Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Land Rover

Ian Hulme

Marcus Turner

Gregory Philip Brown

Jeffrey S Kapteyn

A vehicle control system includes an active steering system having a steerable wheel defining a steering angle and a steering wheel defining an input control angle. The steering system further includes a coupler component, a actuator component, a controller component and a sensory component. The components are interconnected such that the controller component can selectively vary the steering angle relative to the input control angle. The steering angle defines a desired path. The sensor component detects a first vehicle operating parameter indicating that the vehicle is off road and a second vehicle operating parameter indicating that the vehicle has encountered an object preventing the vehicle from traveling along the desired vehicle path. The controller component is adapted to oscillate the steerable wheel when the sensor component detects that the vehicle is off road and has encountered an object preventing the vehicle from traveling along the desired path.

Vehicle control system for traversing obstacles

A steering system () for a vehicle including a steerable wheel () defining a steering angle (), a powered actuator () controlling the steering angle () and a steering wheel () providing a driver input control angle. A ratio of the driver input control angle to the steering angle () defines a steering ratio. The steering system () also includes a controller () selectively varying the steering ratio that directs the powered actuator () to change the steering angle () along one of at least two steering ratio graphs, and a control () manually selectable by a driver of the vehicle that communicates with the controllerfor selecting one of the steering ratio graphs. A first one of the graphs () varies as a function of the driver input control angle in a manner that is different than that of a second one of the graphs ().

Driver selectable steering ratios

A steering system () for a vehicle includes at least one wheel () that pivots to define a steering angle (), and a steering lock () that limits an input to the steering angle () from an operator to a selected maximum value. The steering system () also includes a motor operatively connected to the wheel () that augments the input to the steering angle () from the operator, and a controller () operatively connected to the motor and adjusting the augmentation of the input to the steering to provide a maximum angle from the operator based upon at least one operating parameter, that includes the size of the wheel, thereby allowing the wheel () to pivot to a steering angle () based on the operating parameter that exceeds the steering angle () corresponding to the maximum allowable value as defined by the operator input.

Adjustable steering lock

A vehicle control system adapted to facilitate exiting of ruts includes an active steering system having a steerable wheel defining a steering angle. The active steering system also includes a steering wheel providing a driver input control angle, the active steering system further including a coupler component, an actuator component, a controller component, and a sensor component. The components of the active steering system are operably interconnected such that the controller component can selectively vary the steering angle relative to the driver input control angle. The steering angle defines an expected vehicle yaw when the steerable wheel is not slipping on a contact surface such as a road surface. The sensor component is configured to provide the controller with a signal corresponding to an actual yaw angle of a vehicle. The vehicle control system also includes a braking system adapted to brake selected wheels of a vehicle. The controller is configured to determine if a vehicle is in a rut based at least in part upon the expected vehicle yaw and the actual yaw angle. The controller provides the braking signal to brake wheels on a first side of a vehicle more than on a second side to generate a yaw torque tending to increase the actual yaw angle and thereby facilitate exiting of a rut.

Vehicle control system for exiting ruts

A wheel position indication system for a vehicle comprising a steerable wheel, a wheel position indicator and a controller. The wheel position indicator has an on state and an off state. The wheel position indicator provides a visual indication of the position of the steerable wheel when the wheel position indicator is in the on state. The wheel position indicator does not provide a visual indication of the position of the steerable wheel when the wheel position indicator is in the off state. The controller selectively alters the wheel position indicator between the on state and the off state. The controller places the wheel position indicator into the on state when the vehicle is in a predetermined driving condition and places the wheel position indicator into the off state when the vehicle is not in the predetermined driving condition.

Wheel position indicator

A steering system () for a motor vehicle comprising a steerable wheel () defining a steering angle (), a powered actuator () controlling the steering angle () and a steering wheel () providing a driver input control angle. The ratio of the driver input control angle to the steering angle () defines a steering ratio. The steering system () also includes a controller () selectively varying the steering ratio based, at least in part, upon road conditions.

On and off road steering ratios

A steering system for a vehicle includes at least one wheel that pivots to define a steering angle, wherein the steering angle is defined, at least in part, by an input from the operator, and at least one sensor adapted to monitor the roll of a vehicle body and a height of the center of gravity of the vehicle. The steering system also includes a motor operatively connected to the wheel that supplements the input to the steering angle, and a controller in communication with the sensor and operatively connected to the motor, wherein the controller is adapted to adjust the supplementation of the input to the steering angle based upon the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor, and adapted to supplement the steering angle when the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor exceeds a maximum value.

Roll-over controller

A steering system () and a method of dampening the forces transmitted to a steering wheel () of a vehicle when a steerable wheel () of the vehicle collides with an obstacle using the steering system (). The method includes steering a vehicle via a steering wheel () operably connected to a steerable wheel (), with the steering wheel () defining an input angle. The method also includes monitoring the rate of change of a steering angle () as defined by the steerable wheel (), with the ratio of the input angle to the steering angle () defining a steering ratio. The method further includes reducing an amount of torque transmitted to the steering wheel () from the steerable wheel () when the rate of change of the steering angle () exceeds a maximum rate by adjusting the steering ratio ().

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Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Ian Hulme