Abstract
To improve steering feeling, we propose friction control method on EPS (Electric Power Steering) in this paper. To control friction stably, the proposed method uses not mechanical elements but a motor torque. Firstly, an effect of friction on steering system was shown and a target friction was determined. Secondly, an approximate computation method of friction was described and its validity was confirmed. Thirdly, it was shown that a high stiffness of a steering torque sensor was required on the friction control. Finally, an effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by using simulations. In addition, the proposed method was applied to an actual vehicle and it was confirmed that the proposed method improved steering feeling by giving a steering friction torque to a driver before generating a steering angle at steering wheel.
