JP4799272B2 - Vehicle steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device for a vehicle facilitating driving of the vehicle by suitably controlling turning behavior variation of the vehicle in response to a driver's steering operation. <P>SOLUTION: A turning angle conversion part 53 calculates a sense fitting turning angle &delta;a according to expectation lateral acceleration Gd capable of being perceived by human being. A limitation turning angle operation part 44 calculates a limitation turning angle &delta;b1 limiting increase of a yaw rate gain Yg by limiting a turning gear ration D(&theta;) by a turning gear ratio MD when a vehicle speed V is small. Further, when the vehicle V is large, it calculates a limitation turning angle &delta;b2 obtained by limiting the yaw rate gain Yg by a yaw rate regular gain Yg0. A turning angle determination part 45 determines a turning angle with a small yaw rate gain Yg of the sense fitting turning angle &delta;a and the limitation turning angles &delta;b1, &delta;b2 as a target turning angle &delta;c. Thereby, the vehicle can be turned by suitably controlling variation of the turning behavior of the vehicle accompanying increase of the yaw rate gain Yg. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a steering handle operated by a driver to steer a vehicle, a reaction force actuator that applies a reaction force to the operation of the steering handle, a turning actuator for turning steered wheels, The present invention relates to a steering device for a steering-by-wire vehicle including a control device that drives and controls a steered actuator according to an operation of a steering handle.

  In recent years, the development of this type of steering-by-wire steering system has been actively carried out. For example, Patent Document 1 below detects a steering angle and a vehicle speed, calculates a transmission ratio that decreases as the steering angle increases and increases as the vehicle speed increases, and divides the steering angle by this transmission ratio, thereby dividing the front wheel A steering device is shown in which a turning angle (amount of rack shaft displacement) is calculated and the front wheels are turned to the calculated turning angle. Further, in this steering device, the steering response and followability of the front wheels are improved by correcting the calculated turning angle in accordance with the steering speed obtained by time-differentiating the detected steering angle. Further, by calculating the target yaw rate using the detected vehicle speed and the detected steering angle, and correcting the calculated turning angle according to the difference between the calculated target yaw rate and the detected actual yaw rate, the vehicle behavior state Steering control that takes into account is also realized.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, the steering torque and the steering angle of the steering wheel are detected, two turning angles that increase as the steering torque and the steering wheel steering angle increase are calculated, and these calculated turning angles are added. A steering device is shown in which the front wheels are steered at the steered angle. In this steering apparatus, the vehicle speed is also detected, the both turning angles are corrected based on the detected vehicle speed, and the turning characteristics are changed according to the vehicle speed.

  However, in any of the above conventional devices, the steering angle and the steering torque, which are the operation input values for the steering wheel by the driver for steering the vehicle, are detected, and the front wheels are detected using the detected steering angle and steering torque. The steering angle is directly calculated, and the front wheels are steered to the calculated steering angle. However, the steering control of these front wheels, although the mechanical connection between the conventional steering wheel and the steered wheels is removed, the steering method of the front wheel with respect to the steering wheel operation is as follows: The basic technical idea of determining the steering angle of the front wheels according to the force is exactly the same, and in these steering methods, the steering angle of the front wheels is not determined according to human sensory characteristics So it was difficult to drive the vehicle.

  That is, in the above-described conventional device, the turning angle that cannot be perceived by the driver is determined directly in response to the operation of the steering wheel, and the vehicle turns by turning the front wheels according to the turning angle. . The driver senses the lateral acceleration, yaw rate, and turning curvature of the vehicle due to the turning of the vehicle by touch or vision, and feeds back to the operation of the steering handle to turn the vehicle in a desired manner. In other words, since the turning angle of the front wheels with respect to the steering wheel operation by the driver is a physical quantity that cannot be perceived by humans, the turning angle that is directly determined by the driver's steering operation is the driver's perception. It was not determined according to the characteristics, and this made it difficult to drive the vehicle.

  Further, in the above-described conventional device, the determined turning angle is corrected according to the difference between the target yaw rate calculated using the detected vehicle speed and the detected steering wheel angle and the detected actual yaw rate. This is merely correction of the turning angle in consideration of the behavior state of the vehicle, and does not determine the turning angle according to the yaw rate that the driver will perceive by operating the steering wheel. Also, based on the detected vehicle speed, a phase difference is provided between the steering time point of the steering wheel and the turning start time point, but this is merely a correction of the turning control in consideration of the turning behavior of the vehicle. The operation of the steering wheel does not cause the movement state of the vehicle as expected by the driver. Accordingly, in this case as well, the turning angle determined for the driver's steering operation is not determined in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics, and the driver feels uncomfortable and makes driving the vehicle difficult.

  In response to these problems, the applicant of the present application has proposed a vehicle steering apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3 below. This vehicle steering device can turn the vehicle in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics in response to the driver's steering wheel operation based on Weber-Fechner's law regarding human perceptual characteristics. Is. That is, according to Weber-Hefner's law, it is said that the amount of human sensation is proportional to the logarithm of the physical quantity of the given stimulus, and the physical quantity of the stimulus given to the human relative to the amount of human manipulation is If the amount of operation is changed exponentially in the case of displacement and exponentially when the amount of operation is torque, the relationship between the amount of operation and the physical amount can be matched to human perceptual characteristics.

Therefore, in the vehicle steering device disclosed by the applicant of the present invention according to Patent Document 3 below, the amount of motion state of the vehicle (lateral acceleration, yaw rate, turning curvature) that can be perceived by the driver with respect to the steering wheel operation by the driver. Etc.) is changed exponentially or exponentially. In order to realize a vehicle motion state quantity that changes exponentially or exponentially, the steered wheels are steered non-linearly. As a result, the driver can operate the vehicle by operating the steering wheel in accordance with the perceptual characteristics, so even when the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steered wheels is removed, it is very easy. The vehicle can be turned.
JP 2000-85604 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-124047 JP 2005-193783 A

  By the way, when the steered wheels are steered in a non-linear manner in response to the steering wheel operation by the driver, the steering wheel operation can be performed according to the steering wheel operation state and the vehicle speed by the driver. As a result, the vehicle may turn extremely quickly, and the turning behavior of the vehicle may be disturbed. Therefore, in this situation, the driver needs to carefully operate the steering wheel.

    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driver for a vehicle steering apparatus in which steered wheels are steered non-linearly in response to an operation of a steering wheel by the driver. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle steering device that makes it easy to drive the vehicle by appropriately controlling the change in the turning behavior of the vehicle in response to the steering wheel operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the features of the present invention include a steering handle operated by a driver to steer a vehicle, a reaction force actuator for applying a reaction force to the operation of the steering handle, A steering-by-wire system comprising a steering actuator for turning a steered wheel, and a control device for driving the steered actuator in response to an operation of the steering handle to nonlinearly control the steered wheel In the vehicle steering device, the control device is a change amount of a yaw rate generated by the vehicle in response to the operation input value detection means for detecting the operation input value of the driver for the steering handle and the turning of the steered wheels. A yaw rate gain limiting means for limiting a change in yaw rate gain representing a change amount of the yaw rate with respect to the detected operation input value; and the limit Limiting turning amount calculation means for calculating the limited turning amount of the steered wheels for the vehicle to move by reflecting the yaw rate gain, and controlling the turning actuator according to the calculated limiting turning amount The steered wheel is configured with a steered control unit that steers the steered wheel to the calculated limit steer amount, and the control device further sets the limit steer amount calculated by the limit steer amount calculating unit. An operation range changing means for enlarging and changing the operable range of the steering wheel, a reaction force calculating means for calculating a reaction force corresponding to the enlarged and changed operating range of the steering wheel, And a reaction force control means for controlling the reaction force actuator according to the calculated reaction force to apply the calculated reaction force to the steering handle .

  In this case, the control device may further include vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the yaw rate gain limiting means may limit the change in the yaw rate gain according to the detected vehicle speed. Further, the yaw rate gain limiting means limits a turning gear ratio that represents a ratio between the detected operation input value and a turning amount of the steered wheel that changes nonlinearly with respect to the operation input value. The change in the yaw rate gain may be limited. The yaw rate gain limiting means may set an upper limit at which the yaw rate gain can change to limit the change in the yaw rate gain. Further, the yaw rate gain limiting means may set a viscous component torque that forms a reaction force applied by the reaction force actuator to be large in accordance with an operation speed of the steering wheel to limit a change in the yaw rate gain. .

  In addition, the control device further represents a motion state of the vehicle that can be perceived by the driver in relation to the turning of the vehicle, and is in a predetermined exponential relationship or a power relationship with the detected operation input value. A motion state quantity calculating means for calculating a predicted motion state quantity using the detected operation input value, and a sensory adaptive turning of the steered wheels necessary for the vehicle to move with the calculated expected motion state quantity. A sensory adaptation turning amount calculation means for calculating the amount using the calculated expected motion state quantity, and a comparison between the yaw rate gain generated in the vehicle turning at the sensory adaptation turning amount and the limited yaw rate gain And a turning amount determining means for determining a sense-adapted turning amount or a limited turning amount corresponding to a small yaw rate gain among these yaw rate gains as a target turning amount of the steered wheels. The turning control means controls the turning actuator in accordance with the target turning amount determined by the turning amount determination means to turn the turning wheels to the determined turning amount. Good. In this case, the expected motion state quantity may be any one of a lateral acceleration, a yaw rate, and a turning curvature of the vehicle.

  In the present invention configured as described above, an operation input value (for example, a steering angle) of a driver with respect to a steering wheel represents a motion state of the vehicle that can be perceived by the driver in relation to the turning of the vehicle, and steering It can be converted into a predicted motion state quantity (lateral acceleration, yaw rate, turning curvature, etc.) of the vehicle having a predetermined exponential relationship or a power relationship with the operation input value for the steering wheel. Then, based on the converted expected motion state amount, the steering wheel sense input turning amount (for example, the turning angle) necessary for the vehicle to move with the predicted motion state amount is an operation input value of the steering wheel. Can be calculated so as to change nonlinearly.

  Therefore, when the steered wheels are steered to the sensory-adapted turning amount and the vehicle turns, the turning causes the driver to provide the expected motion state quantity as the “physical quantity of the given stimulus” according to the Weber-Hefner law. Is given. Since the expected motion state quantity changes exponentially or exponentially with respect to the operation input value to the steering wheel, the driver perceives the motion state quantity that matches human perception characteristics. While the steering wheel can be operated. The lateral acceleration and yaw rate can be sensed tactilely by the driver in contact with each part in the vehicle. Further, the turning curvature can be visually perceived by the driver due to changes in the situation within the field of view of the vehicle. As a result, the driver can operate the steering wheel in accordance with human perceptual characteristics, so that driving of the vehicle is simplified.

  On the other hand, for example, when a large operation input value is input by the driver, in other words, when the steered wheels are steered nonlinearly with a large steered amount, the amount of change in the yaw rate that occurs when the vehicle turns, More specifically, the yaw rate gain representing the amount of change in the yaw rate per operation input value increases. In a state where the yaw rate gain is increased, the vehicle turns sharply according to the operation of the steering wheel by the driver.

  On the other hand, the yaw rate gain limiting means limits a change in the yaw rate gain generated by the vehicle (for example, an increase in the yaw rate gain) by turning the steered wheels to the calculated sensory adaptation turning amount. The limited turning amount calculation means can calculate the limited turning amount (steering angle) for the vehicle to move with the limited yaw rate gain. Here, the yaw rate gain limiting means can be executed according to the detected vehicle speed. For example, when the vehicle speed is low, the change of the steering gear ratio is limited, that is, the amount of change in turning of the steered wheels is limited. Thus, the change in the yaw rate gain can be limited, and when the vehicle speed is high, the change in the yaw rate gain can be limited by the upper limit (for example, a preset upper limit value) of the yaw rate gain. Further, since the change in the yaw rate gain changes depending on the operation speed of the steering wheel, the yaw rate gain limiting means can also limit the change in the yaw rate gain by setting the viscous component torque of the reaction force actuator large. .

  Further, the turning amount determination means can compare the yaw rate gain when the vehicle turns with the sensory-adapted turning amount and the limited yaw rate gain when the vehicle turns with the limited turning amount. Then, based on this comparison, the turning amount determination means can determine the sensory-adapted turning amount or the limited turning amount that becomes a small yaw rate gain among these yaw rate gains as the target turning amount, and the turning control. The means can steer the steered wheels to the target steer amount.

  Thus, the turning behavior of the vehicle can be appropriately limited by turning the steered wheels based on the magnitude of the yaw rate gain. That is, when the vehicle turns according to the steering wheel operation by the driver, if the yaw rate gain generated in the vehicle turning with the sense-adapted steering amount is smaller than the limited yaw rate gain, the steered wheel is sensed-adapted. Since the vehicle can be steered to an amount, the vehicle can be turned in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  Further, the steered wheel can be steered to the limit turning amount as long as the yaw rate gain generated in the vehicle turning with the sense-adapted turning amount is equal to or more than the restricted yaw rate gain. As a result, a change (for example, an increase) in the yaw rate gain is appropriately limited with respect to the steering wheel operation by the driver, so that the vehicle can be reliably prevented from turning sharply. The steering wheel can be operated without worrying about the disturbance of the turning behavior of the vehicle. Therefore, also by this, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  By the way, when a steered wheel is steered by the limit turning amount, the change (for example, increase) of a yaw rate gain is restrict | limited. For this reason, in order to turn the vehicle in the turning mode (more specifically, the intended turning radius, etc.) intended by the driver, it is necessary to operate the steering handle more. On the other hand, the operation range changing means can appropriately change the operation range of the steering wheel based on the calculated limited turning amount, for example, to enlarge. Further, the reaction force calculation means can calculate an appropriate reaction force within the changed operation range, and the reaction force control means can apply the calculated reaction force to the steering wheel. Accordingly, the driver can turn the vehicle in an intended turning manner by operating the steering wheel.

a. First Embodiment Hereinafter, a vehicle steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a steering apparatus for a vehicle according to a first embodiment.

  This steering device includes a steering handle 11 that is turned by a driver to steer left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 as steered wheels. The steering handle 11 is fixed to the upper end of the steering input shaft 12, and the lower end of the steering input shaft 12 is connected to a reaction force actuator 13 including an electric motor and a speed reduction mechanism. The reaction force actuator 13 applies a reaction force to the turning operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver.

  In addition, the steering device includes a steering actuator 21 including an electric motor and a speed reduction mechanism. The turning force by the turning actuator 21 is transmitted to the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 via the turning output shaft 22, the pinion gear 23, and the rack bar 24. With this configuration, the rotational force from the steering actuator 21 is transmitted to the pinion gear 23 via the steering output shaft 22, and the rack bar 24 is displaced in the axial direction by the rotation of the pinion gear 23. , The left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are steered left and right.

  Next, an electric control device that controls the rotation of the reaction force actuator 13 and the turning actuator 21 will be described. The electric control device includes a steering angle sensor 31, a turning angle sensor 32, a vehicle speed sensor 33, and a lateral acceleration sensor 34.

  The steering angle sensor 31 is assembled to the steering input shaft 12, detects the rotation angle from the neutral position of the steering handle 11, and outputs it as the steering angle θ. The steered angle sensor 32 is assembled to the steered output shaft 22, detects the rotational angle from the neutral position of the steered output shaft 22, and corresponds to the actual steered angle δ (the steered angle of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2). ). Here, in this specification, the neutral position refers to the positions of the steering handle 11, the steering input shaft 12, the steering output shaft 22, and the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 for maintaining the vehicle in a straight traveling state. The steering angle θ and the actual turning angle δ are represented by setting the neutral position to “0”, the left rotation angle as a positive value, and the right rotation angle as a negative value. The vehicle speed sensor 33 detects and outputs the vehicle speed V. The lateral acceleration sensor 34 detects and outputs the actual lateral acceleration G of the vehicle. The actual lateral acceleration G also represents leftward acceleration as a positive value and rightward acceleration as a negative value.

  These sensors 31 to 34 are connected to the electronic control unit 35. The electronic control unit 35 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like as main components, and controls the operations of the reaction force actuator 13 and the turning actuator 21 by executing a program. Drive circuits 36 and 37 for driving the reaction force actuator 13 and the steering actuator 21 are connected to the output side of the electronic control unit 35, respectively. In the drive circuits 36 and 37, current detectors 36a and 37a for detecting a drive current flowing through the electric motor in the reaction force actuator 13 and the steering actuator 21 are provided. The drive current detected by the current detectors 36a and 37a is fed back to the electronic control unit 35 in order to control the drive of both electric motors.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 showing functions realized by computer program processing in the electronic control unit 35. The electronic control unit 35 includes a sensory adaptation control unit 40 for determining the target turning angle δc of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 corresponding to the driver's sensory characteristics based on the turning operation of the steering handle 11, and the target turning. The steering control unit 50 includes a steering control unit 50 that controls the steering of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 based on the angle δc, and a reaction force control unit 60 that controls the application of reaction force to the steering handle 11.

When the steering handle 11 is turned by the driver, the steering angle sensor 31 detects the steering angle θ, which is the rotation angle of the steering handle 11, and uses the detected steering angle θ to control the sensory adaptation control unit 40 and the reaction force control. Output to the unit 60. In the sensory adaptation control unit 40, the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 is a steering torque that is a linear function of the steering angle θ according to the following equation 1 if the absolute value of the steering angle θ of the steering handle 11 is less than the positive predetermined value θz. Td is calculated, and if the absolute value of the steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the positive predetermined value θz, the steering torque Td that is an exponential function of the steering angle θ is calculated according to the following equation 2. Here, the linear function of Equation 1 and the exponential function of Equation 2 are continuously connected at the steering angle θz, and, for example, pass through the origin “0” at the steering angle θz in the exponential function of Equation 2. The tangent may be adopted as a linear function of Equation 1. Note that Equation 1 is not limited to a linear function, and the steering torque Td is “0” when the steering angle θ is “0”, and is continuously connected to the exponential function of Equation 2. As long as it is a function, various functions can be adopted.
Td = a · θ (| θ | <θz) Equation 1
Td = To · exp (K1 · θ) (θz ≦ | θ | <θmax)

  However, a in Equation 1 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function. Further, To and K1 in Equation 2 are constants, and in particular, the constant To is the minimum steering torque that can be perceived by the driver. The constant K1 will be described later in detail. Further, the steering angle θ in the equations 1 and 2 represents the absolute value of the detected steering angle θ. If the detected steering angle θ is positive, the constant a and the constant To are positive values. If the detected steering angle θ is negative, the constant a and the constant To are set to negative values having the same absolute value as the positive constant a and the positive constant To. Note that the steering torque Td may be calculated using a conversion table having characteristics as shown in FIG. 3 in which the steering torque Td with respect to the steering angle θ is stored, instead of the calculations of the expressions 1 and 2.

The calculated steering torque Td is supplied to the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42. The torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 calculates the expected lateral acceleration Gd that the driver expects by turning the steering wheel 11 according to the following equation 3 if the absolute value of the steering torque Td is less than a positive predetermined value Tg. If the absolute value of the steering torque Td is equal to or greater than the positive predetermined value Tg, the calculation is performed according to the following equation 4. Here, Expression 3 is a linear function expression of the steering torque Td, and is a function in which the expected lateral acceleration Gd becomes “0” when the steering torque Td is “0”. Equation 4 is a power function of the steering torque Td, and is continuously connected to Equation 4 at a predetermined value Tg.
Gd = b · Td (| Td | <Tg) Equation 3
Gd = C · Td ^K2 (Tg ≦ | Td |) Equation 4

  However, b in Equation 3 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function, and C and K2 in Equation 4 are constants. Further, the steering torque Td in the equations 3 and 4 represents the absolute value of the steering torque Td calculated using the equations 1 and 2. If the calculated steering torque Td is positive, the constant b If the calculated steering torque Td is negative, the constant b and the constant C are negative values having the same absolute value as the positive constant b and the constant C. In this case as well, the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated by using a conversion table having characteristics as shown in FIG. 4 in which the expected lateral acceleration Gd with respect to the steering torque Td is stored instead of the calculations of the expressions 3 and 4. It may be.

Here, Formula 4 will be described. When the steering torque Td is eliminated using the above equation 2, the following equation 5 is obtained.
Gd = C · (To · exp (K1 · θ)) ^K2 = C · To ^K2 · exp (K1 · K2 · θ) = Go · exp (K1 · K2 · θ)
In Equation 5, Go is a constant C · To ^K2 , and Equation 5 indicates that the expected lateral acceleration Gd varies exponentially with respect to the steering angle θ of the steering wheel 11 by the driver. The expected lateral acceleration Gd is a physical quantity that can be perceived by the driver due to the contact of a part of the driver's body with a predetermined part in the vehicle, and follows the aforementioned Weber-Hefner law. Accordingly, if the driver can turn the steering handle 11 while perceiving a lateral acceleration equal to the expected lateral acceleration Gd when the steering torque Td is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Tg, the turning operation of the steering handle 11 is performed. And the vehicle steering can be made to correspond to human perceptual characteristics.

As described above, the expected lateral acceleration Gd shown in the equation 4 (that is, the equation 5) changes exponentially with respect to the steering angle θ, which is the operation amount of the steering wheel 11, and thus human perception. It suits the characteristics. Furthermore, the simplest method for the turning operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver is to turn the steering handle 11 at a constant speed ω (θ = ω · t). The acceleration Gd changes exponentially with respect to time t as shown in the following equation (6). Therefore, it can be seen from this that if the steering handle 11 can be rotated while perceiving a lateral acceleration equal to the expected lateral acceleration Gd, the driver can easily rotate the steering handle 11.
Gd = Go · exp (K0 · ω · t) (6)
However, K0 is a constant having a relationship of K0 = K1 · K2.

  Further, as shown in Equation 3, when the steering torque Td is less than the predetermined value Tg, the expected lateral acceleration Gd changes in a linear function. This is because, for example, when the steering torque Td is less than the predetermined value Tg, that is, when the steering angle θ is maintained in the vicinity of “0” (near the neutral position of the steering wheel 11), the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated according to the above equation 4, for example. If calculated, the expected lateral acceleration Gd does not converge to “0”, which is not realistic. However, as described above, if the steering handle 11 is in the vicinity of the neutral position, that is, if the steering torque Td is less than the predetermined value Tg, the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated according to the above equation 3 to thereby move the steering handle 11 toward the neutral position. When the vehicle is rotated, the expected lateral acceleration Gd converges to “0”, so this problem is solved.

  Next, how to determine the parameters K1, K2, and C (predetermined values K1, K2, and C) used in the expressions 1 to 6 will be described. In the description of how to determine the parameters K1, K2, and C, the steering torque Td and the expected lateral acceleration Gd in the expressions 1 to 6 are simply handled as the steering torque T and the lateral acceleration G. According to the above-mentioned Weber-Hefner law, “the ratio ΔS / S between the minimum physical quantity change ΔS perceivable by humans and the physical quantity S at that time is constant regardless of the value of the physical quantity S, and the ratio ΔS / S S is called the Weber ratio. The present inventors confirmed that the above-mentioned Weber-Hefner's law is established with respect to steering torque and lateral acceleration, and in order to determine the Weber ratio, the following experiments were conducted for men and women, age, and vehicle driving. I went to various people with different histories.

  Regarding the steering torque, a torque sensor is assembled to the steering handle of the vehicle, and an inspection torque is applied to the steering handle from the outside and the inspection torque is changed in various manners against this inspection torque. We measured the ability of the human to adjust the steering torque to adjust the steering handle so that it does not rotate by applying an operating force to the steering handle. That is, in the above situation, the value of the ratio ΔT / T, that is, Weber, where T is the detected steering torque at a certain time and ΔT is the minimum amount of change in steering torque that can be perceived as a change from the detected steering torque T. The ratio was measured for various humans. According to the results of this experiment, the Weber ratio ΔT / T is almost constant for various humans regardless of the direction of operation of the steering wheel, the state of the hand holding the steering wheel, and the magnitude and direction of the inspection torque. The value α was obtained.

  Regarding the lateral acceleration, a wall member is provided on the side of the driver's seat, and a force sensor for detecting the pressing force of the human shoulder is assembled to the wall member to allow the human to grasp the steering handle and to the wall member force sensor. The wall is applied to the wall member with the inspection force from the outside in the lateral direction, and the wall is against the inspection force while changing the inspection force in various modes. We adjusted the lateral force adjustment ability of the human to push the member so that the wall member does not move, that is, maintain the posture. That is, under the above situation, when F is the detection force that can withstand lateral force from the outside at a certain time and maintain the posture, and ΔF is the minimum force change amount that can perceive the change from the detection force F The ratio value ΔF / F, the Weber ratio, was measured for various humans. According to the results of this experiment, the Weber ratio ΔF / F was a substantially constant value β for various people regardless of the magnitude and direction of the reference force applied to the wall member.

On the other hand, when the formula 2 is differentiated and the formula 2 is considered in the differentiated formula, the following formula 7 is established.
ΔT ＝ To ・ exp (K1 ・ θ) ・ K1 ・ Δθ = T ・ K1 ・ Δθ
When the equation 7 is modified and the Weber ratio ΔT / T related to the steering torque obtained by the experiment is Kt, the following equation 8 is established.
K1 = ΔT / (T · Δθ) = Kt / Δθ Equation 8

If the maximum setting value of the steering torque Td is Tmax, the following formula 9 is established from the above formulas 1 and 2.
Tmax ＝ To ・ exp (K1 ・ θmax) ... Equation 9
If Equation 9 is modified, the following Equation 10 is established.
K1 = log (Tmax / To) / θmax Equation 10
Then, the following formula 11 is derived from the formula 8 and the formula 10.
Δθ = Kt / K1 = Kt · θmax / log (Tmax / To) (Formula 11)
In Equation 11, Kt is the Weber ratio of the steering torque T, To corresponds to the minimum steering torque that can be perceived by humans, and these values Kt, Tmax, To, and θmax are constants that can be set in advance. Therefore, the differential value Δθ can be calculated using the equation (11). The predetermined value (coefficient) K1 can also be calculated based on the equation 8 using the differential value Δθ and the Weber ratio Kt.

In addition, when the expression 4 is differentiated and the expression 4 is considered in the differentiated expression, the following expression 12 is established.
ΔG = C · K2 · T ^K2-1 · ΔT = G · K2 · ΔT / T Equation 12
When Expression 12 is modified and the Weber ratio ΔT / T related to the steering torque obtained by the experiment is set to Kt and the Weber ratio ΔF / F related to the lateral acceleration is set to Ka, the following Expressions 13 and 14 are established.
ΔG / G = K2 · ΔT / T Equation 13
K2 = Ka / Kt ... Formula 14
In this equation 14, Kt is the Weber ratio related to the steering torque, and Ka is the Weber ratio related to the lateral acceleration, both of which are given as constants. Therefore, using these Weber ratios Kt and Ka, the above equation is used. 14 can also calculate the coefficient K2.

Further, if the maximum set value of the lateral acceleration is Gmax and the maximum set value of the steering torque is Tmax, the following formula 15 is derived from the above formula 4.
C = Gmax / Tmax ^K2 Equation 15
In Equation 15, Gmax and Tmax are constants that can be set in advance, and K2 is calculated by Equation 14, so that a constant (coefficient) C can also be calculated.

  As described above, the maximum steering angle θmax, the maximum value Tmax of the steering torque T, the maximum value Gmax of the lateral acceleration G, the minimum steering torque To, the minimum sensed lateral acceleration Go, the Weber ratio Kt related to the steering torque T, and the Weber related to the lateral acceleration. If the ratio Ka is set, the coefficients K1, K2, and C in Equations 1 to 5 can be calculated. Therefore, in the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 and the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42, the steering torque Td and the expected lateral acceleration Gd that match the driver's perceptual characteristics can be calculated using the equations 1-5.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2 again, the expected lateral acceleration Gd calculated by the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 is supplied to the turning angle conversion unit 43. The turning angle conversion unit 43 calculates the sensory adaptation turning angle δa of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 necessary for generating the expected lateral acceleration Gd, and changes according to the vehicle speed V as shown in FIG. Thus, a table representing the change characteristic of the sensory-adapted turning angle δa with respect to the expected lateral acceleration Gd is provided. This table is a set of data collected by running the vehicle while changing the vehicle speed V and actually measuring the turning angle δ and the lateral acceleration G of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2. Then, the turning angle conversion unit 43 refers to this table, and calculates the sensory adaptation turning angle δa according to the input expected lateral acceleration Gd and the detected vehicle speed V input from the vehicle speed sensor 33. Further, the lateral acceleration G (expected lateral acceleration Gd) and the sensory fit turning angle δa stored in the table are both positive, but the expected lateral acceleration Gd supplied from the turning angle conversion unit 43 is negative. If so, the output sensory-adapted turning angle δa is also negative. Then, the turning angle conversion unit 43 supplies the calculated sensory adaptation turning angle δa to the turning angle determination unit 45.

Since the sensory-adapted turning angle δa is a function of the vehicle speed V and the lateral acceleration G as shown in the following equation 16, it is calculated by executing the operation of the following equation 16 instead of referring to the table. Can do.
δa = L · (1 + A · V ² ) · Gd / V ² Equation 16
However, L in the equation 16 is a predetermined value indicating the wheel base, and A is a predetermined value indicating the motion performance of the vehicle.

By the way, the equation 16 can be transformed as the following equation 17 by substituting the equation 5.
δa = (L · (1 + A · V ² ) / V ² ) · Go · exp (K1 · K2 · θ) Equation 17
According to this, the sensory-adapted turning angle δa depends on the vehicle speed V and the steering angle θ, and changes nonlinearly (exponentially) according to Weber-Hefner's law. As described above, in a situation where the sense-adapted turning angle δa changes nonlinearly, particularly when the vehicle speed V is small, the sense-adapted turning angle δa changes with a large change amount with respect to the change in the steering angle θ. Therefore, when the vehicle speed V is low or the steering angle θ is large (more specifically, when the steering operation is performed in the vicinity of the maximum steering angle θmax), it may be difficult for the driver to control the turning of the vehicle.

Such difficulty in turning control of the vehicle can be evaluated by using a magnitude of a change amount of the yaw rate generated in accordance with the steering operation by the driver (hereinafter, this change amount is referred to as a yaw rate gain). Hereinafter, this yaw rate gain will be described. The yaw rate gain can be defined as the amount of change in yaw rate per unit steering angle θ. Here, the relationship between the lateral acceleration G and the yaw rate γ can be expressed by the following equation 18 using the vehicle speed V.
G = γ · V Equation 18
Then, using the relationship between the sensory-adapted turning angle δa (steering angle δ) and the expected lateral acceleration Gd (lateral acceleration G) expressed by Equation 16, the relationship between the turning angle δ and the yaw rate γ is The equation 18 can be expressed by the following equation 19 in which the equation 18 is substituted.
δ = L · (1 + A · V ² ) · (γ · V) / V ² = L · (1 + A · V ² ) · γ / V Equation 19
Therefore, by changing the equation 19, the yaw rate γ is expressed by the following equation 20 using the turning angle δ.
γ = δ · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² )) Equation 20

Thereby, the yaw rate gain Yg can be calculated according to the following equation 21 obtained by dividing both sides of the equation 20 by the steering angle θ.
Yg = γ / θ = δ · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · θ) Equation 21
According to the equation 21, the yaw rate gain Yg tends to change to a larger value as the vehicle speed V decreases, and the turning angle δ increases exponentially with respect to the steering angle θ as described above. Accordingly, the yaw rate gain Yg tends to change to a large value. Therefore, if the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is appropriately limited, the difficulty in turning control associated with the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg can be solved. Based on this, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 shown in FIG. 2 calculates the limited turning angles δb1 and δb2 when the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is limited. Hereinafter, calculation processing by the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 will be described from the case where the vehicle speed V is low.

As described above, when the vehicle speed V is low, the steered angle conversion unit 43 allows the driver to easily turn the vehicle. The steering angle δa is calculated. Thereby, for example, when parking, it is possible to satisfactorily secure the handling performance of a vehicle that moves at a low speed. As described above, when the magnitude of the sensory-adapted turning angle δa changes nonlinearly with respect to the steering angle θ input to the steering wheel 11 by the driver, the following equation 22 is generally established.
δa = θ / D (θ) (22)
Here, D (θ) in the equation 22 is a function of the steering angle θ representing the ratio of the magnitude of the steering angle θ to the magnitude of the sense-adapted turning angle δa, that is, the steering gear ratio.

Incidentally, when the sense-adapted turning angle δa changes nonlinearly with respect to the change in the steering angle θ, the turning gear ratio D (θ) in the equation 22 changes continuously. In other words, the steering gear ratio D (θ) is continuously changed in a small manner according to the change from the neutral position of the steering angle θ to the maximum steering angle θmax, so that the sensory-adapted turning angle δa is changed nonlinearly. Can do. In particular, when the vehicle speed V is small, the steered gear ratio D (θ) continuously changes to a smaller value. Therefore, when the detected vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 fixes the turning gear ratio D (θ) to the preset turning gear ratio MD. The change of the turning gear ratio D (θ) is restricted, and the restricted turning angle δb1 is calculated according to the following equation 23 using this turning gear ratio MD.
δb1 = θ / MD Equation 23
However, the steered gear ratio MD in the equation 23 is a constant set in advance based on experiments.

Here, the magnitudes of the yaw rate gain Yga when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa and the yaw rate gain Ygb when turning at the limited turning angle δb1 will be compared. The yaw rate gain Yga is calculated according to the following equation 24 by substituting the equation 22 for δ in the equation 21.
Yga = δa · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · D (θ)) Equation 24
On the other hand, the yaw rate gain Ygb is calculated according to the following equation 25 by substituting the equation 23 for δ in the equation 21.
Ygb = δb1 · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · MD) Equation 25

  According to the above formulas 24 and 25, as the steering angle θ increases, the value of the steering gear ratio D (θ) becomes smaller than the steering gear ratio MD, so that the sensation-adapted steering angle δa is limited. As a result, the yaw rate gain Yga becomes larger than the yaw rate gain Ygb because it becomes larger than the angle Δb1. In other words, the increase of the yaw rate gain Yg can be effectively limited by using the limited turning angle Δb1 obtained by limiting the turning gear ratio D (θ) with the turning gear ratio MD.

Next, calculation processing of the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 when the vehicle speed V is high will be described. As apparent from the equation 21, although the term V / (L · (1 + A · V ² )) gradually decreases as the vehicle speed V increases, the turning angle δ depends on the steering angle θ as an exponential function. If the steering wheel 11 increases, the yaw rate gain Yg increases with the turning operation of the steering handle 11. Therefore, when the vehicle speed V is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 limits the yaw rate gain Yg with a certain upper limit value (hereinafter, this upper limit value is referred to as a yaw rate steady gain Yg0). . That is, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 sets the yaw rate gain Yg calculated based on the equation 21 to a constant yaw rate steady gain Yg0 as shown in the following equation 28.
Yg0 = Yg = δ · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · θh) Equation 28
However, θh in the equation 28 represents a steering angle that can be changed to the maximum value θmax0 of the steering angle θ calculated by the reaction force control unit 60 described later.

Therefore, by limiting the yaw rate gain Yg with the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg can be limited even when the vehicle speed V is high. When the vehicle speed V is high, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 calculates the limited turning angle δb2 according to the following equation 29 obtained by modifying the equation 28.
δb2 = Yg0 / (V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · θh)) Equation 29

  The limited turning angles δb1 and δb2 calculated in this way are supplied to the turning angle determination unit 45. In the following description, the limited turning angles δb1 and δb2 are collectively referred to as the limited turning angle δb unless otherwise distinguished. The turning angle determination unit 45 receives the steering angle θ from the steering angle sensor 31, and is supplied from the sensory adaptive turning angle δa supplied from the turning angle conversion unit 43 and the limited turning angle calculation unit 44. The target turning angle δc as a turning amount command value supplied to the turning control unit 50 is determined by comparing with the limited turning angle δb. Hereinafter, although the determination process in the turning angle determination part 45 is demonstrated, also in this case, it demonstrates from the case where the vehicle speed V is small.

When the vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0, the turning angle determination unit 45 determines the relationship between the input detected steering angle θ and the sensory fit turning angle δa or the restricted turning angle δb1, that is, the respective turning angles. The target turning angle δc is determined by comparing the rudder gear ratio. For this reason, the turning angle determination unit 45 calculates the turning gear ratio Dw between the steering angle θ and the sense-adapted turning angle δa according to the following equation 30.
Dw = θh / δa Equation 30
On the other hand, the steered gear ratio between the steering angle θ and the limited steered angle δb1 is the steered gear ratio MD (constant) used in the calculation of Equation 23.

  Then, the turning angle determination unit 45 compares the turning gear ratio Dw and the turning gear ratio MD, and the turning gear ratio is large (the gain value is small). In other words, the turning operation of the steering handle 11 is performed. Thus, the sense-adapted turning angle δa or the limited turning angle δb1 that can gently turn the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 is determined as the target turning angle δc. That is, the turning angle determination unit 45 determines the limited turning angle δb1 as the target turning angle δc if the turning gear ratio MD is equal to or greater than the turning gear ratio Dw. On the other hand, if the steered gear ratio MD is smaller than the steered gear ratio Dw, the sensory fit turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc.

When the vehicle speed V is higher than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the turning angle determination unit 45 determines the magnitude of the yaw rate gain Ygw and the magnitude of the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 when the vehicle turns at the sensory adaptation turning angle δa. To determine the target turning angle δc. Therefore, the turning angle determination unit 45 calculates the yaw rate gain Ygw according to the following equation 31.
Ygw = δa · V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ) · θh) Equation 31

  Then, the turning angle determination unit 45 compares the yaw rate gain Ygw and the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, and the gain value is small. In other words, the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are gently turned with respect to the turning operation of the steering handle 11. The sense-adapted turning angle δa or the limited turning angle δb2 that can be made is determined as the target turning angle δc. That is, if the yaw rate gain Ygw is equal to or greater than the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, the turning angle determination unit 45 determines the limited turning angle δb2 as the target turning angle δc. On the other hand, if the yaw rate gain Ygw is smaller than the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, the sensory fit turning angle Δa is determined as the target turning angle Δc. As described above, when the target turning angle δc is determined, the turning angle determination unit 45 supplies the target turning angle δc to the turning control unit 50 and the reaction force control unit 60.

In the turning control unit 50, the turning angle correction unit 51 acquires the target turning angle δc. The turning angle correction unit 51 receives the expected lateral acceleration Gd from the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 and also the actual lateral acceleration G detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 34, and calculates the following equation 32. The target turning angle δc input after execution is corrected, and the corrected target turning angle δd is calculated.
δd = δc + K3 · (Gd−G) Equation 32
However, the coefficient K3 is a positive constant determined in advance, and when the actual lateral acceleration G is less than the expected lateral acceleration Gd, the coefficient K3 is corrected so that the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle Δd increases. Further, when the actual lateral acceleration G exceeds the expected lateral acceleration Gd, the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle δd is corrected to be smaller. By this correction, the turning angles of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 necessary for the expected lateral acceleration Gd are more accurately ensured. In the present embodiment, the turning angle correction unit 51 corrects and calculates the target turning angle δc (sensory fitting turning angle δa) when the feeling fitting turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc. If the limited turning angle δb is determined as the target turning angle δc, the target turning angle δc (restricted turning angle δb) is not corrected and calculated. Output as the corrected target turning angle δd.

  The calculated corrected target turning angle δd is supplied to the drive control unit 52. The drive control unit 52 inputs the actual turning angle δ detected by the turning angle sensor 32, and electrically drives the turning actuator 21 so that the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are turned to the corrected target turning angle δd. Feedback control of motor rotation. The drive control unit 52 also inputs a drive current that flows from the drive circuit 37 to the electric motor, and feedback-controls the drive circuit 37 so that a drive current having a magnitude corresponding to the steering torque appropriately flows to the electric motor. To do. By the drive control of the electric motor in the steering actuator 21, the rotation of the electric motor is transmitted to the pinion gear 23 via the steering output shaft 22, and the rack bar 24 is displaced in the axial direction by the pinion gear 23. The left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are steered to the corrected target turning angle δd by the displacement of the rack bar 24 in the axial direction.

Next, the reaction force control unit 60 will be described. The steering angle θ detected by the steering angle sensor 31 is supplied to the displacement-torque converter 61. The displacement-torque converter 61 calculates the reaction force torque Tz according to the following equations 33 and 34 similar to the equations 1 and 2. Also in the calculation of the reaction torque Tz, Equation 33 is not limited to a linear function. When the steering angle θ is “0”, the reaction force torque Tz is “0”, and As long as the function is continuously connected to the exponential function, various functions can be adopted.
Tz = a · θ (| θ | <θz) Equation 33
Tz = To · exp (K1 · θ) (θz ≦ | θ | <θmax) Equation 34
Also in this case, a in Expression 33 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function. In addition, To and K1 in Expression 34 are constants similar to those in Expression 2. Further, the steering angle θ in the equations 33 and 34 represents the absolute value of the detected steering angle θ. If the detected steering angle θ is positive, the constant a and the constant To are negative values. If the detected steering angle θ is negative, the constant a and the constant To are positive values having the same absolute value as the negative constant a and the constant To. In this case as well, the reaction force torque Tz is calculated using a conversion table having a characteristic as shown in FIG. 6 in which the reaction force torque Tz with respect to the steering angle θ is stored instead of the calculation of the equations 33 and 34. It may be.

  The displacement-torque conversion unit 61 also receives the target turning angle δc from the turning angle determination unit 45 of the sensory adaptation control unit 40. Then, when the target turning angle δc is determined to be the limited turning angle δb, the displacement-torque conversion unit 61 expands the turning operation range of the steering handle 11 beyond the range determined by the maximum steering angle θmax. At the same time, the reaction torque Tz within the expanded rotation operation range is calculated. This will be specifically described below. When the target turning angle δc is determined to be the sensory-adapted turning angle δa, the displacement-torque converter 61 applies the reaction force torque Tz according to the above equations 33 and 34 within a range less than the maximum steering angle θmax. Calculate

  As described above, the limited turning angle δb calculated by the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 is capable of gently turning the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 by limiting the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg. It is a horn. Therefore, when the limited turning angle δb1 or the limited turning angle δb2 is determined as the target turning angle δc, the driver turns the steering handle 11 more in order to turn the vehicle in an intended manner. It is necessary to operate. Therefore, the displacement-torque converter 61 calculates an enlarged steering angle θmax0 for determining the turning operation range of the steering handle 11 according to the vehicle speed V, in other words, according to the limited turning angles δb1 and δb2. To do.

That is, when the vehicle speed V is low, the target turning angle Δc is determined as the limited turning angle Δb1. In this case, the limited turning angle Δb1 is determined by limiting the amount of displacement of the turning gear ratio D (θ) by the turning gear ratio MD. Therefore, the displacement-torque converter 61 multiplies the turning gear ratio MD by the maximum turning angle δmax that can turn the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 on the system, as shown in the following Expression 35. The enlarged steering angle θmax0 is calculated.
θmax0 = δmax · MD Equation 35

Further, when the vehicle speed V is high, the target turning angle Δc is determined as the limited turning angle Δb2. In this case, the limit turning angle Δb2 is determined by the upper limit value of the yaw rate gain Yg being limited by the yaw rate steady gain Yg0. Accordingly, the displacement-torque conversion unit 61 calculates the enlarged steering angle θmax0 by substituting the maximum turning angle δmax into δb2 in the above equation 29 and arranging θh as θmax0 as shown in the following equation 36.
θmax0 = (δmax / Yg0) / (V / (L · (1 + A · V ² ))) Equation 36

Then, the displacement-torque converter 61 calculates the reaction force torque Tz within the rotation operation range expanded from the maximum steering angle θmax to the expanded steering angle θmax0 according to the following equation 37.
Tz = c · (θ−θmax) + Tzmax (θmax ≦ | θ | <θmax0) Equation 37
However, c in the expression 37 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function, and Tzmax is a set maximum value of the reaction force torque Tz applied when the steering angle θ is the maximum steering angle θmax.

When the detected steering angle θ is equal to or larger than the enlarged steering angle θmax0, the reaction force torque Tz is calculated according to the following equation 38.
Tz = Tzmax1 + ((Tzlim−Tzmax1) / (θlim−θmax0)) · (θ−θmax0) Equation 38
However, Tzlim in the equation 38 is the maximum reaction force torque that can be applied in the system. Further, Tzmax1 in the equation 38 is a reaction torque at the enlarged steering angle θmax0, and is calculated by the following equation 39.
Tzmax1 = c · (θmax0−θmax) + Tzmax Equation 39
Further, θlim in the equation 38 is the maximum steering angle that can be rotated on the system, and is calculated by the following equation 40.
θlim = Kθmax · θmax0 Equation 40
In the equation 40, Kθmax is a predetermined constant set larger than 1.

  In this way, the reaction force torque Tz calculated according to the equation 37 is applied within the enlarged rotation operation range, so that the driver can set the maximum steering angle that is set in advance based on the Weber-Hefner law. The steering handle 11 can be turned over θmax. On the other hand, when the detected steering angle θ exceeds the enlarged steering angle θmax0, an extremely large reaction force torque Tz calculated according to the equation 38 (hereinafter, this reaction force torque is referred to as a lock reaction force torque Tzl) is applied. Thereby, it is possible to determine an appropriate rotation operation range of the steering handle 11.

  The reaction force torque Tz calculated in this way is supplied to the drive control unit 62. The drive control unit 62 inputs a drive current that flows from the drive circuit 36 to the electric motor in the reaction force actuator 13, and feedback-controls the drive circuit 36 so that a drive current corresponding to the reaction force torque Tz flows through the electric motor. . By the drive control of the electric motor in the reaction force actuator 13, the electric motor applies a reaction force torque Tz to the steering handle 11 via the steering input shaft 12. Therefore, the driver starts the turning operation of the steering handle 11, and when the steering angle is less than the steering angle θz, the driver feels a reaction force torque Tz that changes in a linear function, and the steering angle is greater than or equal to the steering angle θz. When the steering angle is less than θmax, the steering wheel 11 feels the reaction force torque Tz that changes exponentially, and when the steering angle is greater than the maximum steering angle θmax and less than the enlarged θmax0, the reaction force torque Tz changes linearly. Will be rotated. Accordingly, the driver turns the steering handle 11 while applying a steering torque equal to the reaction force torque Tz changing in this way to the steering handle 11.

  More specifically, when the driver turns the steering handle 11 from the neutral position, if it is less than the predetermined steering angle θz, it changes according to the above equation 33, that is, a linear function with respect to the detected steering angle θ. The force torque Tz is calculated. If the detected steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the predetermined steering angle θz, the reaction torque Tz that changes exponentially with respect to the detected steering angle θ is calculated according to the above equation 34. At this time, when the reaction torque Tz is changed from the calculation according to the equation 33 to the calculation according to the equation 34 at a predetermined steering angle θz, the equation 33, that is, the linear function and the equation 34, that is, the exponential function are continuously obtained. Therefore, the driver does not feel uncomfortable with the reaction torque Tz accompanying the change. When the detected steering angle θ is less than the maximum steering angle θmax, the relationship between the steering angle θ and the reaction torque Tz follows the above-mentioned Weber-Hefner law. The steering handle 11 can be rotated while receiving a sense that matches the characteristics.

  When the detected steering angle θ is equal to or greater than the maximum steering angle θmax set based on the Weber-Hefner law and less than the enlarged θmax0, the reaction force torque Tz that changes linearly with respect to the steering angle θ according to the equation 37 is Calculated. Therefore, even when the rotation operation range of the steering angle θ is expanded, the driver can rotate the steering handle 11. Further, when the detected steering angle θ exceeds the enlarged steering angle θmax0, the lock reaction force torque Tzl is applied according to the equation 38. Therefore, the enlarged rotation operation range can be appropriately ensured.

  As can be understood from the above description, according to the first embodiment, the steering angle θ with respect to the steering handle 11 is converted into the expected lateral acceleration Gd by the displacement-torque converter 41 and the torque-lateral acceleration converter 42. . Then, based on the converted expected lateral acceleration Gd, the turning angle conversion unit 43 sets the sense-adapted turning angle δa for the vehicle to move at the expected lateral acceleration Gd with respect to the steering angle θ of the steering handle 11. It can be calculated to change exponentially (non-linearly).

  Therefore, when the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are steered to the sense-adapted turning angle δa and the vehicle turns, the turn is expected to give the driver a “physical quantity of the given stimulus” according to the Weber-Hefner law. A lateral acceleration Gd is given. Since the expected lateral acceleration Gd changes exponentially with respect to the steering angle θ of the steering wheel 11, the driver perceives a lateral acceleration that matches human perception characteristics. While the steering wheel 11 can be operated. As a result, the driver can operate the steering handle 11 in accordance with human perceptual characteristics, and thus driving of the vehicle is simplified.

  On the other hand, for example, when the driver inputs a large steering angle θ during low-speed traveling at a low vehicle speed V, in other words, when the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are steered at a large sensory-adapted turning angle δa. The yaw rate gain Yg increases. When the yaw rate gain Yg is increased, the vehicle turns sharply according to the operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver.

  On the other hand, the limit turning angle calculation unit 44 can limit the yaw rate gain Yg generated by the vehicle by turning the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 to the sense adaptation turning angle δa. A limited turning angle δb for movement can be calculated. Here, when the vehicle speed V is low, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 limits the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg by limiting the change in the turning gear ratio D (θ) by the predetermined turning gear ratio MD. Then, the limit turning angle Δb1 can be calculated. Further, when the vehicle speed V is high, the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 can limit the yaw rate gain Yg with the steady yaw rate gain Yg0 as the upper limit value, and can calculate the limited turning angle δb2.

  Further, the turning angle determination unit 45 can determine the sensory-adapted turning angle δa or the limited turning angle δb having a small yaw rate gain Yg as the target turning angle δc. And the steering control part 50 can steer left and right front wheel FW1, FW2 to this target turning angle (delta) c.

  As described above, by turning control of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 based on the magnitude of the yaw rate gain Yg generated in the vehicle, it is possible to appropriately limit the turning behavior change of the vehicle. That is, when the vehicle turns according to the turning operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa turns when the turning turns at the limited turning angle δb. If the gear ratio MD is larger, or if the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb is larger than the yaw rate gain Ygw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are Since the vehicle can be steered to the sense-adapted steering angle δa, the vehicle can be turned in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  Further, if the turning gear ratio MD when turning at the limit turning angle δb is larger than the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, or turns at the sense-adapted turning angle δa If the yaw rate gain Ygw at that time is larger than the steady yaw rate gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb, the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 can be steered to the limited turning angle δb. As a result, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is appropriately limited with respect to the operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, so that the vehicle is reliably prevented from turning sharply. As a result, the driver can The steering handle 11 can be operated without worrying about the disturbance of the turning behavior. Therefore, also by this, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  By the way, when the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are steered at the limited turning angle δb, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is appropriately restricted. For this reason, in order to turn the vehicle in the turning mode (more specifically, the intended turning radius, etc.) intended by the driver, it is necessary to operate the steering handle 11 more. On the other hand, the displacement-torque conversion unit 61 of the reaction force control unit 60 can appropriately change the rotation operation range of the steering handle 11 based on the calculated limited turning angle δb. it can. Further, the displacement-torque conversion unit 61 can calculate an appropriate reaction force torque Tz within the enlarged rotation operation range, and the drive control unit 62 applies the calculated reaction force torque Tz to the steering handle 11. Can be granted. Accordingly, the driver can turn the vehicle in an intended turning manner by operating the steering handle 11.

b. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention using a yaw rate instead of the lateral acceleration as the motion state quantity in the first embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, instead of the lateral acceleration sensor 34 in the first embodiment, a yaw rate sensor that detects an actual yaw rate γ that is a motion state quantity that can be perceived by the driver. 38. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the computer program executed by the electronic control unit 35 is slightly different from that in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the computer program executed by the electronic control unit 35 is shown by the functional block diagram of FIG. In this case, in the sensory adaptation control unit 70, the displacement-torque conversion unit 71 functions in the same manner as the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 of the first embodiment, but the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 of the first embodiment is changed. Instead, a torque-yaw rate converter 72 is provided.

The torque-yaw rate conversion unit 72 uses the steering torque Td calculated by the displacement-torque conversion unit 71 to calculate the expected yaw rate γd that the driver expects from the turning operation of the steering handle 11 as the steering torque Td. If the absolute value is less than the positive predetermined value Tg, the calculation is performed according to the following formula 41. If the absolute value of the steering torque Td is greater than the positive predetermined value Tg, the calculation is performed according to the following formula 42. Here, Expression 41 is a linear function expression of the steering torque Td as in the first embodiment, and is a function in which the expected yaw rate γd becomes “0” when the steering torque Td is “0”. Further, Expression 42 is a power function of the steering torque Td as in the first embodiment, and is continuously connected to Expression 41 at a predetermined value Tg.
γd = b · Td (| Td | <Tg) Equation 41
γd = C · Td ^K2 (Tg ≦ | Td |) Equation 42
However, b in Expression 41 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function, and C and K2 in Expression 42 are constants as in the first embodiment. Further, the steering torque Td in the equations 41 and 42 represents the absolute value of the steering torque Td calculated using the equations 1 and 2. If the calculated steering torque Td is positive, a constant is obtained. If b and the constant C are positive values, and the calculated steering torque Td is negative, the constant b and the constant C are negative values having the same absolute value as the positive constant b and the constant C. In this case, the expected yaw rate γd is calculated using a conversion table having characteristics as shown in FIG. 8 in which the expected yaw rate γd with respect to the steering torque Td is stored instead of the calculations of the equations 41 and 42. Also good.

  Further, the turning angle conversion unit 73 calculates the sensory-adapted turning angle δa of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 necessary for generating the expected yaw rate γd, and according to the vehicle speed V as shown in FIG. There is a table representing the change characteristics of the sensory-adapted turning angle δa with respect to the expected yaw rate γd. This table is a set of data collected by actually measuring the turning angle δ and the yaw rate γ of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 while running the vehicle while changing the vehicle speed V. Then, the turning angle conversion unit 73 refers to this table, and calculates the sensory-adapted turning angle δa corresponding to the input expected yaw rate γd and the detected vehicle speed V input from the vehicle speed sensor 33. Further, both the yaw rate γ (expected yaw rate γd) and the sensory fit turning angle δa stored in the table are positive, but if the expected yaw rate γd supplied from the torque-yaw rate converting unit 72 is negative, The output sensory adaptation turning angle δa is also negative.

Since the turning angle δ is a function of the vehicle speed V and the yaw rate γ as shown in the equation 19, the expected yaw rate γd is generated by executing the calculation of the following equation 43 instead of referring to the table. It is possible to calculate the sense-adapted turning angle δa to be made.
δa = L · (1 + A · V ² ) · γd / V Equation 43
However, also in the equation 43, L is a predetermined value indicating the wheel base, and A is a predetermined value indicating the motion performance of the vehicle.

  Similarly to the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 of the first embodiment, the limited turning angle calculation unit 74 uses the turning gear ratio MD according to the above equation 23 when the detected vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0. A limited turning angle δb1 in which the yaw rate gain Yg is limited is calculated. When the detected vehicle speed V is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the limit turning angle δb2 in which the yaw rate gain Yg is limited by the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 is calculated according to the above equation 29.

  Similarly to the turning angle determination unit 45 of the first embodiment, the turning angle determination unit 75 determines the turning gear ratio MDw and the turning gear ratio MD when the detected vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0. Compare If the steered gear ratio MD is equal to or greater than the steered gear ratio MDw, the limit steered angle δb1 is determined as the target steered angle δc, and if the steered gear ratio MDw is greater than the steered gear ratio MD, the sense The suitable turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc. When the detected vehicle speed V is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the yaw rate gain Ygw is compared with the yaw rate steady gain Yg0. If the yaw rate gain Ygw is equal to or greater than the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, the limited turning angle δb2 is determined as the target turning angle δc. The target turning angle δc is determined.

The determined target turning angle δc is supplied to the turning angle correction unit 53 of the turning control unit 50. The turning angle correction unit 53 receives the expected yaw rate γd from the torque-yaw rate conversion unit 72 and also the actual yaw rate γ detected by the yaw rate sensor 38, and executes the calculation of the following equation 44. The corrected target turning angle δd is calculated by correcting the input target turning angle δc.
δd = δc + K4 · (γd−γ) Equation 44
However, the coefficient K4 is a predetermined positive constant, and when the actual yaw rate γ is less than the expected yaw rate γd, the coefficient K4 is corrected so that the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle δd becomes larger. When the actual yaw rate γ exceeds the expected yaw rate γd, the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle δd is corrected to be smaller. By this correction, the turning angle δ of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 necessary for the expected yaw rate γd is more accurately ensured.

  In the present embodiment, the turning angle correction unit 53 corrects and calculates the target turning angle δc (sensory fitting turning angle δa) when the feeling fitting turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc. If the limited turning angle δb is determined as the target turning angle δc, the target turning angle δc (restricted turning angle δb) is not corrected and calculated. Output as the corrected target turning angle δd.

  The other program processing executed by the electronic control unit 35 is the same as that in the first embodiment. In the functional block diagram of FIG. 7, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment are given, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Also in the second embodiment described above, it is possible to appropriately limit the turning behavior change of the vehicle by turning the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 based on the magnitude of the yaw rate gain Yg generated in the vehicle. it can. That is, when the vehicle turns according to the turning operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa turns when the turning turns at the limited turning angle δb. If the gear ratio MD is larger, or if the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb is larger than the yaw rate gain Ygw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are Since the vehicle can be steered to the sense-adapted steering angle δa, the vehicle can be turned in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  Further, if the turning gear ratio MD when turning at the limit turning angle δb is larger than the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, or turns at the sense-adapted turning angle δa If the yaw rate gain Ygw at that time is larger than the steady yaw rate gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb, the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 can be steered to the limited turning angle δb. As a result, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is appropriately limited with respect to the operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, so that the vehicle is reliably prevented from turning sharply. As a result, the driver can The steering handle 11 can be operated without worrying about the disturbance of the turning behavior. Therefore, also by this, the driver can drive the vehicle easily. Further, the specific effects are the same except that the lateral acceleration of the first embodiment is changed to the yaw rate.

c. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention using a turning curvature instead of the lateral acceleration as the motion state quantity in the first embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is also configured as shown in FIG. 1 as in the first embodiment. However, the computer program executed by the electronic control unit 35 is slightly different from the case of the first embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, the computer program executed by the electronic control unit 35 is shown by the functional block diagram of FIG. In this case, in the sensory adaptation control unit 80, the displacement-torque conversion unit 81 functions in the same manner as the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 of the first embodiment, but the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 of the first embodiment is changed. Instead, a torque-turning curvature converter 82 is provided.

The torque-turning curvature conversion unit 82 uses the steering torque Td calculated by the displacement-torque conversion unit 81 to convert the expected turning curvature ρd that the driver expects by turning the steering handle 11 into the steering torque. If the absolute value of Td is less than the positive predetermined value Tg, the calculation is performed according to the following formula 45. If the absolute value of the steering torque Td is greater than the positive small predetermined value Tg, the calculation is performed according to the following formula 46. Here, Expression 45 is a linear function of the steering torque Td as in the first embodiment, and is a function that the expected turning curvature ρd becomes “0” when the steering torque Td is “0”. Further, Expression 46 is a power function of the steering torque Td as in the above-described embodiments, and is continuously connected to Expression 45 with a predetermined value Tg.
ρd = b · Td (| Td | <Tg) Equation 45
ρd = C · Td ^K2 (Tg ≦ | Td |) Equation 46
However, b in Expression 45 is a constant representing the slope of the linear function, and C and K2 in Expression 46 are constants as in the first embodiment. Also in this case, the steering torque Td in the equations 45 and 46 represents the absolute value of the steering torque Td calculated using the equations 1 and 2, and the calculated steering torque Td is positive. If there is a constant b and a constant C, if the calculated steering torque Td is negative, the constant b and the constant C are negative values having the same absolute value as the positive constant b and the constant C. To do. In this case as well, the expected turning curvature ρd is calculated by using a conversion table having characteristics as shown in FIG. 11 in which the expected turning curvature ρd with respect to the steering torque Td is stored instead of the calculations of the expressions 45 and 46. It may be.

  Further, the turning angle conversion unit 83 calculates the sensory-adapted turning angle δa of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 necessary for generating the expected turning curvature ρd, and corresponds to the vehicle speed V as shown in FIG. And a table representing a change characteristic of the sensory-adapted turning angle δa with respect to the expected turning curvature ρd. This table is a set of data collected by actually measuring the turning angle δ and the turning curvature ρ of the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 while the vehicle is running while changing the vehicle speed V. Then, the turning angle conversion unit 83 refers to this table, and calculates a sensory adaptation turning angle δa corresponding to the input expected turning curvature ρd and the detected vehicle speed V input from the vehicle speed sensor 33. Further, the turning curvature ρ (expected turning curvature ρd) and the sensory-adapted turning angle δa stored in the table are both positive, but the expected turning curvature ρd supplied from the torque-turning curvature conversion unit 82 is negative. If so, the output sensory-adapted turning angle δa is also negative.

Since the sensory-adapted turning angle δa is a function of the vehicle speed V and the turning curvature ρ as shown in the following formula 47, it is calculated by executing the calculation of the following formula 47 instead of referring to the table. Can do.
δa = L · (1 + A · V ² ) · ρd Equation 47
However, also in the formula 47, L is a predetermined value indicating the wheel base, and A is a predetermined value indicating the motion performance of the vehicle.

  Further, similarly to the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 of the first embodiment, the limited turning angle calculation unit 84 uses the turning gear ratio MD according to the equation 23 when the detected vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0. A limited turning angle δb1 in which the yaw rate gain Yg is limited is calculated. When the detected vehicle speed V is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the limit turning angle δb2 in which the yaw rate gain Yg is limited by the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 is calculated according to the above equation 29.

  Similarly to the turning angle determination unit 45 of the first embodiment, the turning angle determination unit 85, when the detected vehicle speed V is smaller than the predetermined vehicle speed V0, the turning gear ratio MDw and the turning gear ratio MD Compare If the steered gear ratio MD is equal to or greater than the steered gear ratio MDw, the limit steered angle δb1 is determined as the target steered angle δc, and if the steered gear ratio MDw is greater than the steered gear ratio MD, the sense The suitable turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc. When the detected vehicle speed V is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed V1, the yaw rate gain Ygw is compared with the yaw rate steady gain Yg0. If the yaw rate gain Ygw is equal to or greater than the yaw rate steady gain Yg0, the limited turning angle δb2 is determined as the target turning angle δc. The target turning angle δc is determined.

The determined target turning angle δc is supplied to the turning angle correction unit 54 of the turning control unit 50. The turning angle correction unit 54 receives the expected turning curvature ρd from the torque-turning curvature conversion unit 82 and also receives the actual turning curvature ρ from the turning curvature calculation unit 55. The turning curvature calculation unit 55 uses the lateral acceleration G detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 34, the yaw rate γ detected by the yaw rate sensor 38, and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 33, and the following equation 48 By executing this calculation, the actual turning curvature ρ is calculated and output to the turning angle correction unit 54.
ρ = G / V ² or ρ = γ / V Equation 48

And the turning angle correction | amendment part 54 performs the calculation of following formula 49, correct | amends the input target turning angle (delta) c, and calculates corrected target turning angle (delta) d.
δd = δc + K5 · (ρd−ρ) Equation 49
However, the coefficient K5 is a predetermined positive constant, and when the actual turning curvature ρ is less than the expected turning curvature ρ, the coefficient K5 is corrected so that the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle δd becomes larger. When the actual turning station rate ρ exceeds the expected turning curvature ρd, the absolute value of the corrected target turning angle δd is corrected to be smaller. By this correction, the turning angles of the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 necessary for the expected turning curvature ρd are more accurately ensured.

  In the present embodiment, the turning angle correction unit 51 corrects and calculates the target turning angle δc (sensory fitting turning angle δa) when the feeling fitting turning angle δa is determined as the target turning angle δc. If the limited turning angle δb is determined as the target turning angle δc, the target turning angle δc (restricted turning angle δb) is not corrected and calculated. Output as the corrected target turning angle δd.

  The other program processing executed by the electronic control unit 35 is the same as that in the first embodiment. In the functional block diagram of FIG. 10, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment are given, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the third embodiment described above, the turning behavior change of the vehicle can be appropriately limited by turning the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 based on the magnitude of the yaw rate gain Yg generated in the vehicle. it can. That is, when the vehicle turns according to the turning operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa turns when the turning turns at the limited turning angle δb. If the gear ratio MD is larger, or if the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb is larger than the yaw rate gain Ygw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, the left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are Since the vehicle can be steered to the sense-adapted steering angle δa, the vehicle can be turned in accordance with the driver's perceptual characteristics. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle easily.

  Further, if the turning gear ratio MD when turning at the limit turning angle δb is larger than the turning gear ratio Dw when turning at the sense-adapted turning angle δa, or turns at the sense-adapted turning angle δa If the yaw rate gain Ygw at that time is larger than the steady yaw rate gain Yg0 when turning at the limited turning angle δb, the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 can be steered to the limited turning angle δb. As a result, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is appropriately limited with respect to the operation of the steering handle 11 by the driver, so that the vehicle is reliably prevented from turning sharply. As a result, the driver can The steering handle 11 can be operated without worrying about the disturbance of the turning behavior. Therefore, also by this, the driver can drive the vehicle easily. Further, the specific operational effects are the same except that the lateral acceleration of the first embodiment is replaced with the turning curvature.

  Next, modified examples of the first, second and third embodiments in which the steering torque T is used as the operation input value of the steering handle 11 will be described. In this modification, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, a steering torque sensor 39 that is assembled to the steering input shaft 12 and detects the steering torque input to the steering handle 11 and outputs the steering torque T is provided. . Other configurations are the same as those in the first, second, and third embodiments, but the computer program executed by the electronic control unit 35 is slightly different from those in the first, second, and third embodiments. . In the description of this modification, the first embodiment will be described as a representative example, but the same effects can be obtained by configuring similarly in the second and third embodiments.

  In the case of this modification, in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 representing the computer program, the sensory adaptation control unit 40 is not provided with the displacement-torque conversion unit 41, and the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42 is Instead of the steering torque Td calculated by the displacement-torque converter 41 in the first embodiment, the expected lateral acceleration Gd is obtained by executing the calculations of equations 3 and 4 using the steering torque T detected by the steering torque sensor 39. Calculate In this case as well, the expected lateral acceleration Gd may be calculated using a table representing the characteristics shown in FIG. The other program processing executed by the electronic control unit 35 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  According to this modification, the steering torque T as an operation input value of the driver for the steering handle 11 is converted into the expected lateral acceleration Gd by the torque-lateral acceleration conversion unit 42, and the turning angle conversion unit 43, the limited turning angle The left and right front wheels FW1 and FW2 are steered to the corrected target turning angle δd by the calculation unit 44, the turning angle determination unit 45, the turning angle correction unit 51, and the drive control unit 52. Therefore, in this modified example, the same operation as in the first embodiment is expected except that the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 is omitted, and thus the same effect as in the first embodiment is expected.

  Furthermore, the vehicle steering control according to the first, second, and third embodiments and the vehicle steering control according to the modification may be switchable. That is, both the steering angle sensor 31 and the steering torque sensor 39 are provided, and the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated using the steering torque Td calculated by the displacement-torque conversion unit 41 as in the first embodiment, for example. It is also possible to switch between the case and the case where the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated using the steering torque T output by the steering torque sensor 39. In this case, the switching may be performed automatically according to the driver's intention or according to the vehicle speed V of the vehicle. Also in this case, the steering torque Td calculated based on the steering angle θ or the steering torque T output from the steering torque sensor 39 is based on, for example, the conversion table shown in FIG. Therefore, since the expected lateral acceleration Gd is calculated, there is no sense of discomfort associated with the switching.

  In the first, second, and third embodiments, the increase of the yaw rate gain Yg is limited by using the steered gear ratio MD at low speed and the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 at high speed. . On the other hand, the reaction force actuator 13 according to the rotational operation speed of the steering handle 11 by the driver, that is, the time change amount dθ / dt of the steering angle θ (hereinafter, this time change amount is referred to as the steering angular velocity dθ / dt). It is also possible to change the viscosity component so that the viscosity component becomes larger. Hereinafter, this modification will be described.

In this modification, as shown in FIG. 13, the reaction force control unit 60 is provided with a viscosity component calculation unit 63. The viscosity component calculation unit 63 calculates the viscosity component torque Tr constituting the reaction force torque Tz by the electric motor of the reaction force actuator 13 according to the steering angular velocity dθ / dt. More specifically, the viscosity component calculation unit 63 calculates the viscosity component torque Tr with respect to the steering angular velocity dθ / dt according to the following formula 50.
Tr = E · (dθ / dt) ... Formula 50
However, E in the formula 50 is a predetermined value determined in advance by experiment.

In addition, the viscosity component calculation unit 63 receives the yaw rate gain Yg from the limited turning angle calculation unit 44 of the sensory adaptation control unit 40. Then, the viscosity component calculation unit 63 calculates a correction gain value Yg1 obtained by correcting the input yaw rate gain Yg according to the following equation 51, and calculates the correction coefficient F of the viscosity component torque Tr corresponding to the calculated correction gain value Tg1. The yaw rate gain map shown in FIG.
Yg1 = Kp · Yg + Kd · Kdm · (dYg / dt) Equation 51
However, Kp and Kd in the formula 51 are predetermined constants. Kdm is a vehicle speed coefficient, and is larger than “1” within a small range of the detected vehicle speed V and smaller than “1” within a large range of the detected vehicle speed V, as shown in the characteristic table of FIG. This is a variable that decreases non-linearly with “1” in between as the detected vehicle speed V increases.

Then, the viscosity component calculation unit 63 calculates a corrected viscosity component torque Trd obtained by correcting the viscosity component torque Tr calculated according to the equation 50 with the correction coefficient F according to the following equation 52.
Trd = Tr · F ... Formula 52
As described above, when the corrected viscosity component torque Trd is calculated according to the magnitude of the yaw rate gain Yg, the viscosity component calculation unit 63 supplies the torque Trd to the drive control unit 62. Accordingly, the drive control unit 62 applies a reaction force according to the reaction force torque Tz calculated by the displacement-torque conversion unit 61 and the corrected viscosity component torque Trd to the steering handle 11.

  As a result, a large reaction force is applied in accordance with the steering angular velocity dθ / dt of the steering handle 11, and thus the rotational operation speed of the steering handle 11 by the driver is limited. As a result, the increase in the yaw rate gain Yg is favorably limited, so that the driver can easily turn the vehicle.

  Furthermore, in carrying out the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments and modifications thereof, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the first to third embodiments, the limited turning angle calculation units 41, 71, 81 calculate using the yaw rate steady gain Yg0 when calculating the limited turning angle δb2 when the vehicle speed V is high. I tried to do it. However, similar to the calculation of the limit turning angle δb1, even when the vehicle speed V is large, the turning gear ratio D (θ) can be limited to calculate the limit turning angle δb2. Needless to say.

  Further, in the first to third embodiments and the modifications thereof, the steering handle 11 that is turned to steer the vehicle is used. However, instead of this, for example, a joystick-type steering handle that is linearly displaced may be used, or any other one that can be operated by the driver and instructed to steer the vehicle is used. May be.

  In the first to third embodiments and the modifications thereof, the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 are steered by rotating the steered output shaft 22 using the steered actuator 21. However, instead of this, the left and right front wheels FW1, FW2 may be steered by linearly displacing the rack bar 23 using the steered actuator 13.

  Further, in the first to third embodiments and the modifications thereof, the lateral acceleration, the yaw rate, and the turning curvature are each independently used as the motion state quantity of the vehicle that can be perceived by a human. However, the vehicle steering control may be performed by switching the amount of motion state of these vehicles by a selection operation by the driver or by automatically switching according to the traveling state of the vehicle. When switching automatically according to the running state of the vehicle, for example, the turning curvature is used as the motion state quantity when the vehicle is running at low speed, the yaw rate is used as the motion state quantity when the vehicle is running at medium speed, and the vehicle is running at high speed. Sometimes, lateral acceleration is used as the motion state quantity. According to this, appropriate steering control of the vehicle is performed according to the running state of the vehicle, and the driving of the vehicle becomes easier.

It is the schematic of the steering apparatus of the vehicle common to 1st thru | or 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram functionally representing computer program processing executed by the electronic control unit of FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a steering angle and a steering torque. It is a graph which shows the relationship between steering torque and estimated lateral acceleration. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a prospective lateral acceleration and a target turning angle. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a steering angle and reaction force torque. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram functionally representing computer program processing executed by the electronic control unit of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between steering torque and estimated yaw rate. It is a graph which shows the relationship between an expected yaw rate and a target turning angle. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram functionally representing computer program processing executed by the electronic control unit of FIG. 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between steering torque and prospective turning curvature. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a prospective turning curvature and a target turning angle. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram functionally representing computer program processing executed by the electronic control unit of FIG. 1 according to a modification of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a correction gain value and a correction coefficient. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a vehicle speed and a vehicle speed coefficient.

Explanation of symbols

FW1, FW2 ... front wheels, 11 ... steering handle, 12 ... steering input shaft, 13 ... reaction actuator, 21 ... steering actuator, 22 ... steering output shaft, 31 ... steering angle sensor, 32 ... steering angle sensor, 33 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Vehicle speed sensor, 34 ... Lateral acceleration sensor, 35 ... Electronic control unit, 38 ... Steering torque sensor, 39 ... Yaw rate sensor, 40 ... Sensory adaptation control part, 41, 71, 81 ... Displacement-torque conversion part, 42 ... Torque- Lateral acceleration conversion unit, 43, 73, 83 ... turning angle conversion unit, 44, 74, 84 ... limited turning angle calculation unit, 45, 75, 85 ... turning angle determination unit, 72 ... torque-yaw rate conversion unit, 82 ... torque-turning curvature conversion unit, 50 ... turning control unit, 51, 53, 54 ... turning angle correction unit, 60 ... reaction force control unit, 61 ... displacement-torque conversion unit, 63 ... viscosity component calculation unit.

Claims (7)

A steering handle operated by a driver to steer the vehicle, a reaction force actuator for applying a reaction force to the operation of the steering handle, a turning actuator for turning steered wheels, In a steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus comprising a control device that drives the steering actuator in response to an operation of a steering handle to nonlinearly control the steered wheels, the control device includes:
An operation input value detecting means for detecting an operation input value of a driver for the steering wheel;
A yaw rate gain limiting means for limiting a change in a yaw rate gain representing a change amount of the yaw rate with respect to the detected operation input value, which is a change amount of the yaw rate generated by the vehicle in response to turning of the steered wheels;
Limiting turning amount calculation means for calculating a limiting turning amount of the steered wheels for the vehicle to move while reflecting the limited yaw rate gain;
A steering control unit configured to control the steering actuator according to the calculated limit turning amount and to steer the steered wheel to the calculated limit turning amount ;
The control device further includes:
Based on the limited turning amount calculated by the limited turning amount calculation means, an operation range changing means for expanding and changing the operable range of the steering handle;
Reaction force calculating means for calculating a reaction force corresponding to the operable range of the steering wheel that has been enlarged and changed;
A steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus comprising: a reaction force control unit that controls the reaction force actuator according to the calculated reaction force to apply the calculated reaction force to the steering handle. . The steering apparatus for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 1,
The control device further includes:
Vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle,
The yaw rate gain limiting means includes
A steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus that limits a change in the yaw rate gain in accordance with the detected vehicle speed. In the steering apparatus for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The yaw rate gain limiting means includes
Limiting a change in the yaw rate gain by limiting a steered gear ratio that represents a ratio between the detected operation input value and a steered wheel turning amount that changes nonlinearly with respect to the operation input value. A steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus characterized by the above. In the steering apparatus for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The yaw rate gain limiting means includes
A steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus, wherein an upper limit at which the yaw rate gain can be changed is set to limit a change in the yaw rate gain. In the steering apparatus for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The yaw rate gain limiting means includes
A steering-by-wire vehicle characterized in that a viscous component torque that forms a reaction force applied by the reaction force actuator is set to be large in accordance with an operation speed of the steering handle to limit a change in the yaw rate gain. Steering device. The steering apparatus for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 1,
The control device;
A vehicle motion state that can be perceived by the driver in relation to the turning of the vehicle, and the estimated motion state quantity of the vehicle that is in a predetermined exponential relationship or a power relationship with the detected operation input value is detected. Motion state quantity calculating means for calculating using the manipulated input value;
Sensory adaptive turning amount calculation means for calculating the sensory adaptive turning amount of the steered wheels necessary for the vehicle to move with the calculated expected movement state amount using the calculated expected movement state amount;
The yaw rate gain generated in the vehicle turning with the sensory-adapted steering amount is compared with the limited yaw rate gain, and the sensory-adapted steering amount or the limited steering amount corresponding to the smaller yaw rate gain of these yaw rate gains. And a turning amount determination means for determining the turning amount as a target turning amount of the turning wheel,
The turning control means controls the turning actuator according to the target turning amount determined by the turning amount determination means to turn the turning wheels to the determined turning amount. A steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus characterized by the above. The steering device for a steering-by-wire vehicle according to claim 6,
The predicted motion state quantity is a steering-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus that is one of a lateral acceleration, a yaw rate, and a turning curvature of the vehicle.

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