JP2019031228A - Electric power steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric power steering device which achieves manual steering even when steering intervention is performed by a driver during automatic steering, more secures safety during emergency steering by the driver, and achieves both assist control and steering angle control.SOLUTION: An electric power steering device includes: an assist control section which calculates an assist control current command value for assist control; a steering angle control section which calculates a steering control current command value for steering control; and a switching determination/gradual variation gain generation section which generates a gradual variation gain for adjusting a control amount of assist control and a control amount of steering angle control, where the steering angle control section includes a position control section, a steering angle speed control section, a steering intervention compensation section and a handle vibration damping section, calculates a steering angle control current command value from a basic steering angle control current command value, an intervention compensation steering angle control current command value and a compensation steering angle control current command value, and calculates a current command value from an assist control current command value and a steering angle control current command value adjusted by the gradual variation gain.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus that enables automatic steering by performing assist control and steering angle control on a steering system by drive control of a motor based on a current command value, and in particular by a driver during automatic steering. The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus that is safe and can reduce a sense of incongruity even when steering intervention is performed.

  An electric power steering device (EPS) that applies a steering assist force (assist torque) to a steering system of a vehicle by a rotational force of a motor is driven by a transmission mechanism such as a gear or a belt via a speed reduction mechanism. Assist control is performed by applying a steering assist force to the shaft or the rack shaft. Such a conventional electric power steering apparatus performs feedback control of motor current in order to accurately generate assist torque. In feedback control, the motor applied voltage is adjusted so that the difference between the steering assist command value (current command value) and the motor current detection value is small. The adjustment of the motor applied voltage is generally performed by PWM (pulse width). This is done by adjusting the duty of modulation) control.

  A general configuration of the electric power steering apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1. A column shaft (steering shaft, handle shaft) 2 of the handle 1 is a reduction gear (worm gear) 3 constituting a reduction mechanism, universal joints 4a and 4b, The pinion rack mechanism 5 and the tie rods 6a and 6b are connected to the steering wheels 8L and 8R via the hub units 7a and 7b. Further, a torsion bar is inserted in the column shaft 2, and a steering angle sensor 14 for detecting the steering angle θ of the steering wheel 1 by a torsion angle of the torsion bar and a torque sensor 10 for detecting the steering torque Tt are provided. A motor 20 that assists the steering force of the handle 1 is connected to the column shaft 2 via the reduction gear 3. The control unit (ECU) 30 that controls the electric power steering apparatus is supplied with electric power from the battery 13 and also receives an ignition key signal via the ignition key 11. The control unit 30 calculates the current command value of the assist control command based on the steering torque Tt detected by the torque sensor 10 and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, and compensates the current command value. The current supplied to the motor 20 is controlled by the voltage control command value Vref.

  The steering angle sensor 14 is not essential and may not be provided, and the steering angle can be acquired from a rotation angle sensor such as a resolver connected to the motor 20.

  The control unit 30 is connected to a CAN (Controller Area Network) 40 that exchanges various types of vehicle information, and the vehicle speed V can also be received from the CAN 40. The control unit 30 can be connected to a non-CAN 41 that exchanges communications, analog / digital signals, radio waves, and the like other than the CAN 40.

  The control unit 30 is mainly composed of a CPU (including an MPU, MCU, etc.). FIG. 2 shows general functions executed by a program inside the CPU.

  The control unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The steering torque Tt detected by the torque sensor 10 and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12 (or from the CAN 40) are a current command for calculating a current command value Iref1. The value is input to the value calculation unit 31. The current command value calculation unit 31 calculates a current command value Iref1, which is a control target value of the current supplied to the motor 20, using an assist map or the like based on the input steering torque Tt and the vehicle speed V. The current command value Iref1 is input to the current limiter 33 through the adder 32A, and the current command value Irefm whose maximum current is limited is input to the subtractor 32B, and the deviation I (= Irefm) from the fed back motor current Im. -Im) is calculated, and the deviation I is input to a PI (proportional integration) control unit 35 for improving the characteristics of the steering operation. The voltage control command value Vref whose characteristics are improved by the PI control unit 35 is input to the PWM control unit 36, and the motor 20 is further PWM driven via the inverter 37. The motor current Im of the motor 20 is detected by the motor current detector 38 and fed back to the subtraction unit 32B. The inverter 37 is composed of an FET bridge circuit as a semiconductor switching element.

  A rotation angle sensor 21 such as a resolver is connected to the motor 20, and the rotation angle θ is detected and output from the rotation angle sensor 21.

  Further, the compensation signal CM from the compensation signal generation unit 34 is added to the addition unit 32A, and the compensation of the steering system system is performed by the addition of the compensation signal CM, thereby improving the convergence and inertia characteristics. ing. The compensation signal generator 34 adds the self-aligning torque (SAT) 34C and the inertia 34B by the adder 34D, further adds the convergence 34A to the addition result by the adder 34E, and compensates the addition result of the adder 34E. The signal CM is used.

  In recent years, research and development of automatic driving technology for vehicles has been advanced, and proposals have been made to apply an electric power steering device (EPS) in automatic steering. When automatic steering is realized by EPS, a mechanism for assist control executed by conventional EPS and a mechanism for steering angle control for controlling the steering system so that the vehicle travels in a desired direction are independent. It is common to have a configuration in which these outputs can be adjusted. In the steering angle control, position / speed control having excellent performance in response to the steering angle command which is a control target of the steering angle and disturbance suppression against road surface reaction force, etc. is used. PI (proportional integral) control is adopted in (proportional) control and speed control.

  When assist control and rudder angle control are executed independently, and the entire control is performed by switching the command value that is output from both, if the switch is suddenly switched, the command value will fluctuate suddenly and the steering wheel behavior May become unnatural and may make the driver feel uncomfortable. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-17881 (Patent Document 1), as a response to this problem, a command from both of the switching between the torque control method (equivalent to assist control) and the rotation angle control method (equivalent to steering angle control) is performed. A value obtained by multiplying each value by a coefficient (automated coefficient and manual coefficient) and adding the result is used as a final command value, and the coefficient is gradually changed to suppress sudden fluctuations in the command value. Moreover, P control is used for position control in the rotation angle control system, and PI control is used for speed control.

  Japanese Patent No. 397008 (Patent Document 2) proposes an automatic steering control device that automatically performs a hand operation in accordance with a set steering angle, and particularly for the purpose of parking assistance. In this device, a torque control mode (equivalent to assist control) and a parking assistance mode (equivalent to steering angle control) can be switched. In the parking assistance mode, control is performed using previously stored parking data. Is going. Then, P control is performed in the position control in the parking assist mode, and PI control is performed in the speed control.

  Japanese Patent No. 3912279 (Patent Document 3) does not directly apply EPS, but when the steering angle control is started by switching to the automatic steering mode, the steering speed (steering angular speed) is gradually increased. This reduces the driver's uncomfortable feeling due to sudden fluctuations in the steering wheel at the start.

JP 2004-17881 A Japanese Patent No. 3917008 Japanese Patent No. 3912279

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the command value for the steering angle control (steering angle control command value) is limited by the coefficient and is output to the final command value during the switching of the method, the final command value is decreased by the limited amount. turn into. Due to this restriction, the actual speed of the motor becomes slower than the command value for the steering angular speed (steering angular speed command value) calculated from the steering angle control command value, so there is a deviation between the steering angular speed command value and the actual speed. Occurs, and the integrated value of I (integral) control in the speed control is accumulated, and a larger steering angle control command value is output from the speed control. As a result, in a state where the coefficient multiplied by the command value for the assist control (assist control command value) is gradually increased, the restriction by the coefficient is relaxed, so that the steering angle control command value increases as the coefficient increases. Therefore, the steering wheel may react excessively with respect to the steering angular velocity command value, and may give the driver a sense of incongruity or discomfort such as a feeling of being caught.

  In Patent Document 1, P control is used for position control and PI control is used for speed control. If there is manual input by the driver during the steering angle control, the steering angle control is the steering angle control command value. Therefore, it is difficult to manually steer until the switching operation from the steering angle control to the assist control is performed. In addition, there is a possibility that a time delay occurs due to the manual input detection or the switching operation, and the steering intervention operation by the driver cannot be sufficiently performed.

  Also in Patent Document 2, rudder angle control using P control for position control and PI control for speed control is performed. When steering angle control is performed in a vehicle, disturbances and load conditions greatly change due to changes in vehicle speed, friction, road reaction force, and the like, so the apparatus must have a control configuration that is resistant to them. However, with only the control configuration of the device described in Patent Document 2, for example, when the road surface reaction force changes or the target steering angle changes quickly, vibration is generated by the natural vibration caused by the spring of the steering wheel mass and the torsion bar. In addition, the driver may feel it uncomfortable or uncomfortable.

  In Patent Document 3, the steering angular speed is gradually increased at the start of the steering angle control. However, when the increase starts, the steering angular speed continues to increase until reaching the upper limit value of the steering angular speed, so that the integral value of the I control accumulates excessively. . As a result, the steering angle control command value becomes an excessive value, and the steering wheel may react excessively with respect to the steering angular speed command value, which may give the driver a sense of incongruity.

  The present invention has been made under the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to realize manual steering even when steering intervention is performed by a driver during automatic steering, and safety during emergency steering by the driver. It is an object to provide an electric power steering apparatus that further ensures assist and is compatible with assist control and steering angle control. In addition, the driver feels uncomfortable and uncomfortable, such as a feeling of being caught when switching from automatic steering to manual steering, and further suppresses vibration of the steering wheel during automatic steering to reduce the driver's uncomfortable feeling.

  The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus that drives a motor based on a current command value and performs assist control and steering angle control on a steering system by drive control of the motor, and the object of the present invention is at least steering torque And an assist control unit for calculating an assist control current command value for the assist control, and a steering angle control for the steering angle control based on at least the steering torque, the steering angle command value, and the actual steering angle. A steering angle control unit that calculates a current command value, and a switching determination / gradual gain generation that generates a gradual gain that adjusts the control amount of the assist control and the control amount of the steering angle control based on at least the steering torque A position control unit that calculates a steering angular speed command value based on a deviation between the steering angle command value and the actual steering angle; and the steering angular speed command Steering angular velocity control unit for calculating a basic steering angle control current command value based on a deviation between the actual steering angular velocity and steering intervention compensation for obtaining an intervention compensation steering angle control current command value for steering intervention compensation according to the steering torque And a steering wheel damping unit that calculates a compensated steering angle control current command value for damping the vibration of the steering wheel based on the steering torque, the basic steering angle control current command value, and the intervention compensation The steering angle control current command value is calculated from the steering angle control current command value and the compensation steering angle control current command value, and is calculated from the assist control current command value and the steering angle control current command value adjusted with the gradual gain. This is achieved by calculating the current command value.

  The object of the present invention is that the rudder angle control unit further includes a steering wheel vibration removal unit that reduces a vibration frequency component included in the rudder angle command value, and the rudder angle command value with the reduced vibration frequency component is obtained. By input to the position control unit, or the steering intervention compensation unit includes a compensation map unit having a steering intervention compensation map that defines characteristics of a current command value manipulated variable with respect to the steering torque, and the compensation map unit Via the steering torque, obtaining the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value, changing the steering intervention compensation map according to the vehicle speed, or the steering intervention compensation unit A steering intervention phase compensation unit for performing phase compensation on the torque, and the intervention compensation steering system based on the steering torque via the steering intervention phase compensation unit and the compensation map unit. By obtaining a control current command value, or the position control unit uses a reference model to convert the steering angle command value into a target steering angle, and a deviation between the target steering angle and the actual steering angle A proportional gain unit that calculates a steering angular velocity command value 1 by multiplying the proportional angular gain, and a filter unit that converts the steering angle command value into a steering angular velocity command value 2 using an FF filter, and the steering angular velocity command The steering angular velocity command value 2 is added to the value 1 to calculate the steering angular velocity command value, or the filter gain of the FF filter changes according to the vehicle speed, or the steering wheel damping unit A gain unit that multiplies the steering torque by a gain, and a vibration suppression phase compensation unit that performs phase compensation on the steering torque multiplied by the gain and outputs the compensated steering angle control current command value Or the rudder angular speed control unit calculates the basic rudder angle control current command value by IP control using the rudder angular speed command value and the actual rudder angular speed, or By including the steering angle command gradual change gain multiplied by the steering angle command value as the gradual change gain, or the steering angle control unit controls the steering angle command with respect to the steering angle command value. By further comprising a steering angle command value variable limiting unit that limits by the limit value 1 set according to the gradually changing gain, or the steering angle control unit is configured to change the steering angle command value The steering angle speed command value is multiplied by a variable rate limiting unit that limits the value by a limit value 2 set according to the steering angle command gradual change gain, or as the gradual change gain. Speed finger By including a command gradual change gain, or the rudder angle control unit limits the rudder angular speed command value by a limit value 3 set according to the speed command gradual change gain. By further including a limiting unit, or as the gradual change gain, including a speed control gradual change gain multiplied by a signal calculated in the rudder angular speed control unit, or as the gradual change gain A steering intervention gradual gain multiplied by the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value, or a steering angle control multiplied by the steering angle control current command value as the gradual gain. A steering angle control current command value limiting unit that limits the steering angle control current command value according to a preset limit value 4 by including an output gradual change gain. Further comprising, or as the gradual change gain, including an assist map gradual change gain multiplied by the assist map output current obtained in the assist control unit, or as the gradual change gain, This is achieved more effectively by including an assist control output gradual gain multiplied by the assist control current command value.

  According to the electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention, in steering angle control, compensation for steering intervention is performed, steering vibration is controlled by gain and phase compensation, and a steering state is adjusted by using a gradual gain and a limiter. Therefore, even if there is a steering intervention during automatic steering, it is safe and can reduce discomfort, it is possible to switch from automatic steering to manual steering with reduced discomfort, and further suppresses vibration of the steering wheel during automatic steering can do.

It is a lineblock diagram showing an outline of an electric power steering device. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the control unit (ECU) of an electric power steering apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the whole vehicle system concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a switching determination / gradual change gain production | generation part. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a manual input determination part. It is a graph which shows the example of a change of the gradual change gain according to a steering state. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a steering angle control part and a switching part. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of the limiting value in a steering angle command value variable limiting part. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a position control part. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of a change with respect to the vehicle speed of the FF filter gain of a position control part. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of the limit value in a speed command value variable limiting part. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example (1st Embodiment) of a steering angular velocity control part. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a steering intervention compensation part. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of a steering intervention compensation map. It is a characteristic figure showing an example of change to vehicle speed of variable gain. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a steering wheel damping part. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of the limiting value in a steering angle control electric current command value limiting part. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of EPS side ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of a switching determination / gradual change gain production | generation part. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation example (1st Embodiment) of a steering angle control part. It is a flowchart which shows a part of operation example (1st Embodiment) of a steering angle control part. It is a block diagram which shows the example of the driver | operator's steering model used by simulation. It is a graph which shows the example of the time response of the target angle in the simulation regarding steering intervention compensation, an actual steering angle, and a steering torque. It is a graph which shows the example of a change of the actual steering angle and steering torque in the simulation regarding steering intervention compensation. It is a graph which shows the simulation result regarding the followability with respect to a steering angle command value. It is a characteristic view which shows the example of a frequency characteristic of the transfer function from the steering angular speed command value to the actual steering angle in the simulation regarding the reference model and the FF filter. It is a characteristic view which shows the frequency characteristic example of each transfer function in the simulation regarding a reference | standard model and FF filter. It is a graph which shows the simulation result regarding a reference model and FF filter. It is a graph which shows the simulation result regarding steering wheel vibration. It is a graph which shows the example of a change of the target rudder angular velocity at the time of a steering state transition, a gradual gain, and a limit value. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example (2nd Embodiment) of a steering angular velocity control part. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example (3rd Embodiment) of a steering angular velocity control part. It is a graph which shows the change example (4th Embodiment) of the target rudder angular velocity at the time of steering state transfer, a gradual gain, and a limit value.

  The electric power steering apparatus (EPS) according to the present invention performs assist control, which is a function of a conventional EPS, and steering angle control necessary for automatic steering in automatic driving. The assist control and the steering angle control are executed by the assist control unit and the steering angle control unit, respectively, and the current for driving and controlling the motor using the assist control current command value and the steering angle control current command value output from each unit. Calculate the command value. Both steering angle control and assist control are executed in automatic steering (automatic steering state), and assist control is executed in manual steering (manual steering state) in which the driver is involved in steering. Switching between automatic steering and manual steering is generally performed by a switching signal from a control unit (ECU) or the like mounted on the vehicle, but even if steering intervention occurs from the driver during automatic steering, In the present invention, manual input determination is performed in order to make a quick and smooth transition to manual steering, and the determination result is used to determine switching between automatic steering and manual steering, and the steering angle control unit and assist control unit are turned on. The switching operation is performed using the gradual gain for the output data and internal data. The switching determination and the gradual gain generation are performed by the switching determination / gradual gain generating unit. Further, in order to reduce the uncomfortable feeling caused by the steering intervention during the automatic steering, the steering intervention compensation according to the steering torque is performed. For example, the steering angle control current command value is compensated by a compensation value (intervention compensation steering angle control current command value) obtained by the steering intervention compensation unit using a steering intervention compensation map prepared in advance. Furthermore, in the present invention, compensation by gain and phase compensation is performed based on the steering torque in order to suppress the vibration of the steering wheel during automatic steering. By installing the steering wheel vibration removing unit, it is possible to reduce the steering frequency component included in the steering angle command value.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the entire vehicle system including the electric power steering apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example (first embodiment) of the entire vehicle system according to the present invention. The ECU (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle side ECU”) 100 mounted on the vehicle, the ECU mounted on the EPS ( (Hereinafter referred to as “EPS side ECU”) 200 and plant 400.

  The vehicle-side ECU 100 includes a vehicle state quantity detection unit 110, a switching command unit 120, a target track calculation unit 130, and a vehicle motion control unit 140.

  The vehicle state quantity detection unit 110 outputs data detected from the in-vehicle camera, the distance sensor, the angular velocity sensor, the acceleration sensor, and the like as the vehicle state quantity Cv to the switching command unit 120, the target trajectory calculation unit 130, and the vehicle motion control unit 140. To do.

  The switching command unit 120 inputs a signal Sg for switching the operation mode together with the vehicle state quantity Cv from a button, a switch, or the like provided on a dashboard or the like, and outputs a switching signal SW to the EPS side ECU 200. The operation modes include “assist control mode” and “steering angle control mode”, “assist control mode” is a mode corresponding to manual steering, and “steering angle control mode” is a mode corresponding to automatic steering. Based on the value of the signal Sg indicating the driver's intention, the operation mode is determined in consideration of the value of each data in the vehicle state quantity Cv, and the determined operation mode is output as the switching signal SW.

  The target trajectory calculation unit 130 calculates the target trajectory Am by an existing method based on the vehicle state quantity Cv, and outputs it to the vehicle motion control unit 140.

  The vehicle motion control unit 140 includes a rudder angle command value generation unit 141. The rudder angle command value generation unit 141 is a rudder angle command that is a control target value of the steering angle based on the target trajectory Am and the vehicle state quantity Cv. A value θref is generated and output to the EPS side ECU 200.

  The EPS-side ECU 200 includes an EPS state quantity detection unit 210, a switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220, a steering angle control unit 300, an assist control unit 230, a switching unit 240, a current control / drive unit 250, and a motor current detector 38. I have.

  The EPS state quantity detection unit 210 receives signals from the angle sensor, torque sensor, and speed sensor, and detects the EPS state quantity. Specifically, the angle sensor detects the steering angle (the upper angle of the torsion bar) θh as the actual steering angle θr, the torque sensor detects the steering torque Tt, and the speed sensor detects the vehicle speed V. Further, the actual steering angular velocity ωr is calculated by performing a differential operation on the actual steering angle θr. The actual steering angle θr and the actual steering angular speed ωr are input to the steering angle control unit 300, the steering torque Tt is input to the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220, the steering angle control unit 300, and the assist control unit 230, and the vehicle speed V is Input to the steering angle control unit 300 and the assist control unit 230. Note that the column steering angle (the lower angle of the torsion bar) may be used as the actual steering angle θr, a motor angle sensor (rotation angle sensor) may be provided, and the rotation angle of the motor may be the actual steering angle θr. Further, the actual steering angle θr and the vehicle speed V may be detected by the vehicle side ECU 100 and transmitted to the EPS side ECU 200. Further, the actual steering angular velocity ωr may be calculated from the difference calculation of the rotation angle detected by the motor angle sensor and the gear ratio, or may be calculated from the difference calculation of the actual steering angle θr. An LPF (low-pass filter) may be inserted in the final stage of the EPS state quantity detection unit 210 to reduce high-frequency noise. In this case, the actual steering angular velocity ωr may be calculated from the HPF (high-pass filter) and the gain. .

  The switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 performs switching determination between automatic steering and manual steering based on the switching signal SW and the steering torque Tt from the vehicle-side ECU 100, and determines the gradual gain based on the determination result. As the gradually changing gain, the steering angle control output gradually changing gain Gfa1, the speed controlling gradually changing gain Gfa2, the speed command gradually changing gain Gfa3, the steering angle command gradually changing gain Gfa4, the steering intervention gradually changing gain Gfa5, and the assist control output gradually changing gain Gft1. The assist map gradual change gain Gft2 is obtained, Gfa1 and Gft1 are input to the switching unit 240, Gfa2, Gfa3, Gfa4, and Gfa5 are input to the steering angle control unit 300, and Gft2 is input to the assist control unit 230. Details of the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 will be described later.

  The steering angle control unit 300 performs the steering angle control by controlling the steering angle command value θref, the actual steering angle θr, the actual steering angular velocity ωr, the steering torque Tt, the vehicle speed V, and the gradually changing gains Gfa2, Gfa3, The steering angle control current command value IrefP1 is calculated using Gfa4 and Gfa5. The steering angle control current command value IrefP1 is input to the switching unit 240. The actual steering angular velocity ωr may be calculated not by the EPS state quantity detection unit 210 but by the steering angle control unit 300. Details of the steering angle control unit 300 will be described later.

  In order to perform assist control, the assist control unit 230 includes, for example, a current command value calculation unit 31, a current limiting unit 33, a compensation signal generation unit 34, and an addition unit 32A in the configuration example shown in FIG. Based on Tt and the vehicle speed V, an assist control current command value IrefT1 corresponding to the current command value Irefm in FIG. 2 is calculated using an assist map. However, unlike the configuration example of FIG. 2, the assist map gradual change gain Gft2 output from the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 is input, and the output (assist map output current) from the current command value calculation unit 31 is input. Multiplication is performed, and the multiplication result is input to the adding unit 32A. Note that the current limiter 33 and / or the compensation signal generator 34 may be omitted.

  The switching unit 240 calculates the current command value Iref using the steering angle control current command value IrefP1, the assist control current command value IrefT1, and the gradually changing gains Gfa1 and Gft1. Details of the switching unit 240 will be described later.

  The current control / drive unit 250 includes, for example, a subtraction unit 32B, a PI control unit 35, a PWM control unit 36, and an inverter 37 in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, and is detected by the current command value Iref and the motor current detector 38. The motor is driven and controlled by the same operation as the configuration example of FIG.

  The plant 400 is a physical model to be controlled that simulates driver characteristics, EPS, and vehicle mechanical characteristics in steering the steering wheel, and includes a driver steering transmission characteristic 410 and a mechanical transmission characteristic 420. Since the mechanical system operates based on the steering wheel input torque Th generated by the steering of the driver and the motor current Im from the EPS side ECU 200, the state information EV related to the vehicle and the EPS is generated. Status information EV is output. The vehicle state quantity detection unit 110 of the vehicle side ECU 100 and the EPS state quantity detection unit 210 of the EPS side ECU 200 detect the vehicle state quantity Cv and the EPS state quantity from the state information EV, respectively. Since the steering wheel input torque Th due to the steering of the driver is generated according to the steering angle θh in the state information EV, the steering steering transmission characteristic 410 outputs the steering wheel input torque Th.

  Next, the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220, the steering angle control unit 300, and the switching unit 240 of the EPS side ECU 200 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220. The switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 includes a switching determination unit 221 and a gradual change gain generation unit 222, and the switching determination unit 221 is a manual operation. An input determination unit 223 and a steering state determination unit 224 are provided.

  The manual input determination unit 223 determines the presence / absence of manual input using the steering torque Tt. A configuration example of the manual input determination unit 223 is illustrated in FIG. 5, and the manual input determination unit 223 includes a smoothing filter unit 225, an absolute value conversion unit 226, and a determination processing unit 227. The smoothing filter unit 225 has a smoothing filter, smoothes the steering torque Tt with the smoothing filter, and outputs the smoothed steering torque Tt ′. The steering torque Tt 'is input to the absolute value converting unit 226, and the absolute value converting unit 226 outputs the absolute value (absolute value data) | Tt' | of the steering torque Tt '. The absolute value | Tt ′ | is input to the determination processing unit 227. The determination processing unit 227 compares a predetermined threshold value Tth with the absolute value | Tt ′ |, and when the absolute value | Tt ′ | is equal to or greater than the threshold value Tth, it is determined that “manual input is present”, and the absolute value | Tt ′ | Is less than the threshold value Tth, it is determined that there is no manual input, and the determination result is output as a manual input determination signal Jh.

  The steering state determination unit 224 determines the steering state from the switching signal SW from the vehicle side ECU 100 and the manual input determination signal Jh. When the switching signal SW is “assist control mode” or the manual input determination signal Jh is “with manual input”, it is determined that the steering state is “manual steering”, otherwise, the switching signal SW is “steering”. In the case of “angle control mode” and the manual input determination signal Jh is “no manual input”, it is determined that the steering state is “automatic steering”. The determination result is output as a steering state determination signal Js. The steering state may be determined only from the manual input determination signal Jh. That is, when the manual input determination signal Jh is “with manual input”, the steering state is determined to be “manual steering”, and when the manual input determination signal Jh is “without manual input”, the steering state is “automatic steering”. It may be determined that

  The gradually changing gain generation unit 222 determines a gradually changing gain based on the steering state determination signal Js. The gradual gain takes different values depending on the steering state, and the steering state is determined by the steering state determination signal Js.

  The gradual gains Gfa1, Gfa2, Gfa3, Gfa4 and Gfa5 are 100% in the automatic steering state and 0% in the manual steering state, and at the time of transition from the automatic steering state to the manual steering state and from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state. The value changes gradually. For example, when shifting from the automatic steering state to the manual steering state, the gradually changing gains Gfa1 to Gfa5 change as shown in FIG. That is, when the steering state determination signal Js changes from “automatic steering” to “manual steering” at time t1, the gradually changing gain gradually decreases from that time and becomes 0% at time t2. When shifting from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state, on the contrary, the gradual change gain sequentially increases from the time when the steering state determination signal Js changes to “automatic steering”. If the value of the steering state determination signal Js changes while the gradual gain is decreasing or increasing (hereinafter, this state is referred to as a “switching state”), the gradual gain is increasing if it is decreasing, and if it is increasing. It starts to decrease. In FIG. 6A, the gradual change gain in the switching state is linearly changed. However, in order to make the switching operation smooth, it may be changed like an S-shaped curve, and it changes linearly. The gradually changing gain may be used through an LPF, for example, a first-order LPF having a cutoff frequency of 2 Hz. Further, the gradual gains Gfa1 to Gfa5 do not have to be changed in conjunction with each other, and may be changed independently.

  The assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 is αt1 [%] (0 ≦ αt1 ≦ 150) in the automatic steering state and 100% in the manual steering state. As shown in FIG. As in the case of Gfa4, the value is gradually changed in the switching state.

  The assist map gradual change gain Gft2 is αt2 [%] (0 ≦ αt2 ≦ 150) in the automatic steering state and 100% in the manual steering state, and as shown in FIG. 6C, the gradual gains Gfa1 to Gfa4. As in the case of, the value is gradually changed in the switching state.

  A configuration example of the steering angle control unit 300 and the switching unit 240 is shown in FIG. The steering angle control unit 300 includes a steering angle command value variable limiting unit 310, a variable rate limiting unit 320, a steering wheel vibration removing unit 330, a position control unit 340, a steering intervention compensation unit 350, a speed command value variable limiting unit 360, and a steering angular speed control. Unit 370, steering wheel damping unit 380, steering angle control current command value limiting unit 390, multiplication units 391, 392 and 393, and addition units 394 and 395. The switching unit 240 includes multiplication units 241 and 242 and addition unit 243. Prepare.

  The rudder angle command value variable limiting unit 310 of the rudder angle control unit 300 steers an abnormal value or excessive value due to a communication error or the like with respect to the rudder angle command value θref for automatic steering received from the vehicle side ECU 100. In order to prevent input to the angle control, a limit value (upper limit value, lower limit value) is set and the limit is applied and output as the steering angle command value θref1. In order to set an appropriate limit value in the automatic steering state and the manual steering state, the limit value is set according to the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 is 100%, it is determined that the steering is in the automatic steering state, and the limit value indicated by the solid line is applied to limit the steering angle command gradual change gain. When Gfa4 is 0%, it is determined that it is in the manual steering state, and the absolute value is limited with a limit value smaller than that in the automatic steering state as indicated by the broken line. When the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 is between 0 and 100%, it is determined that the switching state is set, and the value is limited by a value between the solid line and the broken line. In the switching state, the limit may be applied with a limit value in the solid automatic steering state or a limit value in the broken manual steering state. The magnitude of the upper limit value (absolute value) and the magnitude of the lower limit value may be different.

  In order to prevent the steering angle control current command value, which is the output of the steering angle control, from abruptly changing due to a sudden change in the steering angle command value θref, the variable rate limiting unit 320 applies a change amount to the steering angle command value θref1. Then, a limit value is set and the limit is applied, and the steering angle command value θref2 is output. For example, if the difference from the rudder angle command value θref1 one sample before is the amount of change, and the absolute value of the amount of change is greater than a predetermined value (limit value), The steering angle command value θref1 is added or subtracted and output as the steering angle command value θref2, and if it is equal to or less than the limit value, the steering angle command value θref1 is output as it is as the steering angle command value θref2. As in the case of the steering angle command value variable limiting unit 310, a limit value is set according to the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 in order to set an appropriate limit value in the automatic steering state and the manual steering state. The steering state is determined from the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4, and is set to a predetermined limit value in the automatic steering state, the limit value is set to zero in the manual steering state, and the steering angle command value θref2 remains constant without change. To. In the switching state, an intermediate value between the two limit values is used, but a limit value in the automatic steering state or a limit value in the manual steering state may be used. Instead of setting a limit value for the absolute value of the change amount, an upper limit value and a lower limit value may be set for the change amount to limit the change amount.

  The multiplication unit 391 multiplies the steering angle command value θref2 by the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4, and outputs the result as the steering angle command value θref3. As a result, a target steering angle θt output from a steering wheel vibration removal unit 330 (described later) in the switching state from the automatic steering state to the manual steering state can be made asymptotic to zero, and the steering angle control can be applied to the neutral state.

  The steering wheel vibration removal unit 330 reduces the vibration frequency component included in the steering angle command value θref3. When the steering angle command is changing during automatic steering, a frequency component (about 10 Hz) that excites vibration due to the spring property of the torsion bar and the inertial moment of the steering wheel is generated in the steering angle command value θref3. The steering wheel vibration frequency component included in the steering angle command value θref3 is reduced by filter processing using an LPF, a notch filter or the like, or phase delay compensation, and the target steering angle θt is output. As a filter, any filter may be used as long as the gain of the handle vibration frequency band can be lowered and mounted on the ECU. By installing a multiplication unit 391 that multiplies the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 in front of the steering wheel vibration removal unit 330, it is possible to reduce the handle vibration frequency component generated by multiplication of the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4. . In the case where the handle vibration frequency component is very small, the handle vibration removing unit 300 may be omitted.

  The position control unit 340 calculates a steering angular velocity command value ωref for bringing the actual steering angle θr closer to the target steering angle θt, based on the deviation between the target steering angle θt and the actual steering angle θr. Further, in order to widen the control band of the actual steering angle θr with respect to the target steering angle θt to the high frequency side, a reference model and an FF (feed forward) filter are used. Thereby, the response (followability) of rudder angle control can be improved.

  A configuration example of the position control unit 340 is shown in FIG. The position control unit 340 includes a reference model unit 341, a proportional gain unit 342, a filter unit 343, a subtraction unit 344, and an addition unit 345.

The reference model unit 341 has a transfer function G _model defined by Equation 1 below, and converts the target steering angle θt to the target steering angle θt1 using the transfer function G _model .

Here, T _m1 = 1 / (2π × f _m1 ), T _m2 = 1 / (2π × f _m2 ), f _m1 and f _m2 are cutoff frequencies, and s is a Laplace operator. The transfer function G _model defines a desired transfer characteristic in the method of model reference control. In the above equation 1, the denominator is the sixth order and the numerator is the zeroth order, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  A subtraction unit 344 obtains a deviation θe between the target steering angle θt1 and the actual steering angle θr, and the deviation θe is input to the proportional gain unit 342. The proportional gain unit 342 multiplies the deviation θe by the proportional gain Kpp, and calculates the steering angular velocity command value ωrefa by P control.

  The filter unit 343 includes an FF filter, and converts the target steering angle θt into a steering angular velocity command value ωrefb by the FF filter. The transfer function Gf of the FF filter is defined by the following formula 2.

Kff is an FF filter gain, and _Pωθ is a transfer function from the steering angular velocity command value ωref to the actual steering angle θr, and is defined in advance by identification by fitting or the like. The FF filter gain Kff is changed according to the vehicle speed V. Since the response of the actual steering angle to the steering angle command value changes due to changes in the road surface reaction force and a steering intervention compensation map, which will be described later, according to the vehicle speed, the FF filter gain Kff is set to the vehicle speed sensitive type. As a result, the response of the actual steering angle to the steering angle command value can be made substantially constant regardless of the vehicle speed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the FF filter gain Kff decreases monotonously as the vehicle speed V increases from 0 km / h, becomes 1.1 when the vehicle speed V is 20 km / h, and the vehicle speed V becomes 60 km / h. It changes to 1 when h, and remains constant at 1 thereafter.

  The steering angular velocity command values ωrefa and ωrefb are added by the adding unit 345 and output as the steering angular velocity command value ωref.

  Note that the process using the reference model and the FF filter is not essential, and the steering angular velocity command value ωref may be calculated only by the P control by the subtraction unit 344 and the proportional gain unit 343.

  In the multiplication unit 392, the steering angular velocity command value ωref is multiplied by the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 and output as the steering angular velocity command value ωrefg. The speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 is used to realize smooth switching when switching from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state. Note that the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 changes in synchronization with the steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1 multiplied by the steering angle control current command value IrefP1 (not necessarily perfect synchronization).

  The speed command value variable limiting unit 360 sets a limit value (upper limit value, lower limit value) for the steering angular speed command value ωrefg, limits the steering angular speed command value ωrefg, and outputs a target steering angular speed ωt. The limit value is set according to the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3. For example, when the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 is less than a predetermined threshold, the magnitude (absolute value) of the limit value is set to a small value as shown by the broken line in FIG. Increase the value to The predetermined threshold value is an arbitrary value of the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 in the switching state. When Gfa3 is less than the predetermined threshold value, the magnitude of the limit value is fixed at a small value of a broken line, and Gfa3 is set to the predetermined threshold value. If it exceeds, the limit value may be gradually increased up to the solid line. The size of the upper limit value and the size of the lower limit value may be different.

  The rudder angular speed control unit 370 inputs the target rudder angular speed ωt, the actual rudder angular speed ωr, and the speed control gradual gain Gfa2, and the rudder angle control current command value (basic rudder) so that the actual rudder angular speed ωr follows the target rudder angular speed ωt. The angle control current command value (IrefW) is calculated by IP control (proportional advance type PI control).

  A configuration example of the rudder angular velocity control unit 370 is shown in FIG. The rudder angular velocity control unit 370 includes gain multiplication units 371 and 372, an integration unit 373, subtraction units 374 and 375, and a multiplication unit 376.

  The gain multiplication unit 371 multiplies the deviation ωe (= ωt−ωr) between the target steering angular velocity ωt and the actual steering angular velocity ωr calculated by the subtraction unit 374 by the gain Kvi, and outputs an operation amount D1. The integrating unit 373 integrates the operation amount D1 and calculates the control amount Ir1. The multiplication unit 376 multiplies the control amount Ir1 by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2, and outputs the result as the control amount Ir3. The multiplication of the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 is performed in order to realize smooth switching between the manual steering state and the automatic steering state, thereby mitigating the influence of integration value accumulation in the steering angular speed control at the time of switching. be able to. The gain multiplication unit 372 multiplies the actual steering angular speed ωr by the gain Kvp and outputs a control amount Ir2. In the subtraction unit 375, a deviation (Ir3-Ir2) between the control amounts Ir3 and Ir2 is calculated and output as a steering angle control current command value IrefW. As the integration of the integration unit 373, any method can be used as long as it is an integration method that can be implemented. When using the pseudo-integration, the integration unit 373 may be configured with a first-order lag transfer function and gain. . Further, the speed control gradually changing gain Gfa2 may be changed in synchronization with the steering angle control output gradually changing gain Gfa1.

  The rudder angular speed control unit 370 uses IP control, but a generally used control method may be used as long as the actual rudder angular speed can be made to follow the target rudder angular speed. . For example, PI control, 2-degree-of-freedom PI control, model reference control, model matching control, robust control, and a control method in which compensation means for estimating a disturbance and canceling a disturbance component are combined in part may be used.

  The steering intervention compensation unit 350 calculates a steering angle control current command value (intervention compensation steering angle control current command value) IrefS1 for steering intervention compensation according to the steering torque Tt. With the function of the steering intervention compensation unit 350, a current command value can be generated in a direction that reduces the generation of steering torque, and steering intervention during automatic steering can be realized. Further, the steering intervention compensation unit 350 can achieve an appropriate feeling by performing compensation and phase compensation on the steering torque Tt using a vehicle speed sensitive steering intervention compensation map.

  A configuration example of the steering intervention compensation unit 350 is shown in FIG. The steering intervention compensation unit 350 includes a steering intervention phase compensation unit 351, a compensation map unit 352, and an integration unit 353.

  The steering intervention phase compensation unit 351 sets phase advance compensation as phase compensation, and converts the steering torque Tt into the steering torque Tt1. For example, phase lead compensation is performed with a primary filter having a numerator cutoff frequency of 1.0 Hz and a denominator cutoff frequency of 1.3 Hz. As a result, it is possible to improve the refreshing feeling and the catching feeling in the case of sudden steering. Note that the steering intervention phase compensation unit 351 can be omitted in the case where cost is important.

  The compensation map unit 352 has a steering intervention compensation map, and obtains the current command value manipulated variable DIref using the steering intervention compensation map. The steering intervention compensation map is a map that defines the characteristics of the current command value manipulated variable with respect to the steering torque, and changes depending on the vehicle speed. The steering intervention compensation map is adjusted by tuning. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the current command value manipulated variable increases as the steering torque increases, but decreases as the vehicle speed increases. Thereby, it is possible to make the feel heavier as the vehicle speed increases. Since the assist map used in the assist control unit 230 also has a characteristic that the assist control current command value decreases as the vehicle speed increases, the steering angular speed command value and the assist when the driver has intervened during high-speed driving. An increase in the control current command value is suppressed, and a safe steering is possible without a sudden steering.

  The integrator 353 integrates the current command value manipulated variable DIref to calculate a steering angle control current command value IrefS1.

  The steering intervention phase compensation unit 351 may be installed after the compensation map unit 352. Alternatively, the variable gain Ktp may be used instead of the steering intervention compensation map, and the current command value manipulated variable DIref may be obtained by multiplying the steering torque Tt1 by the variable gain Ktp. The variable gain Ktp is a vehicle speed sensitive gain that changes according to the vehicle speed V, and is adjusted by tuning. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, as the vehicle speed V increases, the variable gain Ktp is decreased. Thereby, it is possible to make the feel heavier as the vehicle speed increases. In FIG. 15, the variable gain Ktp changes like a polygonal line, but may change like a curve.

  The multiplication unit 393 multiplies the steering angle control current command value IrefS1 by the steering intervention gradual change gain Gfa5, and outputs the result as the steering angle control current command value IrefS. Similar to the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3, the steering intervention gradual change gain Gfa5 is used to realize smooth switching when switching from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state, and is synchronized with the steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1. Change (not necessarily perfect synchronization).

  The handle vibration damping unit 380 dampens the vibration of the handle based on the steering torque Tt that is a torsion bar torque signal. The handle vibration removing unit 330 also has an effect on the handle vibration during automatic steering, but the handle damping unit 380 can further improve the effect. The steering wheel damping unit 380 performs damping of the steering wheel vibration by gain and phase compensation, and outputs a steering angle control current command value (compensated steering angle control current command value) IrefV that works in a direction to eliminate torsion of the torsion bar. In addition, the handle damping unit 380 works in the direction of reducing the twist angle, and also has the effect of reducing the uncomfortable feeling of catching at the time of manual input intervention by the driver.

  A configuration example of the handle damping unit 380 is shown in FIG. The handle damping unit 380 includes a gain unit 381 and a damping phase compensation unit 382. The gain unit 381 multiplies the steering torque Tt by the gain Kv and outputs a control amount Irv. The vibration suppression phase compensation unit 382 is constituted by, for example, a primary filter, and converts the control amount Irv into a steering angle control current command value IrefV. You may comprise not a primary filter but a phase compensation filter more than secondary.

  In the addition unit 394, the steering angle control current command value IrefS output from the multiplication unit 393 and the steering angle control current command value IrefV output from the steering wheel damping unit 380 are added and output as the steering angle control current command value IrefSV. The The steering angle control current command value IrefSV is further added by the addition unit 395 to the steering angle control current command value IrefW output from the steering angular speed control unit 370, and is output as the steering angle control current command value IrefP2.

  The steering angle control current command value limiting unit 390 applies a limit to the steering angle control current command value IrefP2 by setting a limit value (upper limit value, lower limit value) in order to prevent excessive output. Command value IrefP1 is output. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, an upper limit value and a lower limit value are set to limit the steering angle control current command value IrefP2. The magnitude of the upper limit value (absolute value) and the magnitude of the lower limit value may be different.

  The switching unit 240 includes multiplication units 241 and 242 and an addition unit 243.

  In the multiplication unit 241 of the switching unit 240, the steering angle control current command value IrefP1 output from the steering angle control unit 300 is multiplied by the steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1 output from the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220. And output as a steering angle control current command value IrefP. The steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1 is used to smoothly switch between the manual steering state and the automatic steering state, and to realize a sense of incongruity and safety for the driver. In the multiplication unit 242, the assist control current command value IrefT1 output from the assist control unit 230 is multiplied by the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1, and is output as the assist control current command value IrefT. The assist control output gradual gain Gft1 is used to smoothly switch between the manual steering state and the automatic steering state, and to realize steering intervention by the driver during automatic driving. In the adding unit 243, the steering angle control current command value IrefP and the assist control current command value IrefT are added and output as a current command value Iref.

  The assist map gradual change gain Gft2 used in the assist control unit 230 is also used for the same purpose as the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1. In the automatic steering state, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, Gft1 is set to αt1, Gft2 is set to αt2, and αt1 and αt2 are adjusted to improve the stability of the system and to vibrate. Can be suppressed. Further, if it is possible to maintain the stability of the system in the automatic steering state, αt1 may be simply set to 0% and αt2 may be set to 100%. In this case, since αt1 is 0%, the assist control current command value IrefT becomes a zero command, and steering intervention can be realized even when the assist control is eliminated.

  In such a configuration, an operation example of the EPS-side ECU 200 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  When the operation is started, the EPS state quantity detection unit 210 detects the actual steering angle θr, the steering torque Tt, and the vehicle speed V (step S10), and determines whether the actual steering angle θr is switched to the steering angle control unit 300 and the steering torque Tt is switched / The vehicle speed V is output to the steering angle control unit 300 and the assist control unit 230, respectively, to the gradually changing gain generation unit 220, the steering angle control unit 300, and the assist control unit 230. Further, the EPS state quantity detection unit 210 calculates the actual steering angular velocity ωr from the actual steering angle θr (step S20), and outputs it to the steering angle control unit 300.

  The switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 to which the steering torque Tt is input performs switching determination between automatic steering and manual steering based on whether or not the switching signal SW output from the vehicle ECU 100 is input, and based on the determination result. The gradual gain is determined (step S30), and the gradual gains Gfa2, Gfa3, Gfa4, and Gfa5 are output to the steering angle control unit 300, Gft2 to the assist control unit 230, and Gfa1 and Gft1 to the switching unit 240, respectively. Details of the operation of the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 will be described later.

  The steering angle control unit 300 includes a steering angle command value θref from the vehicle side ECU 100, an actual steering angle θr from the EPS state quantity detection unit 210, an actual steering angular velocity ωr, a steering torque Tt and a vehicle speed V, and a switching determination / gradual change gain. Gradual change gains Gfa2, Gfa3, Gfa4, and Gfa5 from the generation unit 220 are input, and the steering angle control current command value IrefP1 is calculated using them (step S40) and output to the switching unit 240. Details of the operation of the steering angle control unit 300 will be described later.

  The assist control unit 230 inputs the steering torque Tt, the vehicle speed V, and the assist map gradual gain Gft2, and calculates an assist map output current (current value) by the same operation as the current command value calculation unit 31 shown in FIG. (Step S50). Then, the assist map output current is multiplied by the assist map gradual change gain Gft2 (step S60), and the multiplication result is the same as that of the adder 32A, current limiter 33, and compensation signal generator 34 shown in FIG. To calculate an assist control current command value IrefT1 (step S70) and output it to the switching unit 240.

  The switching unit 240 multiplies the input steering angle control current command value IrefP1 by the steering angle control output gradual gain Gfa1 by the multiplication unit 241 (step S80), and adds the steering angle control current command value IrefP that is the multiplication result. Output to the unit 243. Further, the input assist control current command value IrefT1 is multiplied by the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 by the multiplication unit 242 (step S90), and the multiplication result of the assist control current command value IrefT is output to the addition unit 243. The adding unit 243 adds the steering angle control current command value IrefP and the assist control current command value IrefT (step S100), and outputs the current command value Iref as the addition result to the current control / drive unit 250.

  The current control / driving unit 250 performs the same operation as the subtraction unit 32B, the PI control unit 35, the PWM control unit 36, and the inverter 37 shown in FIG. Using the current Im, the motor current Im is controlled so as to follow the current command value Iref (step S110), and the drive of the motor is controlled.

  Details of an operation example of the switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 220 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the steering state determination unit 224, it is assumed that “manual steering” is set as an initial value in the steering state determination signal Js.

  The input steering torque Tt is input to the manual input determination unit 223 in the switching determination unit 221. The manual input determining unit 223 smoothes the steering torque Tt by the smoothing filter unit 225 (step S210), and obtains the absolute value | Tt '| of the smoothed steering torque Tt ′ by the absolute value converting unit 226 (step S220). . The absolute value | Tt ′ | is input to the determination processing unit 227. When the absolute value | Tt ′ | is equal to or greater than the threshold Tth (step S230), the determination processing unit 227 determines that “manual input is present” (step S240), and when the absolute value | Tt ′ | is less than the threshold Tth (step S230). S230), “no manual input” is determined (step S250), and a manual input determination signal Jh as a determination result is output to the steering state determination unit 224.

  The steering state determination unit 224 confirms whether or not the switching signal SW is input (step S260), and inputs the switching signal SW. The switching signal SW is “assist control mode” or the manual input determination signal Jh is “manual input”. If “Yes” (step S 270), the steering state determination signal Js is updated to “manual steering” (step S 280). If not (step S 270), the steering state determination signal Js is updated to “automatic steering” (step S 270). Step S290). When the switching signal SW is not input, the steering state determination signal Js is left as it is. The steering state determination signal Js is input to the gradual gain generating unit 222.

  The gradual gain generating unit 222 confirms the value of the steering state determination signal Js (step S300). When the steering state determination signal Js is “manual steering”, each gradual gain (Gfa1 to Gfa5, Gft1, and Gft2) is changed to a value in a manual steering state (0% for Gfa1 to Gfa5, and 100% for Gft1 and Gft2). (Step S310). When the steering state determination signal Js is “automatic steering”, each gradual gain is changed to a value in the automatic steering state (100% for Gfa1 to Gfa5, αt1 for Gft1, and αt2 for Gft2) (step S320).

  Details of an operation example of the rudder angle control unit 300 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  The steering angle command value variable limiting unit 310 confirms the value of the input steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 (step S410), and when Gfa4 is 0%, the limit value is set to “at the time of manual steering” shown in FIG. (Step S420), when Gfa4 is 100%, the limit value for "automatic steering" shown in FIG. 8 is set (step S430). When Gfa4 is 0 to 100%, an intermediate value is set as the limit value. (Step S440). Then, using the set limit value, the steering angle command value θref input from the vehicle side ECU 100 is limited (step S450), and the steering angle command value θref1 is output.

  The steering angle command value θref1 is input to the variable rate limiting unit 320 together with the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 and the actual steering angle θr. The variable rate limiting unit 320 checks the value of the steering angle command gradual change gain Gfa4 (step S460). If Gfa4 is 0%, the variable is limited to zero (step S470), and the stored rudder one sample before is held. The value of the angle command value θref1 is set to the value of the actual steering angle θr (step S471). Step S471 is a state in which the value at the end of the previous steering angle control remains at the time when the steering angle control at which Gfa4 is greater than 0% is started. If this value is used as it is, the steering angle command value will change suddenly. Since the steering wheel may change suddenly, this is a measure for suppressing the sudden change by starting the steering wheel in a state where it matches the actual steering angle θr. When Gfa4 is 100%, the limit value is set to a predetermined value (step S480), and when Gfa4 is 0 to 100%, an intermediate value is set as the limit value (step S490). Then, a difference (amount of change) between the steering angle command value θref1 and the steering angle command value θref1 one sample before is calculated (step S500). When the absolute value of the change amount is larger than the limit value (step S510), the steering angle command value θref1 is added or subtracted so that the absolute value of the change amount becomes the limit value (step S520), and is output as the steering angle command value θref2. (Step S530). When the absolute value of the change amount is equal to or less than the limit value (step S510), the steering angle command value θref1 is output as it is as the steering angle command value θref2 (step S530).

  The steering angle command value θref2 is multiplied by the steering angle command gradual gain Gfa4 by the multiplication unit 391 (step S540), and is output as the steering angle command value θref3. The steering angle command value θref3 is input to the steering wheel vibration removal unit 330. .

  The steering wheel vibration removal unit 330 reduces the vibration frequency component with respect to the steering angle command value θref3 (step S550), and outputs it to the position control unit 340 as the target steering angle θt.

  The target steering angle θt is input to the reference model unit 341 and the filter unit 343 in the position control unit 340. The reference model unit 341 converts the target steering angle θt into the target steering angle θt1 using Equation 1 (step S560). The target steering angle θt1 is added and input to the subtracting unit 344, and the actual steering angle θr is input to the subtracting unit 344, and a deviation θe between the target steering angle θt1 and the actual steering angle θr is obtained (step S570). The deviation θe is input to the proportional gain unit 342, and the proportional gain unit 342 multiplies the deviation θe by the proportional gain Kpp to calculate the steering angular velocity command value ωrefa (step S580). The filter unit 343 that has input the target steering angle θt also inputs the vehicle speed V, obtains the FF filter gain Kff from the vehicle speed V using the characteristics shown in FIG. 10, and uses the formula 2 to calculate the target steering angle θt as the steering angular speed. The command value is converted to ωrefb (step S590). The steering angular velocity command values ωrefa and ωrefb are added by the adding unit 345 (step S600), and the steering angular velocity command value ωref is output.

  The steering angular speed command value ωref is multiplied by a speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 by the multiplication unit 392 (step S610), and is input to the speed command value variable limiting unit 360 as the steering angular speed command value ωrefg.

  The speed command value variable limiting unit 360 receives the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 together with the steering angular speed command value ωrefg, and checks the value of the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 (step S620). If Gfa3 is less than the predetermined threshold, the limit value is set to a limit value “Gfa3 small” shown in FIG. 11 (step S630), and if it is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the limit value is set to “Gfa3 large” ( Step S640). Using the set limit value, the steering angular velocity command value ωrefg is limited (step S650), and the target steering angular velocity ωt is output. The target rudder angular velocity ωt is input to the rudder angular velocity control unit 370.

  The steering angular speed control unit 370 inputs the actual steering angular speed ωr and the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 together with the target steering angular speed ωt. The target rudder angular velocity ωt is added to the subtractor 374, the actual rudder angular velocity ωr is subtracted to the subtractor 374, and the deviation ωe between the target rudder angular velocity ωt and the actual rudder angular velocity ωr is input to the gain multiplier 371 (step S660). ). The gain multiplication unit 371 multiplies the deviation ωe by the gain Kvi (step S670), and outputs an operation amount D1. The operation amount D1 is input to the integration unit 373, and the integration unit 373 integrates the operation amount D1 to calculate the control amount Ir1 (step S680) and outputs it to the multiplication unit 376. The multiplication unit 376 multiplies the control amount Ir1 by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 (step S690), and outputs the control amount Ir3. The control amount Ir3 is added to the subtraction unit 375. The actual steering angular velocity ωr is also input to the gain multiplication unit 372. The gain multiplication unit 372 multiplies the actual steering angular velocity ωr by the gain Kvp (step S700), outputs the control amount Ir2, and the control amount Ir2 is the subtraction unit. Subtracted at 375. In the subtraction unit 375, the deviation between the control amounts Ir3 and Ir2 is calculated (step S710), and is output to the addition unit 395 as the steering angle control current command value IrefW.

  On the other hand, the steering intervention compensation unit 350 receives the vehicle speed V and the steering torque Tt, and the vehicle speed V is input to the compensation map unit 352 and the steering torque Tt is input to the steering intervention phase compensation unit 351. The steering intervention phase compensation unit 351 converts the steering torque Tt into the steering torque Tt1 by phase compensation (step S720). The steering torque Tt1 is input to the compensation map unit 352 together with the vehicle speed V. The compensation map unit 352 uses the steering intervention compensation map determined from the vehicle speed V based on the characteristics shown in FIG. A current command value manipulated variable DIref is obtained (step S730). The current command value manipulated variable DIref is input to the integrating unit 353, and the integrator 353 integrates the current command value manipulated variable DIref to calculate the steering angle control current command value IrefS1 (step S740).

  The steering angle control current command value IrefS1 is multiplied by the steering intervention gradual change gain Gfa5 in the multiplication unit 393 (step S750), and is output as the steering angle control current command value IrefS. The steering angle control current command value IrefS is output to the addition unit 394. Entered.

  The steering torque Tt is also input to the steering wheel damping unit 380. In the steering vibration damping unit 380, the gain unit 381 multiplies the input steering torque Tt by the gain Kv (step S760), and outputs the control amount Irv. The controlled variable Irv is phase-compensated by the damping phase compensator 382 (step S770) and output as the steering angle control current command value IrefV. The steering angle control current command value IrefV is input to the adding unit 394.

  The steering angle control current command values IrefS and IrefV input to the adding unit 394 are added (step S780), and are output to the adding unit 395 as the steering angle control current command value IrefSV.

  The steering angle control current command values IrefW and IrefSV input to the adding unit 395 are added (step S790) and output as the steering angle control current command value IrefP2. The steering angle control current command value IrefP2 is input to the steering angle control current command value limiter 390. Note that the order of addition of IrefS, IrefV, and IrefW may be different from that described above.

  The steering angle control current command value limiting unit 390 limits the steering angle control current command value IrefP2 using the limit value of the characteristic shown in FIG. 17, and outputs the steering angle control current command value IrefP1 (step). S800).

  Note that the operation of the rudder angle control unit 300 and the operation of the assist control unit 230 may be executed in parallel or in reverse order. In the operation of the steering angle control unit 300, the operation up to the calculation of the steering angle control current command value IrefS input to the addition unit 394, the operation up to the calculation of the steering angle control current command value IrefV, and the steering angle input to the addition unit 395 The operation up to the calculation of the control current command value IrefW and the operation up to the calculation of the steering angle control current command value IrefSV may be performed in reverse or in parallel.

  The effect of this embodiment is demonstrated based on a simulation result.

In the simulation, a vehicle motion model and a driver's steering model are set as the plant model of the plant 400. As a vehicle movement model, for example, Masato Abe, “Automotive Movement and Control”, Tokyo Denki University, Tokyo Denki University Press, issued on September 20, 2009, First Edition, 2nd Edition, Chapter 3 (p.49) -105) Using models shown in Chapter 4 (p.107-130) and Chapter 5 (p.131-147), as a steering model, for example, Daisuke Yokoi, master's thesis, “musculoskeletal characteristics of arms” "Study on Evaluation of Steering Feel of Cars Taking into Account", Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, accepted February 6, 2007, Chapter 2 (p.3-5), Chapter 3 (p.6) -9) You may use the model shown by (references), It is not limited to these, You may use another model. The steering model used in this simulation is shown in FIG. 22 for reference. In FIG. 22, _Carm and _Cpalm are viscosity coefficients, _Karm and _Kpalm are spring constants, and _Iarm is the moment of inertia of the arm. The steering wheel steering angle θh output from the mechanical model (mechanical transmission characteristic) is input to the steering model (driver steering transmission characteristic), and the steering wheel input torque Th output from the steering model is output to the mechanical model. The target angle described in the reference is hereinafter referred to as a driver target angle (steering target angle) θarm. Furthermore, in the reference literature, the mass system of the arm is added to the column moment of inertia, but the force applied from the palm to the steering wheel is defined as the steering wheel input torque Th, so that it is between the palm angle and the steering wheel steering angle θh. The values of the acting spring constant K _palm and viscosity coefficient C _palm are sufficiently large, and there is no problem even if the simulation is performed. In this simulation, this is the case. Further, the followability of the motor current with respect to the current command value is sufficiently fast, and the influence of the operation of the current control / driving unit 250 is slight, so that the current command value = the motor current. Furthermore, the vehicle speed V is assumed to be constant.

  First, the effect of steering intervention compensation will be described.

  The steering angle command value θref was fixed at 0 [deg], and a simulation of automatic steering was performed when the driver's target angle θarm was input. As a reference, FIG. 23 shows the time response of the actual steering angle θr and the steering torque Tt with respect to the time change of the target angle θarm of the driver in the simulation considering the driver's steering model under the same conditions. In FIG. 23, the vertical axis represents the angle [deg] and the steering torque [Nm], the horizontal axis represents the time [sec], the thick solid line represents the driver's target angle θarm, and the thin solid line represents the actual steering angle (in this embodiment, the steering wheel). (Steering angle) θr, the broken line indicates the steering torque Tt. In FIG. 23, the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 is 0%, that is, the assist control is disabled. FIG. 23 is an example of a simulation for explaining how the actual steering angle θr and the steering torque Tt change with respect to the change in the target angle θarm of the driver.

  With respect to changes in the actual steering angle θr and the steering torque Tt when the target angle θarm of the driver is input, there is a case where speed control is performed by PI control without steering intervention compensation and a case where there is steering intervention compensation. A comparison was made. In the former, for the purpose of comparison with the present embodiment, the difference in the integration method is seen with the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 and the assist map gradual change gain Gft2 being both 100%. In the latter, the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 is set to 0%. In the conventional prior art (for example, Patent Document 1), the assist control command value is 0 [deg] during the steering angle control before switching, but it is estimated that steering intervention is more difficult than in the former case. So I omitted it.

  FIG. 24 shows the simulation result. The vertical axis represents the steering torque [Nm], the horizontal axis represents the actual steering angle [deg], and the case where there is no steering intervention compensation is indicated by a broken line, and the case where there is steering intervention compensation is indicated by a solid line. However, in the steering intervention compensation unit 350, the steering intervention compensation map is a straight line from the origin.

  As shown by the broken line in FIG. 24, when there is no steering intervention compensation, the actual steering angle θr is cut up to about 3 [deg], but due to the influence of the PI control integration in the speed control, the speed deviation (the steering (The deviation between the angular velocity command value and the actual steering angular velocity) continues to be accumulated, and eventually is forcibly returned to the steering angle command value θref (= 0 [deg]), and further, an emergency of 15 [Nm] or more Thus, a large steering torque is generated, which makes it difficult for the driver to steer.

  On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 24, when there is steering intervention compensation, the steering can be performed up to 20 [deg], and the steering angle command value θref (= 0 [deg]) may be pulled back. Absent. This is because the steering angle control current command value IrefW output from the steering angular speed control unit 370 is multiplied by the steering angle control current command value IrefS1 output from the steering intervention compensation unit 350 (more precisely, the steering intervention gradual change gain Gfa5). This is because the steering angle control current command value IrefS) is added, and the speed deviation between the steering angular speed command value ωref and the actual steering angular speed ωr in a steered state is balanced in the vicinity of zero. Thus, the steering intervention by the driver can be realized by the function of the steering intervention compensation unit 350. Further, by increasing the gain of the output from the steering intervention compensation unit 350, lighter steering can be realized.

  Next, there is no steering intervention by the driver (steering hand input torque Th = 0 [Nm]), steering intervention compensation is not performed, and steering vibration during steering angle control in automatic steering when only steering angle control is executed. The effect on will be described.

  Prior to the description of the effect on the steering wheel vibration, in order to explain how the actual steering angle θr follows the steering angle command value θref, the followability to the steering angle command value θref, the reference model in the position control unit 340, and the FF The effect of the filter will be described.

  FIG. 25 shows a time response in which the steering angle command value θref is changed in a ramp shape from 0 [deg] to 100 [deg]. In FIG. 25, the vertical axis represents the steering angle [deg], the horizontal axis represents the time [sec], and the dotted line represents the steering angle command value θref. The response of the target steering angle θt and the actual steering angle θr output from the steering wheel vibration removal unit 330 having a primary LPF with a cutoff frequency of 2 Hz to the steering angle command value θref is shown by a thin solid line and a thick line, respectively. Shown in solid line. FIG. 25 shows that the target steering angle θt and the actual steering angle θr follow the steering angle command value θref.

  From the above description, it can be said that both steering intervention and steering angle tracking can be realized during automatic steering.

The reference model and simulation of the FF filter position control unit 340, firstly, identify the frequency characteristic of the transfer function P _Omegashita from the steering angular velocity command value ωref to the actual steering angle [theta] r, by fitting the frequency sweep, or by a transfer function Specified. The result is shown in FIG. FIG. 26A _shows the gain characteristic of the transfer function _Pωθ , FIG. _26B shows the phase characteristic, the thin solid line shows the result of frequency sweep, and the thick solid line shows the result of fitting. In addition, the transfer function _{Pωθ as} a result of the fitting is the following formula 3.

Further, in the transfer function G _model of the reference model unit 341 defined by Equation 1, the cutoff frequencies f _m1 and f _m2 are 10 Hz and 20 Hz, respectively. The transfer function Gf of the FF filter is calculated based on Equation 2. FIG. 27 shows frequency characteristics of the transfer function G _model , the transfer function _Pωθ, and the transfer function Gf of the FF filter in such a setting. FIG. 27A shows gain characteristics, and FIG. 27B shows phase characteristics.

  As an effect of the reference model and the FF filter, followability of the steering angle control (actual steering angle θr with respect to the steering angle command value θref) can be given. Therefore, at the vehicle speed V = 60 [km / h] under the above setting. A simulation was performed in which the steering angle command value θref was changed in a ramp shape from 0 [deg] to 100 [deg]. The result is shown in FIG. In FIG. 28, the vertical axis represents the steering angle [deg], the horizontal axis represents time [sec], and the broken line represents the steering angle command value θref. With respect to the steering angle command value θref, the time response of the actual steering angle calculated based on the value obtained by simply multiplying the steering angle deviation (the deviation between the target steering angle θt and the actual steering angle θr) by a gain is indicated by a thin solid line. The time response of the actual steering angle calculated by the reference model in the position control unit 340 and the model reference control by the FF filter is indicated by a thick solid line, and the time response of the target steering angle θt1 output from the reference model unit 341 is indicated by a dotted line. From FIG. 28, the followability is improved by the set reference model and the FF filter as compared with the simple multiplication of the gain indicated by the thin solid line, and the target steering angle θt1 as the reference model output is in good agreement. I understand that. However, although the effect of the reference model and the FF filter is shown in FIG. 28, even when the steering angle deviation is simply multiplied by a gain (thin solid line), the actual steering angle θr is equal to the steering angle command value θref. It can be confirmed that it is following sufficiently.

  In the simulation for confirming the effect on the steering wheel vibration, when the steering angle control is performed with respect to the steering angle command value θref similar to that in FIG. I investigated the difference. The handle vibration removing unit 330 uses a primary LPF having a cutoff frequency of 2 Hz. The handle damping unit 380 is a first-order filter that uses a gain Kv that provides a column axis equivalent torque of 10 Nm for a torsion bar torque of 1 Nm, a numerator cutoff frequency of 10 Hz, and a denominator cutoff frequency of 20 Hz. Phase lead compensation was performed. The result is shown in FIG. In FIG. 29, the vertical axis represents the torsion bar torque [Nm] and the horizontal axis represents the time [sec], the solid line represents the case where the handle vibration removing unit 330 and the handle vibration damping unit 380 have vibration measures, and the dotted line represents the vibration measure. This is the case. It can be seen from FIG. 29 that the handle vibration is suppressed by the handle vibration removing unit 330 and the handle damping unit 380.

  At the end of the explanation of the effect, there is a problem that the integral value of the I control is excessively accumulated due to the increase of the steering angular speed at the start of the steering angle control, and the steering angle control command value may become excessive (the problem in Patent Document 3 etc. ) Will be described.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating the change over time of the target steering angular speed ωt, the gradually changing gain, and the limit value in the speed command value variable limiting unit 360 when shifting from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state. Note that FIG. 30 shows only Gfa1 assuming that the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 and the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 change in synchronization with the steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1. Assuming that the assist control output gradual change gain Gft1 and the assist map gradual change gain Gft2 also change in synchronization with Gfa1, only the change in Gft1 is shown for reference. In addition, the magnitude of the limit value in the speed command value variable limiter 360 is set to be a small value when Gfa3 is less than a predetermined threshold, and gradually increases when Gfa3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

  The steering angular speed command value ωref is multiplied by the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3 and further limited by the speed command value variable limiting unit 360 to become the target steering angular speed ωt. When the transition from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state starts, Gfa3 gradually increases from 0, and the target rudder angular velocity ωt also gradually increases from 0. After that, when the steering angular speed command value ωrefg, which is an input to the speed command value variable limiting unit 360, reaches the limit value (limit value a) at time t10, the target steering angular speed ωt becomes constant at the limit value a, but Gfa3 is Keeps increasing. When Gfa3 becomes a predetermined threshold at time t11, the limit value gradually increases, and the target rudder angular velocity ωt increases accordingly. When Gfa3 becomes 100% at time t12, and when the limit value reaches the limit value b at time t13, the target steering angular speed ωt changes within the limit value b. Since the target rudder angular speed ωt is limited by the limit value a between time points t10 and t13, and further limited by multiplication of the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 in the rudder angular speed control unit 370, the steering angular speed control unit 370 Excessive accumulation of integral values is suppressed, and the current command value as the steering angle control output that causes the driver to feel uncomfortable can be reduced. Further, after the transition of the limit value is completed (that is, after time t13), the steering angular speed command value ωref is not limited by Gfa3 and the speed command value variable limiting unit 360, and the signal in the steering angular speed control unit 370 is not limited by Gfa2. Therefore, it is possible to shift to normal steering angle control.

  In addition, regarding the multiplication of each gradual gain (Gfa1 to Gfa5, Gft1, Gft2) in the first embodiment, when the cost is more important than the effect of the gradual gain multiplication, at least one multiplication is left and the subsequent multiplication is performed. Can be omitted. In addition, each limiting unit (steering angle command value variable limiting unit, variable rate limiting unit, speed command value variable limiting unit, steering angle control current command value limiting unit) can be omitted in the same case. When the steering angle command value variable limiting unit 310, the variable rate limiting unit 320, the multiplication unit 391, and the steering wheel vibration removing unit 330 are omitted, the steering angle command value θref is input to the position control unit 340 as the target steering angle θt. Will be. When the multiplication unit 392 and the speed command value variable limiting unit 360 are omitted, the steering angular speed command value ωref is input to the steering angular speed control unit 360 as the target steering angular speed ωt.

  Another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the multiplication of the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 in the rudder angular speed control unit 370 is performed on the control amount Ir1 that is the output from the integration unit 373, but with the output from the subtraction unit 375. It is also possible to carry out with respect to a certain steering angle control current command value IrefW.

  FIG. 31 is a configuration example (second embodiment) of the steering angular speed control unit in the case of multiplying the steering angle control current command value IrefW by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2. Compared with the steering angular velocity control unit 370 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 12, in the steering angular velocity control unit 470 in the second embodiment, the multiplication unit 376 is not after the integration unit 373 but after the subtraction unit 375. The other configurations are the same.

  In the operation example of the rudder angular velocity control unit 470 in the second embodiment, in the operation example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the integration unit 373 calculates the control amount Ir1 by integrating the operation amount D1. The control amount Ir1 is then input to the subtraction unit 375, and the subtraction unit 375 calculates the control amount Ir3 'as the deviation (Ir1-Ir2) between the control amounts Ir1 and Ir2. Then, the multiplication unit 376 multiplies the control amount Ir3 ′ by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2, and outputs the multiplication result to the addition unit 394 as the steering angle control current command value IrefW. Subsequent operations (steps S720 to S720) are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The multiplication of the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2 can be performed at other points in the steering angular speed control unit 370.

  In the configuration example (third embodiment) of the rudder angular speed control unit shown in FIG. 32, the deviation ωe that is the output from the subtraction unit 374 is multiplied by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2. Compared with the steering angular velocity control unit 370 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 12, in the steering angular velocity control unit 570 in the third embodiment, the multiplication unit 376 is not after the integration unit 373 but after the subtraction unit 374. The other configurations are the same.

  In the operation example of the steering angular velocity control unit 570 in the third embodiment, in the operation example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the subtraction unit 374 calculates a deviation ωe between the target steering angular velocity ωt and the actual steering angular velocity ωr. The operation up to S660 is the same, and the deviation ωe is input to the multiplication unit 376 instead of the gain multiplication unit 371. The multiplication unit 376 multiplies the deviation ωe by the speed control gradual change gain Gfa2, and the deviation ωe1 is input to the gain multiplication unit 371. Output. Thereafter, the operation is the same as that of the first embodiment except that step S690 is eliminated.

  In the above-described embodiments (first to third embodiments), the speed command value variable limiting unit 360 sets a limit value according to the speed command gradual change gain Gfa3, and the limit is set when Gfa3 reaches a predetermined threshold. Although the value is switched, the steering angle control output gradual change gain Gfa1 may be used instead of Gfa3, and the limit value may be switched when Gfa1 reaches 100%. In the configuration in this case (fourth embodiment), Gfa1 is input instead of Gfa3 to the speed command value variable limiting unit, and other configurations are the same as those in the other embodiments. In the operation of the fourth embodiment, the limit value determination determination operation (step S620 in FIG. 21) in the speed command value variable limiting unit is merely changed to checking whether Gfa1 is less than 100%. In the fourth embodiment, the target steering angular speed ωt, the gradual gain, and the time change of the limit value in the speed command value variable limiting unit when shifting from the manual steering state to the automatic steering state are as shown in FIG. . Compared to the time change shown in FIG. 30, the limit value in the speed command value variable limiter gradually increases from time t12 when Gfa1 becomes 100%, and the target steering angular speed ωt also increases accordingly. Yes.

1 Handle 2 Column shaft (steering shaft, handle shaft)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Torque sensor 12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Battery 20 Motor 21 Rotation angle sensor 30 Control unit (ECU)
31 Current command value calculating unit 33 Current limiting unit 34 Compensation signal generating unit 35 PI control unit 36 PWM control unit 37 Inverter 38 Motor current detector 100 Vehicle side ECU
110 vehicle state quantity detection unit 120 switching command unit 130 target trajectory calculation unit 140 vehicle motion control unit 141 rudder angle command value generation unit 200 EPS side ECU
210 EPS state quantity detection unit 220 switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit 221 switching determination unit 222 gradual gain generation unit 223 manual input determination unit 224 steering state determination unit 225 smoothing filter unit 226 absolute value conversion unit 227 determination processing unit 230 Assist control unit 240 Switching unit 250 Current control / drive unit 300 Steering angle control unit 310 Steering angle command value variable limiting unit 320 Variable rate limiting unit 330 Steering wheel vibration removal unit 340 Position control unit 341 Reference model unit 342 Proportional gain unit 343 Filter unit 350 Steering Intervention Compensation Unit 351 Steering Intervention Phase Compensation Unit 352 Compensation Map Units 353, 373 Integration Unit 360 Speed Command Value Variable Limiting Units 370, 470, 570 Steering Angular Speed Control Units 371, 372 Gain Multiplication Unit 380 Handle Damping Unit 381 Gain Unit 382 Vibration Suppression Phase Compensation Unit 390 Steering Angle Control Current Command Value Control Limited 400 plant

Claims (20)

In an electric power steering device that drives a motor based on a current command value and performs assist control and steering angle control on a steering system by drive control of the motor,
An assist control unit that calculates an assist control current command value for the assist control based on at least a steering torque;
A steering angle control unit that calculates a steering angle control current command value for the steering angle control based on at least the steering torque, the steering angle command value, and the actual steering angle;
A switching determination / gradual change gain generation unit that generates a gradual change gain that adjusts the control amount of the assist control and the control amount of the steering angle control based on at least the steering torque;
The rudder angle control unit
A position controller that calculates a steering angular velocity command value based on a deviation between the steering angle command value and the actual steering angle;
A rudder angular speed control unit that calculates a basic rudder angle control current command value based on a deviation between the rudder angular speed command value and the actual rudder angular speed;
A steering intervention compensation unit for obtaining an intervention compensation steering angle control current command value for steering intervention compensation according to the steering torque;
A steering wheel damping unit that calculates a compensated steering angle control current command value for damping the vibration of the steering wheel based on the steering torque;
Calculate the steering angle control current command value from the basic steering angle control current command value, the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value and the compensation steering angle control current command value,
The electric power steering apparatus, wherein the current command value is calculated from the assist control current command value and the steering angle control current command value adjusted with the gradual gain. The rudder angle control unit
A steering wheel vibration removal unit that reduces a vibration frequency component included in the steering angle command value;
The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering angle command value with the vibration frequency component reduced is input to the position control unit. The steering intervention compensation unit
A compensation map unit having a steering intervention compensation map that defines the characteristics of the current command value manipulated variable with respect to the steering torque;
The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value is obtained from the steering torque via the compensation map unit.   The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the steering intervention compensation map changes according to a vehicle speed. The steering intervention compensation unit
A steering intervention phase compensation unit for performing phase compensation on the steering torque;
The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value is obtained from the steering torque via the steering intervention phase compensation unit and the compensation map unit. The position controller is
A reference model unit that converts the steering angle command value into a target steering angle using a reference model;
A proportional gain unit that calculates a steering angular velocity command value 1 by multiplying a deviation between the target steering angle and the actual steering angle by a proportional gain;
A filter unit that converts the rudder angle command value into a rudder angular velocity command value 2 using an FF filter;
The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the steering angular speed command value 2 is added to the steering angular speed command value 1 to calculate the steering angular speed command value.   The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a filter gain of the FF filter changes according to a vehicle speed. The handle damping unit is
A gain unit for multiplying the steering torque by a gain;
The electric power steering according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a vibration suppression phase compensation unit that performs phase compensation on the steering torque multiplied by the gain and outputs the compensated steering angle control current command value. apparatus.   The electric power according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rudder angular velocity control unit calculates the basic rudder angle control current command value by IP control using the rudder angular velocity command value and the actual rudder angular velocity. Steering device.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the gradual change gain includes a steering angle command gradual change gain multiplied by the steering angle command value. The rudder angle control unit
The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a steering angle command value variable limiting unit that limits the steering angle command value with a limit value 1 set according to the steering angle command gradual gain. . The rudder angle control unit
The electric power according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a variable rate limiting unit that limits a change amount of the steering angle command value by a limit value 2 set according to the steering angle command gradual gain. Steering device.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the gradual change gain includes a speed command gradual change gain multiplied by the steering angular velocity command value. The rudder angle control unit
14. The electric power steering apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a speed command value variable limiting unit that limits the steering angular speed command value with a limit value 3 set according to the speed command gradual gain.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the gradual gain includes a speed control gradual change gain multiplied by a signal calculated in the steering angular speed control unit.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the gradual gain includes a steering intervention gradual gain multiplied by the intervention compensation steering angle control current command value.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the gradual gain includes a steering angle control output gradual change gain multiplied by the steering angle control current command value. The rudder angle control unit
The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a steering angle control current command value limiter configured to limit the steering angle control current command value with a preset limit value 4.   The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the gradually changing gain includes an assist map gradually changing gain multiplied by an assist map output current obtained in the assist control unit. The electric power steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the gradually changing gain includes an assist control output gradually changing gain multiplied by the assist control current command value.