Detecting driver grip on steering wheel
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- sending, by one or more processors, an excitation instruction to move a steering wheel of a vehicle to an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor, the excitation instruction causing the EPS motor to move the steering wheel;
calibrating, by the one or more processors, the steering system based on at least one of a characteristic of a driver and a characteristic of the steering system;
receiving, by the one or more processors, from the EPS motor a value indicative of an amount of power required to move the steering wheel according to the excitation instruction;
comparing the value to a threshold value; and
determining a degree of a driver gripping the steering wheel based on the comparison.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to determining by what degree a driver is gripping a steering wheel. In one example, a computer may send an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor an excitation command to move. The EPS motor may respond by moving a flexible coupling between the steering wheel and the EPS motor. This may cause a corresponding movement at the steering wheel. A torque sensor may generate pattern data by monitoring the flexible coupling during the movement. The EPS motor may generate system position data for the entire steering system, for example, from the tires to the steering wheel. The pattern data and the system position data may be compared by the computer to determine the degree of grip. In this regard, the computer may determine the degree of a driver'"'"'s grip without the need for additional sensors.
70 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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sending, by one or more processors, an excitation instruction to move a steering wheel of a vehicle to an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor, the excitation instruction causing the EPS motor to move the steering wheel; calibrating, by the one or more processors, the steering system based on at least one of a characteristic of a driver and a characteristic of the steering system; receiving, by the one or more processors, from the EPS motor a value indicative of an amount of power required to move the steering wheel according to the excitation instruction; comparing the value to a threshold value; and determining a degree of a driver gripping the steering wheel based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system, comprising:
at least one memory; one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors programmed to; send an excitation instruction to move a steering wheel of a vehicle to an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor, the excitation instruction causing the EPS motor to move the steering wheel; calibrate the steering system based on at least one of a characteristic of a driver and a characteristic of the steering system; receive from the EPS motor a value indicative of an amount of power required to move the steering wheel according to the excitation instruction; compare the value to a threshold value; and determine a degree of a driver gripping the steering wheel based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
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sending an excitation instruction to move a steering wheel of a vehicle to an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor, the excitation instruction causing the EPS motor to move the steering wheel; calibrating the steering system based on at least one of a characteristic of a driver and a characteristic of the steering system; receiving from the EPS motor a value indicative of an amount of power required to move the steering wheel according to the excitation instruction; comparing the value to a threshold value; and determining a degree of a driver gripping the steering wheel based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification