VEHICLE STEERING SYSTEM

摘要

A vehicle steering system that hardly gives a driver a feeling of strangeness even in mode switching is provided. Even if condition such as a defect of a system, which caused switching from SBW mode to EPS mode, has been resolved, a mode switching section waits for a timing of switching from EPS mode to SBW mode until a second condition is satisfied. The second condition is that the vehicle is in a certain state in which the driver hardly notices mode switching. The mode switching section waits for and judges a timing when the vehicle becomes into a certain state in which the driver hardly notices mode switching, and then performs switching from EPS mode to SBW mode.

主权项

1. A vehicle steering system, comprising:
a steering section for operation input via a steering member for steering a vehicle; a steering mechanism for steering one or more steered wheels of the vehicle; a connecting mechanism for selectively connecting or cutting off the steering section side and the steering mechanism side with or from each other; a steering reaction force actuator for applying steering reaction force to the steering section; a steering actuator for applying steering torque to the steering mechanism; a steering-torque-information obtaining section for obtaining information on steering torque of the steering member; a first mode control section for executing a first mode to control the clutch mechanism, the steering reaction force actuator, and the steering actuator in such a manner as to drive the steering actuator so that a steering angle becomes corresponding to an operation state of the steering member, cutting off the steering section side and the steering mechanism side from each other by the clutch mechanism, and as to drive the steering reaction force actuator so that a steering reaction force corresponding to a steering state of the steering mechanism is applied to the steering member; a second mode control section for executing a second mode to control the clutch mechanism, the steering reaction force actuator, and the steering actuator in such a manner as to drive at least one of the steering reaction force actuator and the steering actuator, connecting the steering section side and the steering mechanism side by the clutch mechanism and based on the information obtained by the steering-torque-information obtaining section; and a mode switching section, wherein, if a first condition is satisfied during when the first mode is executed, the mode switching section switches mode from the first mode to the second mode, and if the second condition is satisfied after the first condition has been resolved following the switching from the first mode to the second mode, the mode switching section switches the mode from the second mode to the first mode.