motor.
An electric power steering device according to a fifth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the power supply harness is guided and fixed between the motor side power supply unit and the unit side power supply unit. It is characterized in that a harness supporting member that also serves as an is arranged.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid the generation of stress when the motor and the control unit are electrically connected, and there is no change in design when the housing is resized or a motor with a high output is mounted. This has the effect of providing an electric power steering device that can improve the mountability by reducing the protruding length of the.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the principal part of the reduction gear box which comprises an electric power steering apparatus. It is a front view of the reduction gear box of FIG. It is a top view which shows a part of FIG. 3 as a cross section. It is a disassembled perspective view of a control unit. It is a front view of the reduction gear box which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows a part of FIG. 6 as a cross section. It is a front view of the reduction gear box which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from the driver's seat side.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a column-type electric power steering apparatus. The electric power steering apparatus 1 has a steering column 3 rotatably mounted with a steering shaft 2 to which a steering wheel (not shown) is coupled at the tip. . A reduction gear box 4 is connected to the steering column 3, and an electric motor 5 whose axial direction is extended in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering column 3 is disposed in the reduction gear box 4.

The steering column 3 has a double tube structure of an inner tube 3a and an outer tube 3b. The inner tube 3 a and the reduction gear box 4 of the steering column 3 are attached to the vehicle body side member by an upper attachment bracket 6 and a lower attachment bracket 7.
The lower mounting bracket 7 is formed of a mounting plate portion 7a attached to the vehicle body side member, and a pair of support plate portions 7b extending in parallel from the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 7a in the left-right direction with a predetermined interval. . And the lower end of the support plate part 7b is rotatably connected to the support part 4b integrally formed in the vehicle body front side of the reduction gear box 4 via the pivot 7c.

  The upper mounting bracket 6 is formed on a pair of flanges 6a, a pair of support plate portions 6c fixed to the lower ends of the flanges 6a and spaced apart in the left-right (vehicle width) direction, and the pair of support plate portions 6c. And a tilt mechanism 6 d that supports the outer tube 3 b of the steering column 3. A slit 6a1 is formed in the flange 6a, and a release capsule 6b is fitted in the slit 6a1. A bolt through hole 6b1 is formed in the release capsule 6b, and a fixing bolt (not shown) that penetrates the bolt through hole 6b1 from below the release capsule 6b is screwed into a vehicle body side member (not shown). Thus, the flange 6a is attached to the vehicle body side member.

Then, the tilt lever 6g of the tilt mechanism 6d is rotated to release the pinched state of the outer tube 3b, whereby the tilt position of the steering column 3 can be adjusted up and down around the pivot 7c of the lower mounting bracket 7. .
As shown in FIG. 2, the steering shaft 2 has an input shaft 2a whose upper end is connected to the steering wheel, and an output shaft 2c that covers the torsion bar 2b connected to the lower end of the input shaft 2a via the torsion bar 2b. It consists of

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reduction gear box 4 has a housing 10, which is connected to an output shaft (not shown) of the electric motor 5 and extends perpendicular to the steering shaft 2. A worm storage part 12 for storing the worm 11 to be operated, and a worm having a central axis perpendicular to the central axis below the worm storage part 12 and meshing with the worm 11 and attached to the output shaft 2c of the steering shaft 2 A worm wheel storage portion 14 for storing the wheel 13; a torque sensor storage portion 16 for storing a torque sensor 15 integrally and coaxially connected to the rear side of the vehicle body of the worm wheel storage portion 14 facing the steering shaft 2; Is formed.

  The housing 10 of the reduction gear box 4 includes a motor mounting portion 17 for attaching the electric motor 5 formed on the open end surface of the worm storage portion 12, and a cylindrical column formed at the rear end of the vehicle body of the torque sensor storage portion 16. A mounting portion 18 and a control unit mounting portion 20 for mounting a control unit 19 formed over a part of the worm storage portion 12 and the worm wheel storage portion 14 are formed. The front end portion of the vehicle body of the steering column 3 is externally fitted and connected to the column mounting portion 18 of the reduction gear box 4.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the torque sensor 15 magnetically detects the twisted state between the input shaft 2a and the output shaft 2c of the steering shaft 2 and detects a pair of steering torques transmitted to the steering shaft 2. The coils 15a and 15b are configured to detect. External connection terminals 15c, 15d and 15e, 15f projecting outward in parallel to the direction orthogonal to the central axis of the steering column 3 are connected to the start and end of the pair of detection coils 15a, 15b, respectively. The projecting portions of the terminals 15c to 15f are bent at the central portion in parallel with the central axis of the steering column 3, and are formed in an L shape.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electric motor 5 has one end through a grommet 8 attached at a position close to and opposed to the control unit 19 attached to the control unit attachment portion 20 at a position close to the attachment flange 5b. Although not shown in the drawings, a power supply harness 9 having lead wires 9a and 9b that are insulated from each other and connected to a brush as an internal contact in a synthetic resin brush support body having an armature insertion hole serving as a motor side power supply portion is derived. Yes.
Here, each of the strands 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 has a configuration in which a conductor is covered with an insulating coating layer, and has a fastening margin in the fitting holes 8a and 8b formed in the grommet 8. It is mated. The grommet 8 is formed of a rubber material having a damper effect, and a rubber material having a small compression set is selected in order to maintain a set fastening allowance.
A male connector 9 c is attached to the other end of each of the strands 9 a and 9 b of the power supply harness 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit mounting portion 20 formed in the reduction gear box 4 is formed so as to face the vehicle body rear side at the worm storage portion 12 and the upper side of the worm wheel storage portion 14 below the worm storage portion 12. Left and right by a flat mounting surface and a rectangular unit mounting surface that is orthogonal to the flat mounting surface and the flat mounting surface formed on the upper surface of the torque sensor storage section 16 and that extends in the longitudinal direction in the left-right direction. It is formed in an L shape when viewed from the direction.
Here, at the central portion in the left-right direction of the unit mounting surface of the control unit mounting portion 20, as shown in FIG. 2, an opening communicating with the internal space of the torque sensor housing portion 16 housing the torque sensor 15. 20a is formed, and external connection terminals 15c to 15f of the torque sensor 15 are provided so as to protrude above the unit mounting surface through the opening 20a.

Further, a frame mounting surface (not shown) narrower on the rear end surface of the motor mounting portion 17 is parallel to the flat mounting surface formed facing the rear side of the vehicle and is located at the rear side of the flat mounting surface. ) Is formed.
As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 19 mounted on the control unit mounting unit 20 includes a heat radiating plate 21, a power board 22, a rectangular frame 23, a control board 24, an inner cover 25, and an outer side. The metal unit cover 26 is provided.
The heat radiating plate 21 is directly fixed to the flat mounting surface of the control unit mounting portion 20 via heat radiating grease.

The power substrate 22 is an integrated circuit 22a, 22b such as an H bridge circuit composed of a power switching element such as a field effect transistor that drives and controls the electric motor 5, and a pulse width modulation circuit that drives the power switching element of the H bridge circuit. Is implemented.
The control board 24 is attached to the back surface of the inner cover 25, and has through holes 24a to 24d that are directly inserted through the external connection terminals 15c to 15f of the torque sensor 15, so that a torque detected value from the torque sensor 15 and a vehicle speed (not shown) A steering assist current command value is calculated based on the vehicle speed detection value from the sensor, and current feedback control is performed based on the steering assist current command value and the detected value of the motor current output to the electric motor 5 to control the power board 22. In addition to the micro control unit (MCU) that controls the steering assist force generated by the electric motor 5 and its peripheral devices by calculating the voltage command value to the pulse width modulation circuit, discrete components such as capacitors, coils, and relays 24e is implemented.

  The frame 23 is an insulating member made of synthetic resin surrounding the power board 22, and is formed on a rectangular frame-shaped frame main body 23 a and the right end of the frame main body 23 a, and is fixed to the frame mounting surface of the reduction gear box 4. An attachment plate portion 23b and a female connector 45 fixed to the right end of the frame body 23a are provided. The female connector 45 includes a power connector 45a connected to the battery via a male connector for power supply, and a signal connector 45b connected to a network such as a CAN for transmitting / receiving data to / from a control device of each part of the vehicle body. ing. The power board 22, the control board 24, and the female connector 25e are connected via a connection terminal 22c.

  The inner cover 25 is a resin member, and is fixed to a rectangular flat plate portion 25a, a screw insertion hole 25b formed at an edge of the flat plate portion 25a, and a lower surface of the flat plate portion 25a corresponding to the screw insertion hole 25b. A plurality of hollow cylindrical leg portions 25c, a connecting cylinder portion 25d fixed to the center of the upper surface of the flat plate portion 25a and having a screw hole 25d1, and a unit side disposed at a position close to the electric motor 5 It is a member provided with the female connector 25e as a connector connection part of an electric power feeding part. The female connector 25e is electrically connected with the male connector 9c attached to the ends of the strands 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 led out from the grommet 8 of the electric motor 5 described above. A power supply path is formed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the strands 9 a and 9 b of the power supply harness 9 are fitted to the end of the inner cover 25 on the side of the electric motor 5 at a predetermined interval outside the unit cover 26. A wire guide member 25g is provided which is guided and formed with a wire guide groove 25f formed toward the grommet 8 as a motor-side power feeding portion of the electric motor 5.
The inner cover 25 is screwed into the screw holes 41 for fixing the inner cover formed in the frame 23 with the fixing screws 40 inserted through the screw insertion holes 25b and the screw insertion holes of the leg portions 25c from above the flat plate portion 25a. As a result, the power board 22 and the control board 24 are covered and fixed to the frame 23.

The unit cover 26 is a member made of conductive metal, and extends perpendicularly from the rectangular first protection plate portion 28 that covers the inner cover 25 and the longitudinal edge of the first protection plate portion 28. The second and third protection plate portions 29 and 30 and the fourth protection plate portion 28 extending in the same direction as the second and third protection plate portions 29 and 30 from the edge in the short direction of the first protection plate portion 28. And the fifth protective plate portions 31, 32, the second protective plate portion 29, and the screw insertion holes formed in the direction orthogonal to the outside of the cover from the end portions of the fourth and fifth protective plate portions 31, 32. A plurality of fixed pieces 34 are provided.
The first protective plate portion 28 includes an open window 28a that exposes the female connector 25e provided on the inner cover 25 to the outside, and an insertion hole 28b that faces the connecting cylinder portion 25d formed on the inner cover 15 provided in the center portion. In the fourth protective plate portion 31, a notch 31a surrounding the outer periphery of the female connector 45 is formed.

  Then, the heat radiating plate 21 and the frame 23 of the control unit 19 are fixed to the control unit mounting portion 20 of the reduction gear box 4, and the unit cover 26 is also fixed by being inserted into the screw insertion hole of the fixing piece 34 as shown in FIG. By screwing the screw 43 into a screw hole (not shown) of the control unit mounting portion 20, the control unit 19 is mounted on the control unit mounting portion 20 of the reduction gear box 4.

  Further, the male wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 having a male connector 9c attached to the tip derived from the grommet 8 of the electric motor 5 are fitted into the wire guide grooves 25f of the wire guide member 25g while being male. By connecting the type connector 9 c to the female connector 25 e formed on the inner cover 25, the unit-side power supply unit and the motor-side power supply unit can be reliably connected by the power supply harness 9. Further, the wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 are arranged in parallel to each other. The length between the grommet 8 of the electric motor 5 of the wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 and the male connector 9c at the tip is the shortest distance between the two via the wire guide groove 25f. A length obtained by adding a predetermined allowance, that is, a length in consideration of an attachment error or the like, to the length to be connected by (1) is selected.

Next, a method for assembling the electric power steering apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.
First, the torque sensor 15 is disposed in the torque sensor housing 16 in the housing 10 of the reduction gear box 4, and the external connection terminals 15c to 15f are projected upward through the opening 20a. Next, the steering shaft 2 to which the worm wheel 13 is attached is mounted in the torque sensor storage portion 16 and the worm wheel storage portion 14, and then the worm 11 is mounted in the worm storage portion 12 while being screwed onto the worm wheel 13.

  Thereafter, the control unit 19 is mounted on the control unit mounting portion 20 of the housing 10, and the external connection terminals 15 c to 15 f of the torque sensor 15 are inserted into the through holes 24 a to 24 d of the control board 24 to be electrically connected by, for example, soldering. Connect and fix. After or before that, the electric motor 5 is coupled to the motor mounting portion 17 of the housing 10 so that the grommet 8 faces the control unit 19 and the output shaft is coupled to a worm shaft (not shown) on which the worm 11 is mounted. Attach to.

  When the mounting of the electric motor 5 and the control unit 19 to the housing 10 is completed, the wires 9a and 9b on the male connector 9c side of the wires 9a and 9b in the power supply harness 9 led out from the electric motor 5 are controlled. A female connector 9c fitted to the inner cover 25 through the opening window 28a of the unit cover 26 by being fitted and guided in the strand guide groove 25f of the strand guide member 15g in the inner cover 25 of the unit 19. The motor-side power feeding unit of the electric motor 5 and the unit-side power feeding unit of the control unit 19 are electrically connected by being inserted into the connector 25e. At this time, by giving some margin to the lengths of the wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9, even if an error occurs in the mounting position of the electric motor 5 and the control unit 19, this error is absorbed. Can do. For this reason, it is possible to avoid compressive or tensile stress from acting on the power supply harness 9.

After the electrical connection of the power supply harness 9 to the control unit 19 is completed, the assembly of the electric power steering apparatus 1 is completed.
When the assembly of the electric power steering apparatus 1 is completed in this way, the electrical connection between the electric motor 5 and the female connector 25e of the control unit 19 is attached to the front end of the power supply harness 9 led out from the electric motor 5. The male connector 9c and the female connector 25e attached to the inner cover 25 of the control unit 19 need only be coupled. When this electrical connection is made, a member projecting in the radial direction of the electric motor 5 is used. Is not required, and a dedicated protective cover for covering the electrical connection portion is not required. Therefore, the height protruding in the radial direction from the electric motor 5 is equal to the thickness of the feeding harness 9 and the height of the wire guide member 25g. Therefore, it is possible to improve the mountability of the electric power steering apparatus 1 to the steering mechanism.

  After the electric power steering device 1 is thus mounted, when an ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle is turned on to supply power from the battery to the power board 22 and the control board 24, steering assistance is provided by the micro control unit (MCU). A control process is executed, and a steering assist current command value is calculated based on detection values of the torque sensor 15 and a vehicle speed sensor (not shown). A current feedback process is executed based on the steering assist current command value and the motor current detected by the motor current detection unit to calculate a voltage command value. By supplying this voltage command value to the gate drive circuit of the power board 22 and controlling the H bridge circuit, a motor drive current flows through the electric motor 5 and the electric motor 5 needs to be operated in the forward or reverse direction. Drive to generate force.

For this reason, a steering assist force corresponding to the steering torque of the steering wheel is generated from the electric motor 5, and this steering assist force is transmitted to the output shaft 2c of the steering shaft 2 via the worm 11 and the worm wheel 13, The steering wheel can be steered with a light steering force.
According to the first embodiment, there is no need to design a motor with a bus bar connection specification, and the design change point from the existing motor can be changed by changing only the harness length and the connecting portion (terminal). Since the production equipment can be used, no setup change is required.

Further, the power supply harness 9 is connected to the female connector 25 e provided inside the control unit 19 through the male connector 9 c of the power supply harness 9 through the open window 28 a provided in the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the bus bar terminal and the terminal block as in the conventional example, and the configuration can be simplified correspondingly.
Further, as in the conventional example, the bus bar connection has a configuration in which the terminal block protrudes in the radial direction of the electric motor, which affects the mountability. However, in this embodiment, the thickness of the power supply harness 9 is only about twice as much. Since the protruding portion in the radial direction can be omitted, the mountability of the electric power steering device 1 and the electric motor 5 can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the bus bar connection as in the conventional example, in order to increase the reliability of the bus bar portion of the electric motor, the clearance between the terminal block of the control unit and the bus bar of the electric motor is set to be small and screwed. It is necessary to reduce the generated stress, and the strength of the welded portion, high material, and high-precision parts are required. In this embodiment, the length of the grommet 8 of the power supply harness 9 and the male connector 9c. It is possible to absorb the error of the length and to suppress the generation of stress only by giving some margin to the above.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the position of the insertion hole 28a of the unit cover 26 is also fixed by the mounting screw 42, it is possible to prevent the generation of unpleasant noise and provide the electric power steering device 1 with high silence. Can do.
That is, since vehicle vibration is transmitted from the vehicle to the reduction gear box 4 or motor vibration is transmitted from the electric motor 5, the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19 resonates and vibrates with a large amplitude. Although an unpleasant sound such as a sound is likely to be generated, a part of the first protection plate portion 28 of the unit cover 26 is connected to the connecting cylinder portion 25d of the inner cover 25 by the fixing screw 42 as in the present embodiment. Even if vehicle vibration, motor vibration, or the like is transmitted to the unit cover 26, the unit cover 26 vibrates with a small amplitude, and the resonance with respect to the transmitted vibration is easily suppressed. Therefore, the unit cover 26 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which unpleasant noise is unlikely to be generated even when vehicle vibrations and motor vibrations are transmitted, and thus the electric power steering apparatus 1 with improved silence can be provided.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the second embodiment, instead of providing a wire guide member on the control unit 19 side, a wire guide member is provided at an intermediate portion between the electric motor 5 and the control unit 19.
That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the wire guide member 25g in the first embodiment described above is omitted, and instead of this, the electric motor 5 in the reduction gear box 4 and Except that the harness support member 50 is fixed to the worm storage portion 12 between the control units 19, the configuration is the same as that in FIGS. 3 and 4 in the first embodiment described above. Corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Here, the harness support member 50 includes a member main body 51 having an E-shaped cross section, and a grommet 8 and a male gender of the power supply harness 9 formed on the side surface of the member main body 51, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. A wire guide groove 52 that fits and guides the wires 9a and 9b between the connector 9c of the mold and a fixing screw portion 53 that protrudes rearward from the back side of the member main body 51. Yes.
The strand guide groove 52 is formed of a concave portion having a substantially square cross section from the upper and lower surfaces of the member main body 51 to the inside, and is inclined and extended so that the control unit 19 side rises forward.

Then, by fixing the harness supporting member 50 by screwing the fixing screw portion 53 protrudingly formed on the member main body 51 to the female screw 54 formed on the worm storage portion 12, as shown in FIG. However, it is fixed so that the electric motor 5 side is low and the control unit 19 side is high.
A bending guide member 60 that bends the strands 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 led out from the grommet 8 at, for example, about 80 degrees at the position of the grommet 8 facing the end portion of the harness support member 50 on the electric motor 5 side. Is formed. The bending guide member 60 includes a protruding plate portion 61 that extends along the opposite side of the fitting holes 8a and 8b of the grommet 8 from the control unit 19 side, and a free end of the protruding plate portion 61 toward the control unit 19 side. The bent plate portion 62 is bent to have an L-shaped cross section, and a C-chamfered portion 63 is formed on the end of the bent plate portion 62 on the grommet 8 side.

  Then, the bending guide member 60 guides the strands 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 led out from the fitting holes 8a and 8b of the grommet by the C chamfered portion 63 of the bent plate portion 62 and bends about 80 degrees, for example. Then, the male connector 9c at the end of the power supply harness 9 is guided through the opening 28a of the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19 through the wire support groove 50 of the harness support member 50. It is fixedly coupled to a female connector 25e provided on the inner cover 25.

  According to the second embodiment, the power supply harness 9 in which the male connector 8c is arranged at the tip led out from the grommet 8 of the electric motor 5 is bent about 80 degrees by the bending guide member 60 provided in the grommet 8. Then, it goes to the harness support member 50. In this harness support member 50, the wire guide groove 52 formed of a concave portion extending inward is formed on the upper and lower surfaces, so that the wires 9 a and 9 b are pushed into the wire guide groove 52 from the outside to the inside. In the fitted state, it is guided up front. Then, the male connector 9 c at the tip is inserted and fixed to the female connector 25 e disposed on the inner cover 25 through the opening window 28 a of the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19. In this way, the power supply harness 9 is bent by the bending guide member 60 on the grommet 8 side, and then fitted and guided by the wire guide groove 52 of the harness support member 50. Finally, the male connector 9c at the tip is controlled. Since it is attached to the female connector 25e provided on the inner cover 25 through the open window 28a formed in the unit cover 26 of the unit 19, the wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 are securely attached by the harness support member 50 at the intermediate portion. It is possible to guide without being separated by being guided by. In addition, since the strands 9a and 9b of the power feeding harness 9 are securely stored and held in the strand guide groove 52, they can be protected from external force. Furthermore, the lead-out portions of the wires 9a and 9b of the power supply harness 9 from the grommet 8 are covered with the bending guide member 60, and an external force is prevented from acting on the lead-out portions of the power supply harness 9 from the grommet 8. Thus, disconnection of the power supply harness 9 can be prevented.

In the second embodiment, the case where the wire guide groove 52 of the harness support member 50 is formed on the upper and lower surfaces has been described. However, the wire guide groove is parallel to the front side or the back side of the harness support member 50. 52 can also be formed.
Moreover, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although the case where the harness support member 50 and the bending | flexion guide member 60 were provided was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, The harness support member 50 is abbreviate | omitted and the 1st mentioned above You may make it provide the strand guide member 25g in 1 embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the said 1st and 2nd embodiment, although the case where the strands 9a and 9b of the harness 9 for electric power feeding were derived | led-out from the grommet 8 provided in the motor side electric power feeding part of the electric motor 5 was demonstrated, it is limited to this. Instead, as shown in FIG. 8, the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19 is omitted, and one end of the power supply harness 70 is connected to the output side of the H-bridge circuit of the power board 22 from the inner cover 25. The wires 70a and 70b are led out through the fitting holes 71a and 71b of the grommet 71, the male connector 70c is attached to the other end, and conversely, the female type as the connector connecting portion is connected to the motor side power feeding portion of the electric motor 5. The male connector 70 c of the power supply harness 70 may be connected to the female connector 72.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the male connector 9c or 72 is attached to the power supply harness 9 or 70 has been described. Conversely, a female connector is connected and a male connector is provided on the other side. You may do it.
In the first to third embodiments, the unit cover 26 is fixed to the reduction gear box 4. However, the same effect can be obtained by fixing the unit cover 26 to the attachment plate portion 23 b of the frame 23.
In the above embodiment, the case where the electric motor 5, the control unit 19, and the female connector 45 are arranged in a straight line along a line orthogonal to the central axis of the steering column 3 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of this, they may be arranged in a straight line along a line intersecting the central axis of the steering column 3.

In the above embodiment, the case where a brush motor is applied as the electric motor 5 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a brushless motor may be applied. One end of each wire of the power supply harness 9 having a single wire is connected to the electric motor 5 or the motor side power supply section (or unit side power supply section) of the control unit, and the other end is connected to a three-terminal connector. A three-terminal male connector is electrically connected to a three-terminal female connector provided in the unit-side power feeding section (or motor-side power feeding section), and further, for example, a field effect transistor (FET) that drives a brushless motor on the power board 22 What is necessary is just to mount the gate drive circuit which drives the gate of the field effect transistor of an inverter circuit and inverter circuit with a pulse width modulation signal When the electric motor 5 incorporates a rotation angle detection means such as a resolver, the resolver external connection signal line and the control unit signal line may be connected by a connector, for example.
Moreover, in the said 1st-4th embodiment, although the case where the unit cover 26 of the control unit 19 was formed with an electroconductive metal was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, Insulating materials, such as a synthetic resin material You may make it form in.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric power steering device, 2 ... Steering shaft, 2a ... Input shaft, 2b ... Torsion bar, 2c ... Output shaft, 3 ... Steering column, 3a ... Inner tube, 3b ... Outer tube, 4 ... Reduction gear box (housing) 4b: support part, 5 ... electric motor, 5b ... mounting flange, 8 ... grommet, 9 ... power supply harness, 9a, 9b ... strand, 9c, 9d ... crimp terminal, 11 ... worm, 12 ... worm storage part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Worm wheel, 14 ... Worm wheel accommodating part, 15 ... Torque sensor, 15a, 15b ... Detection coil, 15c-15f ... External connection terminal, 16 ... Torque sensor accommodating part, 17 ... Motor attaching part, 18 ... Column attaching part , 19 ... control unit, 20 ... control unit mounting portion, 21 ... heat radiating plate, 22 ... power board, 22a, 22b ... disc REIT parts, 22c ... connection terminal, 23 ... frame, 23a ... frame body, 23b ... mounting plate, 24 ... control board, 24a-24d ... through hole, 25 ... inner cover, 25f ... strand guide groove, 25g ... elementary Line guide member 26 ... Unit cover 28a Open window 50 Harness support member 51 Member body 52 Wire guide groove 53 Fixing screw part 60 Bending guide member 61 Projecting plate part 62 ... Bent plate portion, 63 ... C chamfered portion, 70 ... Power supply harness, 70a, 70b ... Element wire, 70c ... Male connector, 71a, 71b ... Fitting hole, 72 ... Female connector

Claims (5)

An electric motor that applies a steering assist force to the steering system, a steering torque sensor that detects a steering torque transmitted to the steering system, and an electric current supplied to the electric motor according to the steering torque detected by the steering torque sensor An electric power steering apparatus integrally attached to a housing for storing the speed reduction mechanism,
The control unit includes a unit-side power feeding unit disposed in proximity to the motor-side power feeding unit of the electric motor, and has a connector at the tip from either the unit-side power feeding unit or the motor-side power feeding unit. An electric power steering device characterized in that a connector connecting portion for leading out the electrical harness and connecting the connector to the other is formed.   The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a base portion of the power supply harness is connected to an internal contact via a grommet.   The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a bending guide member for bending the power supply harness toward the power supply unit to which the connector is connected is formed on the grommet.   The power supply harness is led out from the motor-side power supply unit, the connector is connected to a connector connection unit formed in the unit-side power supply unit, and a position close to the motor-side power supply unit of the electric motor of the control unit A wire guide groove for guiding a wire of the power supply harness is formed in the wire harness, and the wire guide groove is formed toward a motor side power supply portion of the electric motor. The electric power steering device according to any one of the above.   5. The harness support member that also serves as a guide and fixing of the power feeding harness is disposed between the motor side power feeding unit and the unit side power feeding unit. Electric power steering device.

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