TECHNIQUES FOR DEACTIVATING STEERING WHEEL ACTUATORS TO PREVENT UNINTENDED ACTUATION

• US 20150336608A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCA US LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: FCA US LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Burcar, James M., Hendry, Jeffrey C., Mashkevich, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,505,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/10 characterised by means for sensing or determining torque

Abstract

Techniques are provided for deactivating or disabling one or more actuators of a steering wheel of a vehicle to prevent unintended actuation. In one example, the techniques include detecting, at a controller of the vehicle, a deactivation condition, which includes an operating condition of the vehicle indicative of a lack of interaction by a driver with the one or more actuators of the steering wheel. The one or more actuators are configured to receive an input from the driver to control or actuate one or more associated vehicle systems. In response to detecting the deactivation condition, the techniques include deactivating or disabling, by the controller, the one or more actuators of the steering wheel until the deactivation condition is no longer present.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a steering wheel having one or more actuators adapted to receive an input from a driver to control or actuate one or more associated vehicle systems; and

a controller configured to;

detect a deactivation condition, the deactivation condition being a predetermined condition indicative of a lack of input from the driver to the one or more actuators, and

in response to detecting the deactivation condition, deactivating or disabling the one or more actuators of the steering wheel until the deactivation condition is no longer present.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein in response to detecting the deactivation condition is no longer present, the controller is further configured to reactivate the one or more actuators of the steering wheel.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is based on a degree of rotation of the steering wheel, and wherein the controller detects the deactivation condition when at least one of (i) the degree of rotation of the steering wheel is greater than a predetermined degree of rotation and (ii) a rate of change of the degree of rotation of the steering wheel is greater than a predetermined rate of rotation change.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is based on a yaw angle of a pair of wheels of the vehicle associated with the steering wheel.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller detects the deactivation condition when at least one of (i) the yaw angle of the pair of wheels is greater than a predetermined yaw angle and (ii) a yaw rate of the pair of wheels is greater than a predetermined yaw rate.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises the vehicle being in a process of parking.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the controller detects that the vehicle is in the process of parking when a speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined vehicle speed.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the controller detects that the vehicle is in the process of parking when a transmission of the vehicle is in a reverse gear.

9. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the controller detects that the vehicle is in the process of parking when a parallel parking mode of the vehicle is enabled.

10. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the controller detects whether the vehicle is in the process of parking based on information from an image sensor or a camera of the vehicle.

11. A method, comprising:

detecting, at a controller of a vehicle, a deactivation condition, the deactivation condition being a predetermined operating condition of the vehicle indicative of a lack of interaction by a driver with one or more actuators of a steering wheel of the vehicle, the one or more actuators adapted to receive an input from the driver to control or actuate one or more associated vehicle systems; and

in response to detecting the deactivation condition, deactivating or disabling, by the controller, the one or more actuators of the steering wheel until the deactivation condition is no longer present.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising reactivating, by the controller, the one or more actuators of the steering wheel in response to detecting, at the controller, that the deactivation condition is no longer present.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating condition is based on a degree of rotation of the steering wheel, and wherein detecting the deactivation condition includes detecting, at the controller, the deactivation condition when at least one of (i) the degree of rotation of the steering wheel is greater than a predetermined degree of rotation and (ii) a rate of change of the degree of rotation of the steering wheel is greater than a predetermined rate of rotational change.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating condition is based on a yaw angle of a pair of wheels of the vehicle associated with the steering wheel, and wherein detecting the deactivation condition includes detecting, at the controller, the deactivation condition when at least one of (i) the yaw angle of the set of wheels is greater than a predetermined yaw angle and (ii) a yaw rate of the set of wheels is greater than a predetermined yaw rate.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating condition comprises the vehicle being in a process of parking.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising detecting, at the controller, that the vehicle is in the process of parking when a speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined vehicle speed or when a transmission of the vehicle is in a reverse gear.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising detecting, at the controller, that the vehicle is in the process of parking when a parallel parking mode of the vehicle is enabled.

18. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising detecting, at the controller, whether the vehicle is in the process of parking based on information from an image system or camera of the vehicle.