Patent ID: 8330399

Claim:
An electric power steering apparatus that generates a steering assist force by a motor, comprising: a driving circuit that drives the motor and having an efficiency η; a battery as a main power supply that supplies an electric power to the motor; an auxiliary power supply that supplies an electric power to the motor; a voltage detector that detects a voltage V B of the main power supply; a voltage detector that detects a voltage V C of the auxiliary power supply; a charge-discharge circuit that charges the auxiliary power supply by using the main power supply and that selectively configures a first output mode in which an electric power is supplied to the motor based on the voltage V B of the main power supply or a second output mode in which an electric power from the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply connected in series is supplied to the motor based on a voltage V B +V C ; and a control circuit that supplies the electric power to the motor and selects the output mode of the charge-discharge circuit according to an electric power required for steering assist and that, on the basis of an upper limit value I B previously defined as a maximum value of current through the main power supply, defines an upper limit of the electric power supplied to the motor as η·V B ·I B when the first output mode is selected or as η·(V B +V C )·I B when the second output mode is selected.