Steering-wheel control

• US 9,731,761 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Park, Joseph, Nehls, Oliver, Bremkens, Jan, Wijffels, Lodewijk, Codonesu, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US15/175,157
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• 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 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

A vehicle includes a steering wheel and at least one road wheel. The steering wheel is rotatably connected to a steering-wheel actuator, and the at least one road wheel is movably connected to a steering system. A controller is in communication with the steering system and the steering-wheel actuator. The controller is programmed to determine a steering-wheel angle based on a road-wheel angle, an operation mode, and a steering-compensation type; and to instruct the steering-wheel actuator to rotate the steering wheel according to the steering-wheel angle.

Claims

1. A controller comprising a processor and a memory in a vehicle including a steering wheel, a steering-wheel actuator coupled to the steering wheel, and a road wheel, the controller programmed to:

determine a steering-wheel angle based on a road-wheel angle of the road wheel from a sensor of the vehicle, an operation mode of the vehicle stored in the memory, and a steering-compensation type of the vehicle stored in the memory, wherein the operation mode includes a nonautonomous mode having a default steering ratio and at least one autonomous mode;

instruct the steering-wheel actuator to rotate the steering wheel according to the steering-wheel angle,

determine that the operation mode is the nonautonomous mode; and

upon determining that the operation mode is the nonautonomous mode, instruct the steering-wheel actuator to rotate the steering wheel to a default steering-wheel angle that is the default steering ratio multiplied by the road-wheel angle.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a constant-angle type that specifies a same steering-wheel angle for two or more different road-wheel angles in a plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein the steering-wheel angle is the same for all of the plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

4. The controller of claim 2, wherein the operation mode includes an automated parking assist mode.

5. The controller of claim 4, wherein the controller is further programmed to determine that the steering-compensation type is the constant-angle type and the operation mode is the automated parking assist mode;

upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the constant-angle type and the operation mode is the automated parking assist mode, instruct the steering-wheel actuator to set the steering-wheel angle to zero offset from a center position;

instruct the vehicle to execute a parking maneuver; and

, upon completion of the parking maneuver, instruct the steering-wheel actuator to set the steering-wheel angle to the default steering-wheel angle.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a dynamic-angle type that specifies a steering-wheel angle based on the road-wheel angle, the steering-wheel angle differing from the default steering-wheel angle for two or more different road-wheel angles in a plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

7. The controller of claim 6, wherein the controller is further programmed to determine that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type;

and upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type, set the steering-wheel angle to a second steering ratio multiplied by the road-wheel angle, the second steering ratio being less than the default steering ratio.

8. The controller of claim 6, wherein the controller is further programmed to determine that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type;

and upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type, set the steering-wheel so that an absolute value of the steering-wheel angle is the minimum of the default steering-wheel angle and a preset maximum.

9. The controller of claim 1, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a dynamic-feedback type that specifies a steering-wheel angle that differs from the default steering ratio based on the presence of a stimulus.

10. A method of steering a vehicle comprising:

determining, by a controller of the vehicle, a steering-wheel angle based on a road-wheel angle of a road wheel of the vehicle from a sensor of the vehicle, an operation mode of the vehicle stored by the controller, and a steering-compensation type of the vehicle stored by the controller, wherein the operation mode includes a nonautonomous mode having a default steering ratio and at least one autonomous mode;

instructing, by the controller, a steering-wheel actuator coupled to a steering wheel of the vehicle to rotate the steering wheel according to the steering-wheel angle,

determining, by the controller, that the operation mode is the nonautonomous mode, and

upon determining that the operation mode is the nonautonomous mode, instructing, by the controller, the steering-wheel actuator to rotate the steering wheel to a default steering-wheel angle that is the default steering ratio multiplied by the road-wheel angle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a constant-angle type that specifies a same steering-wheel angle for two or more road-wheel angles in a plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the steering-wheel angle is the same for all of the plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the operation mode includes an automated parking assist mode.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the controller, that the steering-compensation type is the constant-angle type and the operation mode is the automated parking assist mode,

upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the constant-angle type and the operation mode is the automated parking assist mode, setting, by the controller, the steering-wheel angle to zero offset from a center position;

executing, by the controller, the parking maneuver; and

,

upon completion of the parking maneuver, setting, by the controller, the steering-wheel angle to the default steering-wheel angle.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a dynamic-angle type that specifies a steering-wheel angle based on the road-wheel angle, the steering-wheel angle differing from the default steering-wheel angle for two or more road-wheel angles in a plurality of stored road-wheel angles.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining, by the controller, that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type;

and upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type, setting, by the controller, the steering-wheel angle to a second steering ratio multiplied by the road-wheel angle, the second steering ratio being less than the default steering ratio.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining, by the controller, that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type;

and upon determining that the steering-compensation type is the dynamic-angle type, setting, by the controller, the steering-wheel so that an absolute value of the steering-wheel angle is the minimum of the default steering-wheel angle and a preset maximum.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the steering-compensation type includes a dynamic-feedback type that specifies a steering-wheel angle that differs from the default steering-wheel angle based on the presence of a stimulus.