Patent ID: 7356396
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: B60T,B62D

Abstract:
1. An automatic steering control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: actual-steering-angle signal receiving means for receiving a signal indicating an actual steering angle of steerable wheels of the vehicle; target-steering-angle setting means for setting a target steering angle of the steerable wheels on the condition that a predetermined automatic-steering-control start condition is satisfied; automatic steering control means for instructing a steering actuator, adapted to steer the steerable wheels, to generate a steering drive force such that the actual angle determined on the basis of the signal indicating the actual steering angle coincides with the set target steering angle; insufficiency-degree index obtaining means for obtaining a value representing a degree of insufficiency of the steering drive force of the steering actuator; and steering drive force adding means for instructing an assisting force generation apparatus, adapted to generate an assisting force for compensating for the insufficiency of the steering drive force, to generate the assisting force when the value representing the degree of insufficiency of the steering drive force exceeds a predetermined reference value.