Automatic steering system for vehicle

• US 5,931,252 A
• Filed: 04/06/1998
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Yasuo, Sakai, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERLI, WILLIAM R
• Application Number:
  US09/055,322
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 180/204, 180/446, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 701/23, 701/25, 701/41
• US Class Current: 180/204
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

An automatic steering system for appropriately maintaining an operational amount of a brake pedal in carrying out automatic parking control, while allowing a vehicle to creep. Data for a steering angle of a wheel relative to a distance of movement of a vehicle is previously stored in a memory section in correspondence to four parking modes. If a desired parking mode is selected by a mode selecting switch and a driver permits the vehicle to creep, while depressing a brake pedal, a control section controls the operation of a steering actuator to carry out automatic parking. A reference operational amount for the brake pedal, is previously set so as to provide an appropriate vehicle creep speed, and if a deviation between an actual operational amount of the brake pedal detected by a brake operational amount detecting means and the reference operational amount exceeds a predetermined value, a warning is emitted by a warning means to the driver, in order to urge the driver to regulate the actual operational amount of the brake pedal.

Claims

1. An automatic steering system for a vehicle, comprising:

a movement locus setting means for storing a locus of movement of a vehicle to a target position,

an actuator adapted to steer at least one wheel of the vehicle wheel based upon the locus of movement set by said movement locus setting means,

a brake input means operated by a driver to brake the vehicle,

an actuator driving control means coupled to said actuator for operating said actuator when said brake input means is operated,

a brake operational amount detecting means for detecting an actual operational amount of said brake input means, and

a deviation calculating means, coupled to said brake operational amount detecting means, for calculating a deviation between the detected actual operational amount and a preset reference operational amount of said brake input means.

3. An automatic steering system for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further including a notifying means for indicating at least one of said actual operational amount, said reference operational amount and said deviation.

4. An automatic steering system for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further including a warning means for emitting a warning when said deviation is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

2. An automatic steering system for a vehicle, comprising:

a movement locus setting means for calculating a locus of movement of a vehicle to a target position,

an actuator adapted to steer a wheel of the vehicle based upon the locus of movement set by said movement locus setting means,

a brake input means operated by a driver to brake the vehicle,

an actuator driving control means coupled to said actuator for operating said actuator when said brake input means is operated,

a brake operational amount detecting means for detecting an actual operational amount of said brake input means, and

a deviation calculating means, coupled to said brake operational amount detecting means, for calculating a deviation between the detected actual operational amount and a preset reference operational amount of said brake input means.