JP2012201334A - Steering device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve downsizing of a steering device for a vehicle allowing tilt position adjustment, telescopic position adjustment, jumping, and rotational locking of a steering member.SOLUTION: A steering shaft 3 is supported by a steering column 20. A tilt adjustment mechanism 30 displaces a first shaft 11 in a tilt direction D1 using power from a first electric motor 31. A telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 displaces the first shaft 11 in a telescopic direction D2 using power from a second electric motor 41. A restriction portion 46 is provided at the tip of a second male screw portion 44. The restriction portion 46 engages with the first shaft 11 to restrict rotation of a steering member 2, when a tilt angle θ of the first shaft 11 relative to a second shaft 12 is a predetermined angle θ10 and the position of the first shaft 11 with respect to the telescopic direction D2 is a predetermined position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus.

  Some vehicle steering devices include a tilt adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of a steering wheel and a telescopic adjustment mechanism (telescopic adjustment mechanism) (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). The vehicle steering apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a steering shaft having first and second shaft portions connected via a universal joint, and a steering column having first and second column portions connected via a tilt shaft. And. The first column portion and the second column portion support the first and second shaft portions, respectively.

The tilt adjustment mechanism is configured to swing the first column part on the steering wheel side of the two column parts with respect to the second column part on the steering mechanism side. Thereby, the position of the steering wheel in the vertical direction (around the tilt axis) is adjusted.
The telescopic adjustment mechanism changes the position of the steering wheel in the front-rear direction by displacing the first column part and the first shaft part supported by the first column part in the vehicle front-rear direction.

  Further, as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a configuration is known that enables the steering wheel to be flipped upward. For example, in Patent Document 2, the steering wheel is flipped upward by displacing the first shaft portion upward with respect to the second shaft portion. Thus, the space around the seat of the driver's seat can be widened by flipping the first shaft portion upward with respect to the second shaft portion. This prevents the steering wheel from getting in the way when the driver gets on and off the vehicle.

In Patent Document 3, a pin is inserted into the steering shaft when the steering wheel is in a position where it is flipped upward. Thereby, theft at the time of parking of the vehicle is suppressed through locking the rotation of the steering wheel. The pin is fixed to the vehicle body.
Further, for example, the power of the brushless motor described in Patent Document 4 is applied to the steering shaft as a steering assist force.

JP 2001-199350 A JP-A-2005-254484 JP 2006-168477 A Patent No. 3957177

A vehicle steering apparatus including four mechanisms, that is, a tilt adjustment mechanism, a telescopic adjustment mechanism, a flip-up mechanism capable of jumping up the steering wheel, and a lock mechanism that locks the rotation of the steering wheel, Since there are many, it will enlarge.
Further, when a pin for locking the rotation of the steering wheel is attached to the vehicle body as in Patent Document 3, as a result of the pin being disposed at a position far from the steering column, the space occupied by the lock mechanism becomes large. However, since the vehicle steering device is disposed in a narrow space such as under the dashboard of the vehicle, it is not preferable that the space occupied by the lock mechanism becomes large.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and achieves downsizing in a vehicle steering apparatus capable of adjusting the tilt position of a steering member such as a steering wheel, telescopic position adjustment, flip-up, and rotation lock. For the purpose.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first shaft (11) connected to a steering member (2) and a second shaft (12) connected to the first shaft via a universal joint (15). A steering shaft (3) including: a first tube (21) surrounding the first shaft; a second tube (22) surrounding the second shaft; and swinging the first tube relative to the second tube A steering column (20) including a tilt shaft (26) that can be connected and a first electric motor (31) are provided, and the first shaft and the first tube are rotated around the tilt axis by the power of the first electric motor. And a second electric motor (41), and the first shaft and the first shaft are driven by the power of the second electric motor. A telescopic adjustment mechanism (40) for displacing the probe in a telescopic direction (D2) along the axial direction of the second shaft, and an inclination angle (θ) of the first shaft with respect to the second shaft is a predetermined angle ( θ10) and a restricting portion (46) for restricting the rotation of the first shaft when the position of the first shaft in the telescopic direction is at a predetermined position, and the restricting portion is provided on the steering column. Provided is a vehicle steering device (1) that is supported.

  According to the present invention, a tilt adjustment mechanism and a telescopic adjustment mechanism are provided. Thereby, the position of the steering member can be adjusted in the tilt direction around the tilt axis and in the telescopic direction. Further, by driving the first electric motor, the first shaft and the steering member are displaced upward around the tilt axis, so that the steering member can be flipped upward. Further, when the inclination angle of the first shaft with respect to the second shaft is a predetermined angle (the steering member is in a flipped-up state) and the first shaft is in a predetermined position with respect to the telescopic direction, the restricting portion includes the first shaft and The rotation of the steering member can be restricted (rotation locked). Since the restricting portion is supported by the steering column, the restricting portion and the steering column can be arranged compactly as a whole. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the vehicle steering device. In addition, the rotation of the steering member can be restricted when the steering member is being flipped up, that is, when the steering member is in a position that does not interfere with the driver's getting on and off operation. Therefore, when it is preferable to restrict the rotation of the steering member that the driver gets on and off the vehicle, the rotation of the steering member can be reliably restricted.

  In the present invention, the steering column includes a third tube (23) in which the second tube is fitted so as to be relatively movable in the telescopic direction, and the second electric motor of the telescopic adjustment mechanism is Supported by a third tube, the telescopic adjustment mechanism extends along the telescopic direction and is rotated by the second electric motor, and is screwed into the male screw and fixed to the second tube. A female screw portion (45), and the restricting portion may be disposed at the tip of the male screw portion (claim 2).

In this case, the telescopic adjustment mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration using a screw mechanism and a small number of parts. Further, the male screw portion and the restricting portion can be constituted by one part. As a result, the vehicle steering device can be downsized through further reduction in the number of parts.
Further, in the present invention, a control unit (62) for controlling the first and second electric motors is further provided, and the control unit responds to the vehicle power being turned off in response to the vehicle power being turned off. In some cases, the first electric motor is driven so that an inclination angle becomes the predetermined angle, and the second electric motor is driven so that the position of the first shaft in the telescopic direction is the predetermined position. (Claim 3).

  In this case, when the driver gets on and off the vehicle, the driver can automatically perform the jumping-up operation and the forward operation without performing any special operation on the steering member. Thus, in response to the vehicle power being turned off, the steering member can be automatically retracted to a position that does not interfere with the driver. Thus, as a result of the driver's vehicle getting on and off being made easier, a vehicle steering apparatus suitable for mounting on a luxury vehicle can be realized. Moreover, the first shaft can be coupled to the restricting portion as the steering member is retracted. This eliminates the need for a dedicated actuator (solenoid, electric motor, etc.) for engaging the restricting portion with the first shaft, and reduces the number of parts. As a result, the vehicle steering device can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

  In the present invention, a third electric motor (51) for applying a steering assist force to the steering shaft, and the first and second electric motors are connected via a first power supply path (65), A drive circuit (61) connected to the third electric motor via a second power supply path (66) and controlled by the controller, and a first switch (67A, 67) for opening and closing the first power supply path 67B, 69A, 69B) and a second switch (64A, 64B) for opening and closing the second power feeding path may be further provided (Claim 4).

In this case, by turning on the first switch and turning off the second switch, current can flow from the drive circuit to the first and second electric motors via the first power feeding path. Thereby, the tilt adjustment mechanism and the telescopic adjustment mechanism can be driven.
On the other hand, when the first switch is turned off and the second switch is turned on, a current can flow from the drive circuit to the third electric motor via the second power feeding path. Thereby, a steering assist force can be generated by the third electric motor. That is, it is possible to drive the first and second electric motors for adjusting the position of the steering member and the third electric motor for assisting steering by one drive circuit. For this reason, the number of switching elements such as FETs required for driving these electric motors can be reduced. Therefore, the number of parts of the vehicle steering device can be further reduced. In addition, the three electric motors can be controlled by one drive circuit. As a result, further downsizing of the vehicle steering device can be achieved through downsizing of the control device.

  In addition, in the above, the numbers in parentheses represent reference numerals of corresponding components in the embodiments described later, but the scope of the claims is not limited by these reference numerals.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a position-adjustable vehicle steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the vehicle steering device when the rotation of the steering member is restricted. It is the schematic which shows the electric constitution of the principal part of ECU. It is an electric circuit diagram for demonstrating the tilt position adjustment of a steering member, (a) has shown operation | movement when rotating a 1st electric motor to a normal rotation direction, (b) is the 1st electric motor. The operation when rotating in the reverse direction is shown. It is an electric circuit diagram for demonstrating the telescopic position adjustment of a steering member, (a) has shown operation | movement when rotating a 2nd electric motor to a normal rotation direction, (b) is a 2nd electric motor. The operation when rotating in the reverse direction is shown. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of control by a control part when locking rotation of a steering member. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the steering apparatus for vehicles of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the principal part when the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 8 operate | moves. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Overall configuration of vehicle steering system>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a position-adjustable vehicle steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. In the following, front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom refer to front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom of a vehicle.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle steering apparatus 1 is connected to a steering shaft 3 having one end 3 a to which a steering member 2 such as a steering wheel is connected, and to the other end 3 b of the steering shaft 3 through a universal joint 4. An intermediate shaft 5, a pinion shaft 7 connected to the intermediate shaft 5 via a universal joint 6, and a rack shaft 8 as a steered shaft. A pinion 7 a is formed near the lower end of the pinion shaft 7. The rack shaft 8 has a rack 8a that meshes with the pinion 7a.

  A steering mechanism A1 is configured by a rack and pinion mechanism including the pinion shaft 7 and the rack shaft 8. The rack shaft 8 is supported by a rack gear housing 10 fixed to the vehicle body side member 9 so as to be movable in an axial direction along the left-right direction of the vehicle (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface). Although not shown, each end of the rack shaft 8 is connected to a corresponding steered wheel via a corresponding tie rod and a corresponding knuckle arm.

The steering shaft 3 includes a first shaft 11, a second shaft 12, a third shaft 13, and a fourth shaft 14. The steering member 2 is coupled to the rear end of the first shaft 11 so as to be integrally rotatable.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front end portion of the first shaft 11 is connected to the rear end portion of the second shaft 12 via a universal joint 15 so as to be able to transmit rotation. Thus, the first shaft 11 is configured to be swingable with respect to the second shaft 12 around a tilt axis 26 (tilt direction D1) described later. The universal joint 15 is, for example, a cardan joint. The center of the universal joint 15 is located on the center axis of the tilt shaft 26.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the front end portion of the second shaft 12 is splined to the rear end portion of the third shaft 13. Thereby, the second shaft 12 and the first shaft 11 can be displaced with respect to the third shaft 13 in a telescopic direction D2 along the axial direction of the second shaft 12. A front end portion of the third shaft 13 is connected to a rear end portion of the fourth shaft 14 via a torsion bar 16 so as to be able to transmit rotation. The universal joint 4 is connected to the front end portion of the fourth shaft 14.

The vehicle steering apparatus 1 further includes a steering column 20, a tilt adjustment mechanism 30, a telescopic adjustment mechanism 40, a steering assist mechanism 50, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit: control device) 18. . In the following, “telescopic” is simply abbreviated as “telescopic”.
The steering column 20 is provided to rotatably support the steering shaft 3. The steering column 20 includes a first tube 21, a second tube 22, a third tube 23, and a gear housing 24.

  The first tube 21 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the first shaft 11. The first tube 21 supports the first shaft 11 via the first bearing 251 so as to be rotatable and relatively unmovable in the axial direction of the first shaft 11. An insertion hole 21 a is formed in the upper portion of the first tube 21. The insertion hole 21a is configured to be able to pass through a later-described restricting portion 46 of the telescopic adjustment mechanism 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front end portion of the first tube 21 is rotatably connected to the rear end portion of the second tube 22 via a tilt shaft 26. For example, a pair of left and right tilt shafts 26 are provided. The right portion of the first tube 21 and the right portion of the second tube 22 are connected to each other via a tilt shaft 26 (26a), and the left portion of the first tube 21 and the left portion of the second tube 22 are connected to the tilt shaft 26. They are connected to each other via (26b).

The tilt shaft 26 extends in parallel with the left-right direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, the first tube 21 can swing in the tilt direction D1 around the tilt axis 26 with respect to the second tube 22. Further, the first shaft 11 can swing in the tilt direction D <b> 1 with respect to the second shaft 12.
With reference to FIG. 1, the second tube 22 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the second shaft 12. The second tube 22 supports the second shaft 12 via the second bearing 252 so as to be rotatable and integrally movable in the telescopic direction D2. The front portion of the second tube 22 is fitted to the third tube 23 from the outside. The third tube 23 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the second shaft 12 and the third shaft 13. The third tube 23 supports the second tube 22 so as to be movable in the telescopic direction D2. The third tube 23 rotatably supports the third shaft 13 via the third bearing 253. The gear housing 24 is fixed to the vehicle body side member 9 via a bracket 27.

The gear housing 24 is disposed in front of the vehicle with respect to the third tube 23. The gear housing 24 rotatably supports the fourth shaft 14 via the fourth bearing 254.
The tilt adjustment mechanism 30 is provided to adjust the position of the steering member 2 with respect to the tilt direction D1. The tilt adjustment mechanism 30 includes a first electric motor 31 such as a brush motor, a first motion conversion mechanism 32, and a link member 33. The housing 31 a of the first electric motor 31 is fixed to the lower part of the second tube 22. The output shaft 31b of the first electric motor 31 extends from the housing 31a of the first electric motor 31 toward the rear of the vehicle, and is parallel to the telescopic direction D2. A first rotational position sensor 34 is provided in the housing 31 a of the first electric motor 31. The first rotational position sensor 34 is a rotary encoder, for example, and is configured to detect the rotational position of the output shaft 31 b of the first electric motor 31.

  The first motion conversion mechanism 32 is provided to convert the rotation of the output shaft 31b of the first electric motor 31 into a linear displacement in a direction parallel to the telescopic direction D2. The first motion conversion mechanism 32 includes a first male screw part 35 and a first female screw part 36. The first male screw portion 35 is coupled to the output shaft 31b of the first electric motor 31 so as to be integrally rotatable. The first female screw portion 36 is screwed into the first male screw portion 35.

The link member 33 is formed in a straight bar shape. One end portion of the link member 33 is rotatably connected to the first female screw portion 36 via a pin member 37. The other end of the link member 33 is rotatably connected to the lower portion of the first tube 21 via a pin member 38.
The telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 is provided to adjust the position of the steering member 2 with respect to the telescopic direction D2. The telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 includes a second electric motor 41 such as a brush motor, and a second motion conversion mechanism 42. The housing 41 a of the second electric motor 41 is fixed to the upper portion of the third tube 23 and is supported by the third tube 23. The output shaft 41b of the second electric motor 41 extends from the housing 41a of the second electric motor 41 toward the rear of the vehicle and is parallel to the telescopic direction D2. A second rotational position sensor 43 is provided in the housing 41 a of the second electric motor 41. The second rotational position sensor 43 is a rotary encoder, for example, and is configured to detect the rotational position of the output shaft 41 b of the second electric motor 41.

The second motion conversion mechanism 42 is provided to convert the rotation of the output shaft 41b of the second electric motor 41 into a linear displacement in a direction parallel to the telescopic direction D2. The second motion conversion mechanism 42 includes a second male screw portion 44 and a second female screw portion 45. The second male screw portion 44 extends along the telescopic direction D2.
The second male screw portion 44 extends along the telescopic direction D2, and is coupled to the output shaft 41b of the second electric motor 41 so as to be integrally rotatable. The second female screw portion 45 is screwed into the second male screw portion 44. The second female thread portion 45 is fixed to the upper portion of the second tube 22 and can move integrally with the second tube 22 in the telescopic direction D2.

  A restricting portion 46 is formed at the front end portion (rear end portion) of the second male screw portion 44. The restricting portion 46 restricts the rotation of the first shaft 11 by engaging with the first shaft 11. Thereby, the rotation of the steering member 2 can be locked, and the vehicle theft when the vehicle is parked can be suppressed. The restricting portion 46 is supported by the third tube 23 via the second male screw portion 44 and the second electric motor 41. The restricting portion 46 may be configured to be supported by the steering column 20 and to restrict the rotation of the first shaft 11 by engaging with the first shaft 11, and the specific shape is not limited.

The steering assist mechanism 50 includes a third electric motor 51 for generating a steering assist force applied to the steering shaft 3, a speed reduction mechanism 52, and a torque sensor 53.
The third electric motor 51 is, for example, a three-phase brushless motor. A housing 51 a of the third electric motor 51 is fixed to the gear housing 24. A third rotational position sensor 54 is provided in the housing 51 a of the third electric motor 51. The third rotational position sensor 54 is, for example, a resolver, and is configured to detect the rotational position of the output shaft 51 b of the third electric motor 51.

  The speed reduction mechanism 52 is accommodated in the gear housing 24. The speed reduction mechanism 52 is provided to amplify the torque of the third electric motor 51 and transmit it to the steering shaft 3. The speed reduction mechanism 52 is a worm speed reduction mechanism, for example, and includes a worm shaft 55 and a worm wheel 56. The worm shaft 55 is coupled to the output shaft 51 b of the third electric motor 51 so as to be integrally rotatable. The worm wheel 56 meshes with the worm shaft 55 and is connected to the fourth shaft 14 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  The torque sensor 53 is accommodated in the gear housing 24. The torque sensor 53 is configured to detect the relative rotation amount of the third shaft 13 and the fourth shaft 14 according to the twist of the torsion bar 16. Thereby, the torque sensor 53 detects the torque applied to the steering member 2. The torque sensor 53 is configured to output a torque detection signal to the ECU 18.

The ECU 18 includes a position of the steering member 2 with respect to the tilt direction D1 (hereinafter also referred to as a tilt position of the steering member 2), a position of the steering member 2 with respect to the telescopic direction D2 (hereinafter also referred to as a telescopic position of the steering member 2), a steering mechanism. It is provided to control the steering assist force applied to A1 and the rotation lock of the steering member 2.
The ECU 18 is attached to the third tube 23, for example. The ECU 18 is connected to the torque sensor 53. The ECU 18 is connected to each of the first to third electric motors 31, 41, 51 and controls the driving of these electric motors 31, 41, 51. The ECU 18 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 57 provided in the vehicle.

The ECU 18 is configured to receive a vehicle speed signal detected by the vehicle speed sensor 57. Further, for example, the third tube 23 is provided with an operation switch 58 for adjusting the position of the steering member 2. The operation switch 58 is a switch operated by the driver, and is connected to the ECU 18. When the driver is driving the vehicle, the steering member 2 is located at a tilt position and a telescopic position set in advance by operating the operation switch 58.
<Description of Main Operations of Vehicle Steering Device 1>
Next, in the vehicle steering apparatus 1, (1) steering assist operation, (2) adjustment of the tilt position of the steering member 2, (3) adjustment of the telescopic position of the steering member 2, (4) and rotation of the steering member 2 Each of the locking operations will be described.

  First, (1) steering assist operation will be described. A steering torque is applied to the steering shaft 3 when the driver rotates the steering member 2. As a result, the torsion bar 16 of the steering shaft 3 is twisted within a predetermined range, and the opposite end portions of the third and fourth shafts 13 and 14 rotate relative to each other. This relative rotation amount is detected by the torque sensor 53. Based on the torque detection result of the torque sensor 53 and the vehicle speed detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 57, the ECU 12 controls the third electric motor 51. Specifically, the ECU 18 determines the target assist amount using a map in which the relationship between the torque and the target assist amount is stored for each vehicle speed so that the assist amount generated by the third electric motor 51 approaches the target assist amount. To control.

  Next, (2) adjustment of the tilt position of the steering member 2 will be described. When the driver operates the operation switch 58 to input a signal for adjusting the tilt position of the steering member 2 to the ECU 18, the ECU 18 drives the first electric motor 31. As a result, the output shaft 51b of the first electric motor 51 and the first male screw portion 35 rotate. As the first male screw portion 35 rotates, the first female screw portion 36 is displaced in a direction parallel to the telescopic direction D2. As the first male screw portion 35 is displaced, the link member 33 is displaced.

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the link member 33 displaces the first tube 21 around the tilt axis 26. Accordingly, the first tube 21, the first shaft 11, and the steering member 2 are integrally displaced in the tilt direction D1 around the tilt shaft 26. That is, the tilt position of the steering member 2 is adjusted.
Next, (3) adjustment of the telescopic position of the steering member 2 will be described. When the operation switch 58 is operated by the driver and a signal for adjusting the telescopic position of the steering member 2 is input to the ECU 18, the ECU 18 drives the second electric motor 41. Thereby, the output shaft 41b and the second male screw portion 44 of the second electric motor 41 rotate.

As the second male screw portion 44 rotates, the second female screw portion 45 is displaced in the axial direction of the second male screw portion 44 (the telescopic direction D2). With the displacement of the second male screw portion 44, the second tube 22, the first tube 21, the second shaft 12, the first shaft 11, and the steering member 2 are displaced in the telescopic direction D2. That is, the position of the steering member 2 in the telescopic direction D2 is adjusted.
With reference to FIG. 1, next, (4) operation | movement which locks rotation of the steering member 2 is demonstrated. For example, when the driver operates the ignition key to turn off the vehicle, the ECU 18 drives the first electric motor 31 and the second electric motor 41.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the steering member 2 is displaced upward around the tilt shaft 26 as the first electric motor 31 is driven, as in the tilt position adjustment. At this time, the ECU 18 reads the signal from the first rotational position sensor 34 to detect the position of the output shaft 31b of the first electric motor 31 (the position of the steering member 2 with respect to the tilt direction D1). As shown in FIG. 3, when the inclination angle θ of the first shaft 11 with respect to the second shaft 12 reaches a predetermined angle θ10, the ECU 18 stops driving the first electric motor 31.

  Similarly to the telescopic position adjustment, the ECU 18 drives the second electric motor 41 to advance the first shaft 11 and the steering member 2 forward in the telescopic direction D2. At this time, the ECU 18 reads the signal from the second rotational position sensor 43 to detect the position of the output shaft 41b of the second electric motor 41 (the position of the steering member 2 with respect to the telescopic direction D2).

As the steering member 2, the first shaft 11, and the first tube 21 are displaced forward of the vehicle, the restricting portion 46 at the tip of the second male screw portion 44 passes through the insertion hole 21 a of the first tube 21. When the first shaft 11 reaches a predetermined position in the telescopic direction D2 due to further displacement of the first shaft 11 toward the front of the vehicle, the restricting portion 46 is engaged with the first shaft 11. Thereby, the restricting unit 46 restricts the rotation of the first shaft 11. As a result, the rotation lock of the steering member 2 is achieved.
<Electrical Configuration of Main Part of Vehicle Steering Device 1>
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of the ECU 18.

The ECU 18 includes a drive circuit 61 that generates drive power for the electric motors 31, 41, 51, and a control unit 62 for controlling the drive circuit 61. The control unit 62 is constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU (central processing unit) and a memory (ROM, RAM, rewritable nonvolatile memory, etc.) storing an operation program of the CPU.
The drive circuit 61 is a three-phase bridge inverter circuit used for driving the third electric motor 51 (three-phase brushless motor). In this embodiment, the drive circuit 61 for driving the third electric motor 51 is also used as a drive circuit for driving the second electric motor 41 and the first electric motor 31.

In this drive circuit 61, a series circuit of a pair of field effect transistors FET1, FET2 corresponding to the U phase of the third electric motor 51, a series circuit of a pair of field effect transistors FET3, FET4 corresponding to the V phase, and a W phase A series circuit of a pair of field effect transistors FET5 and FET6 corresponding to is connected in parallel between the DC power source 73 and the ground.
The U-phase field coil 63U of the third electric motor 51 is connected to a connection point between the pair of FET1 and FET2 corresponding to the U-phase. The V-phase field coil 63V of the third electric motor 51 is connected to a connection point between the pair of FET3 and FET4 corresponding to the V-phase via the EPS relay 64A. The W-phase field coil 63W of the third electric motor 51 is connected to a connection point between the pair of FETs 5 and 6 corresponding to the W-phase via the EPS relay 64B.

The EPS relays 64A and 64B constitute the second switch of the present invention. The third electric motor 51 is connected to the drive circuit 61 via the second power supply path 66. The EPS relays 64 </ b> A and 64 </ b> B are disposed in the second power feeding path 66 and can open and close the second power feeding path 66.
The positive terminal (+) of the second electric motor 41 is connected to a connection point between the FET1 and FET2 via the first telescopic relay 67A. The negative terminal (−) of the second electric motor 41 is connected to the connection point between the FETs 3 and 4 via the second telescopic relay 67B.

In this embodiment, when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the steering member 2 moves rearward along the telescopic direction D2, and when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction, the steering member. 2 moves forward along the telescopic direction D2.
The positive terminal (+) of the first electric motor 31 is connected to a connection point between the FETs 5 and 6 via the first tilt relay 69A. The negative terminal (−) of the first electric motor 31 is connected to a connection point between the FET3 and FET4 via the second tilt relay 69B.

Relays 67A, 67B, 69A, and 69B constitute the first switch of the present invention. The first and second electric motors 31 and 41 are connected to the drive circuit 61 via the first power supply path 65. The relays 67A, 67B, 69A, 69B are arranged in the first power supply path 65, and can open and close the first power supply path 65.
In this embodiment, when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the steering member 2 moves upward along the tilt direction D1, and when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction, the steering member 2 is moved. Moves downward along the tilt direction D1. The tilt relays 69A and 69B and the telescopic relays 67A and 67B are sometimes collectively referred to as “position adjusting relays”.

  Current sensors 70V and 70W for detecting phase currents IV, IW and IU of the V-phase, W-phase and U-phase of the third electric motor 51 are connected to the connection lines for connecting FET2, FET4 and FET6 to the ground. , 70U are provided. These current sensors 70 </ b> V, 70 </ b> W, 70 </ b> U detect the current flowing through the second electric motor 41 and the first electric motor 31. These current sensors 70V, 70W, and 70U are connected to the control unit 12.

In addition, an in-vehicle LAN (CAN: Controller Area Network) 74 is connected to the control unit 12. A torque sensor 53, a vehicle speed sensor 57, an operation switch 58, and the like are connected to the in-vehicle LAN 74.
The operation switch 58 includes a position adjustment key 71 and a memory control key 72. The position adjustment key 71 is configured to generate a command signal for executing at least one of the tilt position adjustment and the telescopic position adjustment of the steering member 2 by the operation of the position adjustment key 71 by the driver. This command signal is input to the control unit 62.

The memory control key 72 stores the current position of the steering member 2 (the rotational position of the output shaft 41b of the second electric motor 41 and the rotational position of the output shaft 31b of the first electric motor 31) in a nonvolatile memory, or is nonvolatile This is a key used to automatically move the position of the steering member 2 to the position stored in the memory.
Based on the input signals from the current sensors 70U, 70V, 70W, the rotational position sensors 34, 43, 54, the torque sensor 53, the vehicle speed sensor 57, the operation switch 58, etc., the control unit 12 67B, 69A, 69B and the FET1 to FET6 of the drive circuit 61 are controlled.

The controller 12 controls the third electric motor 51 at all times. For example, the control unit 12 interrupts the control of the third electric motor 51 when the operation switch 58 is operated when the vehicle is stopped. Then, the second electric motor 41 and the first electric motor 31 corresponding to the operated key are driven.
When the steering member 2 is displaced, the EPS relays 64A and 64B are turned off and the telescopic relays 67A and 67B and the tilt relays 69A and 19B are turned on by the control of the control unit 62.
<Control when adjusting the tilt position of the steering member 2>
FIG. 5 is an electric circuit diagram for explaining the tilt position adjustment of the steering member 2, and FIG. 5 (a) shows an operation when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. 5 (b) shows an operation when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction.

  Referring to FIG. 5A, when adjusting the tilt position of the steering member 2 when the operation switch 58 is operated, when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the control unit 62 is operated. Turns on FETs 4 and 5. At this time, a current flows from the power source 73 to the ground through the FET 5, the first tilt relay 69A, the first electric motor 31, the second tilt relay 69B, and the FET 4. Thereby, since a positive voltage is applied to the positive terminal (+) of the first electric motor 31, the first electric motor 31 rotates in the forward rotation direction.

Referring to FIG. 5B, on the other hand, when the first electric motor 31 is rotated in the reverse direction, the control unit 62 turns on the FETs 3 and 6. Therefore, a current flows from the power source 73 to the ground through the FET 3, the second tilt relay 69B, the first electric motor 31, the first tilt relay 69A, and the FET 6. Thereby, since a positive voltage is applied to the negative terminal of the first electric motor 31, the first electric motor 31 rotates in the reverse direction.
<Control when adjusting the telescopic position of the steering member 2>
FIG. 6 is an electric circuit diagram for explaining the telescopic position adjustment of the steering member 2, and FIG. 6 (a) shows the operation when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the forward rotation direction. 6 (b) shows an operation when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the reverse direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when adjusting the telescopic position of the steering member 2 as the operation switch 58 is operated, when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the control unit 62 is used. Turns on FETs 1 and 4. At this time, a current flows from the power source 73 to the ground through the FET 1, the first telescopic relay 67A, the second electric motor 41, the second telescopic relay 67B, and the FET 4. Thereby, since a positive voltage is applied to the positive terminal (+) of the second electric motor 41, the second electric motor 41 rotates in the forward rotation direction.

  6B, on the other hand, when the second electric motor 41 is rotated in the reverse direction, the control unit 62 turns on the FETs 2 and 3. At this time, a current flows from the power source 73 to the ground through the FET 3, the second telescopic relay 67B, the second electric motor 41, the first telescopic relay 67A, and the FET 2. Thereby, since a positive voltage is applied to the negative terminal of the second electric motor 41, the second electric motor 41 rotates in the reverse direction.

When both the tilt position adjustment and the telescopic position adjustment are performed at the same time, the control unit 62 causes the first electric motor 31 and the second electric motor 41 to be alternately driven.
<Control for locking the rotation of the steering member 2>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of control by the control unit 62 when the rotation of the steering member 2 is locked.

When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 57 is zero, that is, when the vehicle is in a stopped state (YES in step S1) and the vehicle power source 73 is turned off by the driver (YES in step S2), the control unit 62 Reads the signals of the first and second rotational position sensors 34, 43 (step S3).
The rotational positions of the first and second electric motors 41 and 42 read by the first and second rotational position sensors 34 and 43 are linked to the tilt position and the telescopic position of the steering member 2. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the tilt position and the telescopic position of the steering member 2 from the detection results of the first and second rotational position sensors 34 and 43.

  Therefore, the control unit 62 calculates the tilt position of the steering member 2 using the position information of the first rotational position sensor 34. Thus, the control unit 62 determines whether or not the inclination angle θ of the first shaft 11 with respect to the second shaft 12 is the predetermined angle θ10, that is, whether or not the tilt position of the steering member 2 is at the predetermined flip-up position. Is determined (step S4). When the tilt position of the steering member 2 has not reached the flip-up position shown in FIG. 3 (NO in step S4), the first electric motor 31 is driven (step S5). As a result, the first tube 21, the first shaft 11, and the steering member 2 are displaced upward around the tilt shaft 26. Thereafter, the control unit 62 performs the determination in step S3 again. If it is detected by driving of the first electric motor 31 that the steering member 2 has reached the flip-up position (YES in step S4), the control unit 62 stops the first electric motor 31 (step S6).

Next, the control unit 62 determines whether or not the telescopic position of the steering member 2 is at a predetermined position based on the detection signal of the second rotational position sensor 43 (step S7). As shown in FIG. 3, the predetermined position refers to a telescopic position of the first shaft 11 (steering member 2) for the first shaft 11 to engage with the restricting portion 46.
When the telescopic position of the steering member 2 has not reached the predetermined position shown in FIG. 3 (NO in step S7), the second electric motor 41 is driven (step S8). Thereby, the first and second tubes 21 and 22, the first and second shafts 11 and 12, and the steering member 2 are displaced forward of the vehicle along the telescopic direction D2. Then, the control part 62 performs determination of step S3 again. When it is detected by driving of the second electric motor 41 that the telescopic position of the steering member 2 has reached the predetermined position (YES in step S7), the control unit 62 stops the second electric motor 41 (step S9). ).

As a result of the above control, the first shaft 11 is engaged with the restricting portion 46 as shown in FIG. 3, whereby the rotation of the first shaft 11 and the steering member 2 is locked.
<Effects of First Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the tilt adjustment mechanism 30 and the telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 are provided. Thereby, the position of the steering member 2 can be adjusted with respect to the tilt direction D1 and the telescopic direction D2.

  Further, by driving the first electric motor 31, the first shaft 11 and the steering member 2 are displaced upward around the tilt shaft 26, so that the steering member 2 can be flipped upward. Furthermore, when the inclination angle θ of the first shaft 11 with respect to the second shaft 12 is the predetermined angle θ10 (the steering member 2 is in the flipped-up state) and the first shaft 11 is in the predetermined position with respect to the telescopic direction D2, The restricting portion 46 can restrict the rotation of the first shaft 11 and the steering member 2.

  Since the restricting portion 46 is supported by the steering column 20, the restricting portion 46 and the steering column 20 can be arranged compactly as a whole. Therefore, the vehicle steering device 1 can be reduced in size. In addition, the rotation of the steering member 2 can be restricted when the steering member 2 is flipped up, that is, when the steering member 2 is in a position that does not interfere with the driver's getting on and off operation. Therefore, when it is preferable to restrict the rotation of the steering member 2 such that the driver gets on and off the vehicle, the rotation of the steering member 2 can be reliably restricted.

  Furthermore, the tilt adjustment mechanism 30 and the telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 can be realized with a simple configuration using a screw mechanism and a small number of parts. Further, a restricting portion 46 is disposed at the tip of the second male screw portion 44 of the telescopic adjustment mechanism 40. Thereby, the 2nd external thread part 44 and the control part 46 can be comprised by one component. As a result, the vehicle steering apparatus 1 can be further downsized through further reduction in the number of parts.

Further, the control unit 62 drives the first and second electric motors 31 and 41 in response to the power supply of the vehicle being turned off, and engages the first shaft 11 with the regulating unit 46. Thereby, rotation of the 1st shaft 11 and the steering member 2 is locked.
As a result, when the driver gets on and off the vehicle, the driver can automatically perform the flip-up operation and the forward operation of the steering member 2 without performing any special operation on the steering member 2. . Thus, in response to the vehicle power being turned off, the steering member 2 can be automatically retracted to a position that does not interfere with the driver.

  As described above, as a result of the driver's vehicle getting on and off more easily, the vehicle steering apparatus 1 suitable for mounting on a luxury vehicle can be realized. In addition, the first shaft 11 can be engaged with the restricting portion 46 as the steering member 2 is retracted. This eliminates the need for a dedicated actuator (solenoid, electric motor, or the like) for driving the restricting portion 46 to engage with the first shaft 11, thereby reducing the number of components. As a result, the vehicle steering device 1 can be reduced in size and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, by turning on the relays 67A, 67B, 69A, 69B and turning off the EPS relays 64A, 64B, the first and second electric motors 31, 41 from the drive circuit 61 via the first power supply path 65 are provided. A current can be passed through. Thereby, the tilt adjustment mechanism 30 and the telescopic adjustment mechanism 40 can be driven.
On the other hand, by turning off the relays 67A, 67B, 69A, 69B and turning on the EPS relays 64A, 64B, a current flows from the drive circuit 61 to the third electric motor 51 via the second power feeding path 66. Can do. Thereby, a steering assist force can be generated by the third electric motor 51.

That is, it is possible to drive the first and second electric motors 31 and 41 for adjusting the position of the steering member 2 and the third electric motor 51 for assisting steering by one drive circuit 61. For this reason, the number of switching elements such as FETs 1 to 6 required for driving these electric motors 31, 41, 51 can be reduced. Therefore, the number of parts of the vehicle steering device 1 can be reduced. Further, the three electric motors 31, 41, 51 can be controlled by one drive circuit 61. As a result, further downsizing of the vehicle steering apparatus 1 can be achieved through downsizing of the ECU 18.
Second Embodiment
The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a planetary gear mechanism 75 as a transmission ratio variable mechanism may be further provided. In the following, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described, and the same components as those in the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The planetary gear mechanism 75 performs steering by applying the steering torque applied to the steering member 2 to each of the left and right steered wheels via the steering shaft 3 and the like. The planetary gear mechanism 75 can change the transmission ratio θ2 / θ1 as the turning angle θ2 of the steered wheels with respect to the steering angle θ1 (rotation angle) of the steering member 2.

The planetary gear mechanism 75 is disposed in the vicinity of the torsion bar 16. The planetary gear mechanism 75 is provided on the fourth shaft 76 of the steering shaft 3. The fourth shaft 76 is divided into a first portion 76a and a second portion 76b.
The first portion 76a and the second portion 76b are connected to each other by a planetary gear mechanism 75 so as to be differentially rotatable. The planetary gear mechanism 75 is configured to change the transmission ratio θ2 / θ1 by being driven by a planetary gear mechanism motor 77 such as a brushless motor.

The planetary gear mechanism 75 is housed in the gear housing 24 </ b> A and includes a first sun gear 78, a second sun gear 79, a planetary gear 80, and a carrier 81.
The first sun gear 78 is fixed to the first portion 76a. The second sun gear 79 is fixed to the second portion 76b. The planetary gear 80 meshes with both the first and second sun gears 78 and 79. The carrier 81 supports the planetary gear 80 so as to be capable of rotating and revolving around the axes of the first and second sun gears 78 and 79.

The planetary gear mechanism motor 77 is provided to rotationally drive the carrier 81. By changing the rotation speed of the carrier 81, the transmission ratio between the first sun gear 78 and the second sun gear 79 is changed, and the transmission ratio θ2 / θ1 is changed.
Further, a lock mechanism 82 is provided for fixing the transmission ratio θ2 / θ1 when an abnormality occurs in the planetary gear mechanism 75. The lock mechanism 82 includes a ring member 83 that rotates integrally with the carrier 81, and a regulating member 84 that regulates the rotation of the carrier 81 by engaging with the ring member 83.

The regulating member 84 is driven using an electromagnetic solenoid 85 as an actuator. The regulating member 84 regulates the rotation of the ring member 83 by engaging with the ring member 83 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, when the regulating member 84 is not engaged with the ring member 83, differential rotation between the first portion 76a and the second portion 76b is allowed.
The drive control of the electromagnetic solenoid 85 is performed by the ECU 18. When the ECU 18 detects an abnormality in the planetary gear mechanism 75, the ECU 18 operates the electromagnetic solenoid 85 to engage the regulating member 84 with the ring member 83. Thereby, the rotation of the ring member 83 and the carrier 81 is restricted, and the revolution around the axis L of the planetary gear 21 is restricted.

By restricting the revolution of the planetary gear 21, the torque transmission between the first and second sun gears 78 and 79 via the planetary gear 80 is possible at a constant gear ratio, and the transmission ratio θ2 / θ1 is a constant value. Fixed to. It should be noted that the restricting member 84 is not engaged with the ring member 83 in a normal time that is not abnormal.
Further, a reaction force compensation motor 86 for compensating the steering reaction force of the steering member 2 in relation to the operation of the planetary gear mechanism 75 is provided. The reaction force compensating motor 86 is connected to the first portion 76a. The planetary gear mechanism motor 77 and the reaction force compensation motor 86 are brushless motors arranged coaxially with the fourth shaft 76 and are controlled by the ECU 18.

As the transmission ratio variable mechanism, another transmission ratio variable mechanism such as a traction drive mechanism using a roller instead of each gear of the planetary gear mechanism 75 may be used.
<Third Embodiment>
Further, the present invention may be applied to a steer-by-wire type vehicle steering device in which the mechanical connection between the steering member 2 and the steering mechanism A1 is released. As a drive device of the steering mechanism A1 in this case, a drive device including a ball screw mechanism (not shown) provided on the rack shaft 8 and a fourth electric motor 100 connected to the ball screw mechanism can be exemplified. . The output of the fourth electric motor 100 is transmitted to the rack shaft 8 via the ball screw mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 10, the fourth electric motor 100 is a three-phase AC brushless motor. A permanent magnet 152 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 151 provided in the fourth electric motor 100.
The stator 153 of the fourth electric motor 100 includes a plurality of teeth 154 arranged in the circumferential direction. A winding (coil) is concentratedly wound around each tooth 154. Thus, one winding 120U to 120W, 120u to 120w, 130U to 130W, and 130u to 130w are wound around each of the plurality of teeth 154.

These windings are a first system winding 120U to 120W, 120u to 120w excited by a first three-phase AC power source (not shown), and a second system winding excited by a second three-phase AC power source (not shown). Lines 130U to 130W and 130u to 130w.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the stator 153 is equally divided into two regions S <b> 1 and S <b> 2 when viewed from the axial direction of the fourth electric motor 100. A first system positive pole winding 120U to 120W and a reverse pole winding 120u to 120w are wound around the tooth 54 in the region S1 on one side.

On the other hand, the second-system positive magnetic pole windings 130U to 130W and the reverse magnetic pole windings 130u to 130w are wound around the tooth 154 in the other region S2.
In the fourth electric motor 100, normally, the rotor 151 is rotated by two windings, and when an abnormality occurs in one system, the rotor 151 is rotated only by the other winding. Thereby, it can suppress that the 4th electric motor 100 stops at the same time that abnormality generate | occur | produces in either system | strain.

As a result, the same fail safe as when two electric motors are provided by one fourth electric motor 100 can be realized. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a configuration in which two electric motors are provided for fail-safe, and cost and size can be reduced.
In addition, although each said embodiment demonstrated the structure which provides the control part 46 in the front-end | tip of the 2nd external thread part 44, it is not limited to this. For example, the restricting portion 46 may be formed separately from the second male screw portion 44, and the restricting portion 46 may be fixed to the second tube 22 (steering column 20).

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle steering device, 2 ... Steering member, 3 ... Steering shaft, 11 ... 1st shaft, 12 ... 2nd shaft, 15 ... Universal joint, 20 ... Steering column, 21 ... 1st tube, 22 ... 2nd tube , 23 ... third tube, 26 ... tilt axis, 30 ... tilt adjustment mechanism, 31 ... first electric motor, 40 ... telescopic adjustment mechanism, 41 ... second electric motor, 44 ... second male screw part (male screw part), 45 ... 2nd internal thread part (internal thread part), 46 ... Restriction part, 51 ... 3rd electric motor, 61 ... Drive circuit, 62 ... Control part, 64A, 64B ... Relay (2nd switch), 65 ... 1st electric power feeding path, 66: second power supply path, 67A, 67B, 69A, 69B: relay (first switch), D2: telescopic direction, θ: inclination angle of the first shaft, θ10: predetermined angle.

Claims (4)

A steering shaft including a first shaft coupled to a steering member and a second shaft coupled to the first shaft via a universal joint;
A steering column including a first tube that surrounds the first shaft, a second tube that surrounds the second shaft, and a tilt shaft that pivotally connects the first tube to the second tube;
A tilt adjustment mechanism including a first electric motor, and for displacing the first shaft and the first tube around the tilt axis by power of the first electric motor;
A telescopic adjusting mechanism for displacing the first shaft and the first tube in a telescopic direction along the axial direction of the second shaft by the power of the second electric motor;
A regulating portion that regulates rotation of the first shaft when the tilt angle of the first shaft with respect to the second shaft is a predetermined angle and the position of the first shaft with respect to the telescopic direction is at a predetermined position;
With
The vehicle steering apparatus, wherein the restricting portion is supported by the steering column. The steering column according to claim 1, wherein the steering column includes a third tube in which the second tube is fitted so as to be relatively movable in the telescopic direction,
The second electric motor of the telescopic adjustment mechanism is supported by the third tube,
The telescopic adjustment mechanism includes a male screw portion that extends along the telescopic direction and is rotated by the second electric motor, and a female screw portion that is screwed into the male screw portion and fixed to the second tube.
The vehicle steering apparatus, wherein the restriction portion is disposed at a tip of the male screw portion. In Claim 1 or 2, it further has a control part which controls the 1st and 2nd electric motor,
The control unit drives the first electric motor so that the tilt angle of the first shaft becomes the predetermined angle in response to turning off of the power of the vehicle, and the telescopic direction is related to the telescopic direction. The vehicle steering apparatus, wherein the second electric motor is driven so that a position of the first shaft is the predetermined position. The third electric motor for applying a steering assist force to the steering shaft according to claim 3,
A drive circuit connected to the first and second electric motors via a first power supply path, connected to the third electric motor via a second power supply path, and controlled by the control unit;
A first switch for opening and closing the first power supply path;
The vehicle steering apparatus further comprising: a second switch for opening and closing the second power feeding path.

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