Patent ID: 7034483

Claim:
A steering apparatus for a vehicle having a steering wheel, the apparatus comprising: a steering mechanism that is mechanically separate from the steering wheel, wherein the steering mechanism includes a steering rod and a steering motor that drives the steering rod; steering motor control means, which generates a command value of a current to be supplied to the steering motor in accordance with the steering position of the steering wheel, and subjects the steering motor to a feedback control based on the generated current command value, thereby controlling the position of the steering rod; determining means, which determines whether voltage applied to the steering motor in accordance with the current command value has reached a predetermined voltage; estimating means, which selects one of the value of an actual current through the steering motor and the current command value based on the determination result of the determining means, wherein, based on the selected current value, the estimating means estimates an axial force applied to the steering rod; a counter torque motor for applying a counter torque to the steering wheel; and counter torque motor control means, which controls the counter torque motor based on the estimated axial force.