Methods and apparatus to correct clear vision errors in a vehicle steering system

• US 10,315,691 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wijffels, Lodewijk, Russell, David Michael, Rawlings, Jeremy Alan, Benak, Attila, Cannon, Timothy, Park, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berns, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/474,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20180281845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/16 Steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/008 Changing the transfer ratio between the steering wheel and the steering gear by variable supply of energy, e.g. by using a superposition gear
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0472 for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to correct clear vision errors in a vehicle steering system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a first sensor and a second sensor to measure a current position of a steering column and a current position of a steering wheel in a vehicle steering system. The example apparatus further includes a non-uniformity manager to map the current position to an offset, and an active steering system to apply the offset to adjust the current position of the steering wheel to a nominal position of the steering wheel to compensate for a clear vision error.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor to measure a current position of a steering column of a vehicle;

a second sensor to measure a first position of a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a logic circuit to map the current position to a steering wheel offset; and

an active steering system to apply the steering wheel offset to adjust the steering wheel to a second position different from the first position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a column position adjusting system to determine a type of the steering column.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the type is a manually adjustable type or an electrically adjustable type.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is to measure a rake position of the steering column and the second sensor is to measure a reach position of the steering column.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steering wheel offset is a clear vision angular offset, the clear vision angular offset to be applied to an active steering system overlay angle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active steering system is to apply the steering wheel offset to an active steering system actuator.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor and a second sensor to determine a non-uniformity angle associated with a steering column in a vehicle steering system;

a logic circuit to;

map the non-uniformity angle to a current position of the steering column; and

determine an offset based on the current position of the steering column; and

an active steering system to apply the offset to adjust a current position of a steering wheel to a nominal position of the steering wheel to compensate for a clear vision error.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further including a third sensor to determine a torque feedback variation associated with the steering column.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic circuit is to map the torque feedback variation to the current position of the steering column.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further including a column position adjusting system to determine a steering column type of the steering column.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first sensor is to measure a first angle corresponding to a steering wheel angle relative to a first universal joint, the second sensor is to measure a second angle corresponding to a pinion angle relative to a second universal joint, and the non-uniformity angle is based on the first angle and the second angle.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the active steering system is to apply the offset to an active steering system actuator to compensate for the clear vision error.

13. A method comprising:

determining, by executing an instruction with one or more processors, a type of a steering column in a vehicle steering system;

in response to determining the type is a manually adjustable type;

determining, by executing an instruction with the one or more processors, a non-uniformity angle associated with the steering column; and

mapping, by executing an instruction with the one ore more processors, the non-uniformity angle to a current position of the steering column;

mapping, by executing an instruction with the one or more processors, the current position of the steering column to an offset to adjust a current position of a steering wheel; and

applying, by executing an instruction with the one or more processors, the offset to an active steering system to adjust the current position of the steering wheel to a nominal position of the steering wheel to compensate for a clear vision error.

14. The method of claim 13, further including in response to determining that the type is an electrically adjustable type, determining the current position of the steering column based on a measurement from a first sensor and a second sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first sensor measures a rake position of the steering column and the second sensor measures a reach position of the steering column.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein mapping the non-uniformity angle to the current position includes mapping the non-uniformity angle to a non-uniformity profile in a look-up table.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the look-up table is generated by determining non-uniformity angles as a function of a steering wheel angle for a plurality of steering column positions.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the offset is a clear vision angular offset, the clear vision angular offset to be applied to an active steering system overlay angle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the non-uniformity angle is a first non-uniformity angle, and determining the clear vision angular offset includes comparing a first velocity variation associated with the first non-uniformity angle at the current position of the steering wheel to a second velocity variation associated with a second non-uniformity angle at the nominal position of the steering wheel.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the offset is applied to an active steering system actuator.