Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Alex Parker

William James Bouse

Zhongzhou Yang

Justin Sekula

Daniel Nichols

Bo Lin

Zheng Tan

Bradley George Hochrein

Joseph Washnock

Timothy Panagis

Jack E Barry

James Philip Cooper

Salvador Toledo

Timothy Patrick Diez

Thomas Philip Flanagan

Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein to center a steering wheel. An example vehicle includes a steering assistance system, an axle including a wheel, memory, and a processor to execute instructions to identify a first position of the wheel, detect a request to move the wheel to a second position, adjust the wheel from the first position to the second position via the steering assistance system, disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to a third position, the third position offset from the second position by an angular offset in a first direction, adjust the wheel to a fourth position, the fourth position offset from the second position by the angular offset in a second direction different than the first direction, and disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to the second position.

Methods and apparatus to center a steering wheel and move road wheels to a straightly forward position

Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein to center a steering wheel. An example vehicle includes a steering position sensor to identify a steering wheel position, a pinion angle identifier to compare a first steering position angle to a second steering position angle, the second steering position angle corresponding to a centered steering wheel position, and an angle modifier to adjust the first steering position angle to match the second steering position angle.

Methods and apparatus to center a steering wheel

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example vehicle disclosed herein includes a steering assist system, a steering wheel, and a steering controller to detect a request to move the steering wheel of the vehicle to a first rotational position, the steering wheel having a second rotational position, actuate, via the steering assist system, the steering wheel towards the first rotational position, determine, based on a relationship between a first parameter and a second parameter, a third rotational position, the third rotational position having an angular offset from the first rotational position, the first parameter corresponding to a position of the steering system, the second parameter corresponding to a load on the steering system, and in response to reaching the third rotational position, disengage the steering assist system, the disengagement causing the steering wheel to rotate to the first rotational position.

Methods and apparatus to move a steering wheel

A steering assistance actuator for a vehicle includes a actuator shaft, a torque sensor, a motor, a drive mechanism and a drive housing. The actuator shaft is rotatable about a first axis. The actuator shaft includes an integral torque sensor. The motor has an output shaft rotatable about a second axis. The second axis is substantially parallel to the first axis. The drive mechanism is disposed between and drivingly connects the motor and the steering column. The drive mechanism provides a speed reduction from the motor to the actuator shaft. The drive housing encloses the torque sensor and the drive mechanism and is separate from a steering gear. The drive housing also has a mounting feature to which a housing of the motor is fixed. The drive housing also has a first bearing and a second bearing rotatably supporting the actuator shaft in the drive housing.

Electrically controlled steering assistance actuator

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Novi, MI, United States of America

Alex Parker