SENSOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A STEERING ANGLE OF A VEHICLE AND DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20160046323A1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: KLANK, Michael, ELBERS, Christoph, KOSAK, Werner
• Granted Patent: US 9,656,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/021 Determination of steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means

Abstract

A sensor device (120) for determining a steering angle (δ) of a vehicle. The sensor device (120) is, or can be, fitted separately and/or retrofitted on a steering wheel (102) of the vehicle. The sensor device (120) comprises an accelerometer for the detection of an acceleration relative to at least two axes (gx, gy). The accelerometer is designed to emit a sensor signal that represents the detected acceleration in order to determine the steering angle (δ).

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A sensor device (120) for determining a steering angle (δ

) of a vehicle (100),

wherein the sensor device (120) either is or can be at least one of fitted separately and retrofitted on a steering wheel (102) of the vehicle (100),

the sensor device (120) comprises an accelerometer (122) for detecting acceleration relative to at least two axes (gx, gy), and

the accelerometer (122) emits a sensor signal that represents the detected acceleration in order to determine the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100).

15. The sensor device (120) according to claim 14, wherein the sensor device (120) includes a communication device (124) for wireless emission of the produced sensor signal.

16. The sensor device (120) according to claim 14, wherein the sensor device (120) is designed so as to be retrofitted to the steering wheel (102) of the vehicle (100) without use of tools.

17. The sensor device (120) according to claim 14, wherein the sensor device (120) includes a low-pass filter (134) for blocking high-frequency signal fractions from the sensor signal and permitting passage of low-frequency signal fractions produced by steering wheel movements.

18. A driver assistance system (110) for a vehicle (100), the driver assistance system (110) produces at least one driver assistance function related to a steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100), the driver assistance system (110) comprising;

a sensor device (120) for determining the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100), the sensor device (120) either is or can be at least one of fitted separately and retrofitted on a steering wheel (102) of the vehicle (100), the sensor device (120) comprises an accelerometer (122) for detecting acceleration relative to at least two axes (gx, gy), and the accelerometer (122) emits a sensor signal that represents the detected acceleration in order to determine the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100); and

a control unit (130) for evaluating the sensor signal from the sensor device (120), the control unit (130) determines the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100), using the sensor signal, and, using the steering angle (δ

), provides the at least one driver assistance function.

19. The driver assistance system (110) according to claim 18, wherein the driver assistance system (110) includes a transmitter-receiver device (132) for wireless reception of the sensor signal from the sensor device (120) and for transmitting the sensor signal to the control unit (130).

20. The driver assistance system (110) according to claim 18, wherein the control unit (130) evaluates variations of the sensor signal in order to determine, for determination of the steering angle (δ

), a number of revolutions of the steering wheel (102).

21. The driver assistance system (110) according to claim 19, wherein the driver assistance system (110) includes a low-pass filter (134) for blocking high-frequency signal fractions in the sensor signal and permitting passage of low-frequency signal fractions produced by steering wheel movements.

22. The driver assistance system (110) according to claim 18, wherein the driver assistance system (110) includes a further sensor device (140) that either is or can be fitted separately from the steering wheel (102) in the vehicle (100), for detecting further acceleration relative to the at least two axes and for generating a further sensor signal that represents the further acceleration detected, and the control unit (130) determines the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100) using the sensor signal and the further sensor signal.

23. A method (300) for determining a steering angle (8) of a vehicle (100), the method (300) comprising:

detecting (310) acceleration relative to at least two axes (gx, gy) with an accelerometer (122) of a sensor device (120) that is at least one of installed separately and retrofitted on a steering wheel (102) of the vehicle (100); and

evaluating (320) the detected acceleration to determine the steering angle (δ

) of the vehicle (100).

24. Use of an accelerometer (122) to detect acceleration relative to at least two axes (gx, gy) for determining a steering angle (δ

) of a vehicle (100) and for providing at least one driver assistance function using the steering angle (δ

), and the accelerometer (122) is part of a sensor device (120) which either is or can be installed or retrofitted onto a steering wheel (102) of the vehicle (100).

25. The use of an accelerometer (122) according to claim 24, further comprising a low-pass filter suppresses high-frequency signal fractions from the sensor signal and permits passage of low-frequency signal fractions produced by steering wheel movements.

26. The use of an accelerometer according to claim 24, wherein signal detection, signal evaluation and signal processing and relaying thereof are carried out by a mobile minicomputer which has a computer program, suitable for the signal processing, stored therein.