Vehicle steering control unit

• US 8,818,631 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Segawa, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US12/515,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/41, 701/48, 280/5.501, 280/5.51, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such

Abstract

A vehicle steering control unit which can implement various type of self-tuning in accordance with various properties of an objective vehicle is realized. ECU includes a control information acquiring part 501 which acquires control information which is information relating to the controlling of steering of the vehicle, a parameter value calculation part 502 which calculates after-change values for parameters whose values need to be changed in various steering control parameters based on the control information acquired by the control information acquiring part 501, and a parameter value rewrite part 503 which rewrites the values of steering control parameters. The control information includes information representing system properties of an objective vehicle, information retained by the chassis control system, and information on elements which make up a steering system which is installed on the objective vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle steering control unit for controlling steering of a vehicle, which is installed on a vehicle including a chassis control system, comprising a computer including:

a control parameter retaining unit for retaining parameters as control parameters that are dependent on system properties of the vehicle in control laws for controlling the steering of the vehicle;

a control execution unit for controlling the steering of the vehicle in accordance with values of the control parameters;

a control information acquiring unit for acquiring control information including installed vehicle information which represents the system properties of the vehicle, including information retained by the chassis control system; and

a control parameter value changing unit for changing the values of the control parameters based on the control information,

further comprising a determining unit for determining that the computer has been installed on a vehicle, wherein the control information acquiring unit is operative for acquiring the control information including installed vehicle information in response to a determination by the determining unit that the computer has been installed on a vehicle.

2. A vehicle steering control unit for controlling steering of a vehicle, which is installed on a vehicle including a chassis control system, comprising a computer including:

a control parameter retaining unit for retaining parameters as control parameters that are dependent on system properties of the vehicle in control laws for controlling the steering of the vehicle;

a control execution unit for controlling the steering of the vehicle in accordance with values of the control parameters;

a control information acquiring unit for acquiring control information including installed vehicle information which represents the system properties of the vehicle, including information retained by the chassis control system; and

a control parameter value changing unit for changing the values of the control parameters based on the control information,

wherein the control parameter retaining unit retains other control laws dependent on states of the chassis control system, and

wherein the control parameter value changing unit refers to the installed vehicle information in preference to said another control information retained by the chassis control system when changing the values of the control parameters in a state where the vehicle is at halt or running.

3. A vehicle steering control unit for controlling steering of a vehicle, which is installed on a vehicle including a chassis control system, comprising a computer including:

a control parameter retaining unit for retaining parameters as control parameters that are dependent on system properties of the vehicle in control laws for controlling the steering of the vehicle;

a control execution unit for controlling the steering of the vehicle in accordance with values of the control parameters;

a control information acquiring unit for acquiring control information including installed vehicle information which represents the system properties of the vehicle, including information retained by the chassis control system; and

a control parameter value changing unit for changing the values of the control parameters based on the control information,

wherein the control information acquiring unit acquires a system constituent element information which is on an element making up a steering system installed on the vehicle as another control information,

the control parameter retaining unit retains other control laws which are dependent on the system constituent element information as the control parameters, and

the control parameter value changing unit refers to the system constituent element information in preference to the installed vehicle information when changing the values of the control parameters for the first time after the vehicle steering control unit has been installed on the vehicle, and refers to the installed vehicle information in preference to the system constituent element information when changing the values of the control parameters for the second and later times after the vehicle steering control unit has been installed on the vehicle.

4. A vehicle steering control unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the control parameter retaining unit retains other control laws which are dependent on the information of the chassis control system, and

the control parameter value changing unit refers to the installed vehicle information in preference to the information retained by the chassis control system when changing the values of the control parameters for the first time after the vehicle steering control unit has been installed on the vehicle, and refers to the installed vehicle information in preference to the information retained by the chassis control system when changing the values of the control parameters for the second and later times after the vehicle steering control unit has been installed on the vehicle.

5. A vehicle steering control unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein the system constituent element information which is on an element making up a steering system installed on the vehicle, is information concerning the type of steering system installed on the vehicle.