Automatic steering system for vehicle

• US 6,275,754 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/610,899
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/36, 701/23, 701/24, 701/25, 701/26, 701/28, 701/300, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 180/421, 180/422, 180/413, 180/412, 180/443, 180/446, 318/587, 318/568.1, 318/568.12, 318/568.13
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

An automatic steering system for a vehicle is provided which includes a memory section for storing data for a steering angle of a wheel with respect to a distance of movement of a vehicle in correspondence to four parking modes. If a desired parking mode is selected by a mode selecting switch and the vehicle is moved at a creep while depressing a brake pedal, a control section controls the operation of a steering actuator to perform automatic parking control. At this time, an object detector continuously detects the position of an object around or in the vicinity of the subject vehicle, and when there is an obstacle already existing within a locus of movement of the subject vehicle, or when there is a possibility that a moving obstacle may enter into the locus of movement of the subject vehicle, a warning is provided to a driver, and an automatic brake is operated. Thus, it is possible to reliably perform the automatic parking control when there is an obstacle.

Claims

1. An automatic steering system for a vehicle, comprising a steering actuator for steering vehicle wheels based upon the steering by a driver, a memory means having stored therein a locus of movement of the vehicle to a target position, a control means for switching from control of the steering actuator by the operator to control of the steering actuator based on the locus of movement stored in the memory means, and an object detecting means for detecting an object near the vehicle, said automatic steering system further including a determining means coupled to an output of said object detecting means, for determining based upon the output of said object detecting means, the presence of an object within the locus of movement or which may become an obstacle which enters into the locus of movement, during the controlling of said steering actuator based upon the locus of movement stored in said memory means, and, a correcting means for correcting the locus of movement stored in said memory means, when said determining means determines the presence of an object which becomes an obstacle in the locus of movement.

2. An automatic steering system according to claim 1, wherein said correcting means corrects the relationship of a steering angle of the wheels to a distance of movement of the vehicle stored in said memory means.

3. An automatic steering system according to claim 1, wherein said steered wheels are front and rear wheels, and said memory means stores a first locus of movement when one of the front and rear wheels is steered, and a second locus of movement when both of the front and rear wheels are steered.

4. An automatic steering system according to claim 3, wherein said first or second locus of movement is selected based on the determination in said determining means.