Method of controlling vehicle
First Claim
1. A method of controlling a vehicle having a steering wheel and road wheels including a predetermined pair of road wheels steerable at a steered angle by turning the steering wheel to a turned angle, said method comprising the steps of:
- extracting a feature averaged over time indicative of a driver'"'"'s technique steering the vehicle and generating a feature indicative signal indicative of the feature extracted;
controlling the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels relative to the turned angle of the steering wheel at a predetermined ratio; and
varying said predetermined ratio of the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels to the turned angle of the steering wheel in response to the feature indicative signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of controlling an automotive vehicle is disclosed whereby a steering characteristic of the vehicle is automatically adjustable to a feature of the driver'"'"'s steering the vehicle. The feature of the driver'"'"'s steering the vehicle is detected in terms of a driver'"'"'s technique or habit in manipulating a steering wheel or a motion characteristic of the vehicle such as a yaw rate or a lateral acceleration resulting from a driver'"'"'s manipulating the steering wheel. A pair of steerable road wheels, such as a pair of front road wheels, are steered through an angle which is proportioned to an angle through which the steering wheel is manually turned at a ratio which is variable with variation in the feature of the driver'"'"'s steering the vehicle.
67 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a vehicle having a steering wheel and road wheels including a predetermined pair of road wheels steerable at a steered angle by turning the steering wheel to a turned angle, said method comprising the steps of:
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extracting a feature averaged over time indicative of a driver'"'"'s technique steering the vehicle and generating a feature indicative signal indicative of the feature extracted; controlling the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels relative to the turned angle of the steering wheel at a predetermined ratio; and varying said predetermined ratio of the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels to the turned angle of the steering wheel in response to the feature indicative signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- 7. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said varying step comprises computing the following equation
- space="preserve" listing-type="equation">θ
.sub.F =a·
θ
.sub.H +b·
G
where;
##EQU2## θ
F =the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels, θ
H =the turned angle of the steering wheel, andG=the lateral acceleration. - space="preserve" listing-type="equation">θ
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8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said feature indicative signal is stored in a memory.
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9. A method of controlling a vehicle having a steering wheel and road wheels including a predetermined pair of road wheels steerable at a steered angle by turning the steering wheel to a turned angle, said method comprising the steps of:
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extracting a feature averaged over time indicative of a driver'"'"'s technique of steering the vehicle and generating a feature indicative signal indicative of the feature extracted; controlling the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels relative to the turned angle of the steering wheel at a predetermined ratio; and varying said predetermined ratio of the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels to the turned angle of the steering wheel in response to the feature indicative signal, said varying step comprising computing the following equation
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">θ
.sub.F =θ
.sub.H +bθ
.sub.Hwhere; a=a gear ratio of the steering gear where;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">b=[f(|θ
|)]f(|θ
.sub.H |)θ
F =the steered angle of the pair of predetermined road wheels, andθ
H =the turned angle of the steering wheel.
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10. A method of controlling a vehicle having a steering wheel and road wheels including a predetermined pair of road wheels steerable at a steered angle by turning the steering wheel to a turned angle, said method comprising the steps of:
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extracting a feature averaged over time indicative of a driver'"'"'s technique of steering the vehicle and generating a feature indicative signal indicative of the feature extracted; controlling the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels relative to the turned angle of the steering wheel at a predetermined ratio; and varying said predetermined ratio of the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels to the turned angle of the steering wheel in response to the feature indicative signal, said varying step comprising computing the following equation
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">θ
.sub.F =k·
θ
.sub.Hwhere;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">k=f(|θ
.sub.H |),θ
F =the steered angle of the predetermined pair of road wheels, andθ
H =the turned angle of the steering wheels.
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Specification