Patent ID: 7913803

Claim:
A steering apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a steering angle correction mechanism configured to provide a correction steering angle to a steerable road wheel of a vehicle so as to vary a ratio between a turning angle of a steering wheel of said vehicle and a steering angle of said steerable road wheel; a steering power assist mechanism configured to selectively operate in a first and a second mode, wherein, in said first mode, said steering power assist mechanism provides a base assist power and a correction assist power to said steerable road wheel, and in said second mode, said steering power assist mechanism provides said base assist power and a limited correction assist power to said steerable road wheel; and a controller that controls said steering angle correction mechanism to provide said correction steering angle to said steerable road wheel, and controls said steering power assist mechanism to operate in one of said first mode and said second mode depending on an absolute value of said correction steering angle so that if said absolute value of said correction steering angle is not greater than a predetermined value, said controller controls said steering power assist mechanism to operate in said first mode, and if said absolute value of said correction steering angle is greater than said predetermined value, said controller controls said steering power assist mechanism to operate in said second mode, wherein said predetermined value, to which said absolute value of said correction steering angle is compared, is set to zero.