Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Nexteer (beijing) Technology Co., Ltd.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Nexteer (beijing) Technology O., Ltd.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Anthony J Champagne

Tejas M Varunjikar

Michael K Hales

Rangarajan Ramanujam

Qi Wang

Timothy Wesley Kaufmann

Joel Edward Birsching

Keyur R Patel

Xingye Zhang

Jens Dittmer

Prerit Pramod

Bo Yu

George E Arlt

Troy P Strieter

Mariam Swetha George

Kathryn L Pattok

William Henry Wittig

Michael S Wyciechowski

Michael A Eickholt

Michael Story

Tony M Dodak

David E King

Bhuvanesh Sainath

Chang Wang

Owen K Tosh

Lonnie Newton

Jeffrey R Meyer

Apurv Naman

Harshwardhan D Karve

Tony Michael Dodak

Randy R Lynn

Technical solutions described herein include a method of controlling an electric power steering system includes determining that one or more hand wheel torque sensors of electric power steering system are not operational and in response generating an assist torque command by estimating a front slip angle based on a motor angle of a motor of the electric power steering system and a vehicle speed. The method also includes converting the front slip angle to a rack force. The method also includes determining an amount of assist torque based on the rack force and controlling the electric power steering system using the generated assist torque command.

Providing assist torque in steering systems operating without a torque sensor

A method for generating torque assist includes determining a model yaw rate value based on a vehicle speed, a steering angle, and a road-friction coefficient value and determining a differential yaw rate value using a difference between the model yaw rate value and a vehicle yaw rate value. The method also includes determining an updated road-friction coefficient value using at least the differential yaw rate value and generating a torque assist value based on the updated road-friction coefficient value and a model rack force value.

Dynamic vehicle model based assist without torque sensor

Technical solutions described herein include a method of controlling, in an electric power steering system, a steering angle according to a target steering angle by computing an initial value of an integral control term in a proportional integral derivative (PID) control loop used to calculate a control output signal, such as a motor torque command. The initial value of the integral control term is computed as a negative of the initial value of the feedforward term minus the initial value of the feedback term. The initial value of the integral control term corresponds to an initial value of a control output. Accordingly, the technical solutions described herein facilitate handling non-zero initial condition in Electric Power Steering angle control.

Method and system for electronic power steering angle control with non-zero initial condition

A method for damping dependent scaling for reducing wheel imbalance in a steering system includes determining roadwheel speed energy using a roadwheel speed signal and determining that the roadwheel speed energy is greater than a predetermined energy threshold, and in response: adjusting the roadwheel speed signal; and computing a wheel imbalance reduction command using the adjusted roadwheel speed signal. The method also includes determining that the roadwheel speed energy is not greater than the predetermined energy threshold, and in response computing the wheel imbalance reduction command using the roadwheel speed signal. The method also includes computing a motor torque command using the wheel imbalance reduction command, the motor torque command used to generate a corresponding amount of torque at a handwheel.

Steering system with damping dependent scaling for wheel imbalance induced vibration reduction

Technical solutions are described for providing failsafe assist torque in steering systems. An example method includes determining, by a first controller, a first assist torque signal using a first set of torque sensor signals from a first sensor and a second set of torque sensor signals from a second sensor, the first sensor corresponding to the first controller, and the second sensor corresponding to a second controller. The method further includes determining, by the second controller, a second assist torque signal using the first and second sets of torque sensor signals. Further the method includes generating, by a motor, an assist torque using the first and second assist torque signals, and in response to the first controller receiving a diagnostic signal indicating a failure of the first torque sensor, determining by the first controller, the first assist torque signal using only the second set of torque sensor signals.

Steering system with failsafe torque sensor communication

A method includes receiving a first input indicating at least a selected controller type and generating, based on the first input, a model that represents a controller corresponding to the selected controller type. The method also includes receiving a second input indicating at least one functional aspect of the selected controller type, updating, based on the second input, the model to represent the at least one functional aspect of the selected controller type, and compiling, using the model, a binary file that represents, at least, the at least one functional aspect of the selected controller type. The method also includes uploading the binary file to a controller corresponding to the selected controller type.

Middleware system and method

According to the technical solutions described herein, an example method for frequency tracking based friction detection includes receiving, by a filter module, an accelerometer signal from an accelerometer coupled with an assist torque system. The method further includes estimating, by the filter module, harmonic content in the accelerometer signal based on an order frequency of the assist torque system. The method further includes in response to the harmonic content that is detected being greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, initiating a friction estimation in the assist torque system. The method further includes adjusting an amount of torque being generated by the assist torque system based on an estimated friction in the assist torque system.

Frequency tracking based friction detection using accelerometer

A method for scaling a stability signal in a steering system is provided and includes computing, by a torque boost module, an assist torque command to cause a motor of the steering system to generate an assist torque. Further, the method includes computing, by a stability compensation module, a stabilized torque command based on an input signal, the stabilized torque command modifying the assist torque command. Further, the method includes computing, by a stability monitoring module, a stability scaling factor to adjust the stabilized torque command based on a duration and severity of an instability detected in the input signal.

Real-time stability monitoring in steering systems

Technical solutions are described for generating and providing a motor torque command in electric systems such as an electric power steering (EPS) system. For example, an example EPS system includes a motor, and a controller that operates the motor to generate torque. The controller determines a torque reference twist based on a torque reference. The controller further determines a motor angle reference twist based on an angle-difference by multiplying the angle-difference by an autonomous mode enable signal. The autonomous mode enable signal is indicative whether the EPS is operating in autonomous mode. The controller further computes a total reference twist based on the torque reference twist and the motor angle reference twist, and computes a motor angle reference based on the total reference twist and a handwheel angle. The controller further generates the motor torque command using the motor angle reference, and sends the motor torque command to the motor.

High bandwidth universal electric steering system controller

A payload estimation system and a method for estimating payload estimation using electric power steering (EPS) signals are provided. In certain embodiments, the aspects of the invention may include: receiving, by a payload detection module, multiple EPS signals to generate an additional axle load factor, determining, by a blend factor table, a load blend factor according to the additional axle load factor, generating, by a first multiplier, a blended nominal base assist signal by combining the load blend factor and a handwheel torque signal processed by a nominal base assist module, generating, by a second multiplier, a blended highload base assist signal by combining the load blend factor and the handwheel torque signal processed by a highload base assist module, and combining, by a merge module, the blended nominal base assist and the blended highload base assist to generate a motor torque command for the EPS system.

Payload estimation using electric power steering signals

An embodiment of a method of controlling one or more components of a vehicle includes receiving a reference steering command and one or more measurement signals related to a steering system of a vehicle, and estimating, by a processing device, a state of the steering system based on the one or more measurement signals, the steering system including at least a handwheel and a steering motor. The method also includes determining a maximum state achievable by the steering system at one or more times subsequent to receiving the one or more measurement signals, and controlling, by a control module, the steering system based on the steering reference command and the maximum state.

Electrical power steering control using system state predictions

A control system for a power steering system includes an error module that generates an error signal based on a difference of an estimated output vector and an output vector, a scaling module that calculates a feedback correction signal based on the error signal and an observer gain value, an extended state vector estimation module that determines an extended state vector estimate based on the feedback correction signal and a motor torque command, and a gain module that applies a gain to the extended state vector estimate to generate an estimated driver torque signal, the estimated driver torque signal is applied in control of the power steering system.

Model based driver torque estimation

Technical solutions are described for a payload detection module that detects payload using one or more steering system control signals and generates an axle load factor. An example payload detection module includes a rack torque module to determine a rack torque, a reference model module to determine a reference rack torque for the steering system based on a load scale factor, and a load factor calculation module to compute the axle load factor based on a difference between the rack torque and the reference rack torque. Further, a blend factor module determines a load blend factor according to the axle load factor. Further yet, a signal combiner combines a blended nominal base assist and a blended highload base assist according to the load blend factor, the combination modifying a motor torque command, the motor torque command being sent to a motor to generate assist torque.

A power steering system includes a gain module that generates an estimated driver torque, and a blending module for determining a blend value. The blend value is based at least in part on a derivative of the estimated driver torque, and the blend value is applied to a return torque of a handwheel.

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Saginaw, MI, United States of America

Anthony J Champagne