Electrical steering system for manned or unmanned operation
First Claim
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1. An electrical steering system comprising:
- an upper shaft;
a steering wheel coupled to the upper shaft for rotation with the upper shaft;
an electric motor capable of receiving a rotational input from the upper shaft;
a torque transducer connected to the upper shaft for sensing a torque placed on the steering wheel;
a steering assembly coupled to at least one of the electric motor and the upper shaft;
an operator detector electrically or electromagnetically coupled to the torque transducer, the operator detector detecting a presence of the operator for a corresponding time interval by the sensed torque meeting or exceeding a threshold minimum torque level; and
a steering controller for controlling the electric motor based upon the detected presence.
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Abstract
A method and system for controlling an electrical steering system supports both manned and unmanned operation of a steering system for a vehicle. A steering wheel is coupled to an electric motor shaft for rotation with the steering wheel. A torque transducer senses a torque level for any application of rotational force applied to the steering wheel. An operator detector detects a presence or absence of an operator based on the sensed torque. The steering is controlled based on the detected presence or absence of the operator.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electrical steering system comprising:
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an upper shaft;
a steering wheel coupled to the upper shaft for rotation with the upper shaft;
an electric motor capable of receiving a rotational input from the upper shaft;
a torque transducer connected to the upper shaft for sensing a torque placed on the steering wheel;
a steering assembly coupled to at least one of the electric motor and the upper shaft;
an operator detector electrically or electromagnetically coupled to the torque transducer, the operator detector detecting a presence of the operator for a corresponding time interval by the sensed torque meeting or exceeding a threshold minimum torque level; and
a steering controller for controlling the electric motor based upon the detected presence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 21)
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11. A method for controlling an electrical steering system comprising:
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coupling a steering wheel to an electric motor shaft for rotation with an the steering wheel;
sensing a torque level of any rotational force applied to the steering wheel;
detecting a presence or absence of an operator for a corresponding time interval based on the sensed torque meeting or exceeding a threshold minimum torque level; and
controlling the steering based on the detected presence or absence of the operator. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification