Volvo Lastvagnar Ab

Sentient IP Ab

Sentient Ab

National Oilwell Varco Norway As

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Sentient Sweden Ekonomisk Förening

Jochen Pohl

Andreas Eidehall

Johan Hultén

Jan-Inge Svensson

Sten Ragnhult

Henrik Weiefors

David Bengt Johan Ankargren

Ulf Löfqvist

Jan-Ove Palmberg

Björn Eriksson

Johan Hultèn

Lars Markström

Patrik Fagerberg

Johan HULTÈN

The present invention relates to vehicle steering system arrangement () comprising a vehicle suspension allowing wheels to be steered and power assisted vehicle steering with a feedback torque actuator (), the steering feel being controlled by means of a torque and/or angle control system, TAC, (). The vehicle suspension with steerable wheels comprises a plurality of vehicle suspension parameters and the geometry and/or dimensions of one or more of the vehicle suspension parameters or elements is/are designed to reduce or minimize the steering force required for steering the vehicle in driving. The torque and/or angle control, TAC, () is used for, based at least on directly or indirectly sensed and/or calculated steering wheel angle, controlling the wheel steer angle and providing feedback control by controlling the feedback torque actuator to generate a target feedback torque, and a target steering feel, and hence reducing or eliminating driver feedback provided by the vehicle suspension, such that the steering effort, if there is a fault in the steering control so that the assistance is lost, will be low enough for the driver to handle safely, hence without needing fail-operational steering gear.

Method and system arrangement for vehicle steering and vehicle with such a system

The present invention relates to a power assisted steering system arrangement (A) for a vehicle comprising a steering wheel (A), a first, driver, link arrangement (A) comprises a linkage between the steering wheel (C) and the front wheels () comprising a steering column (A), a Recirculating Ball Joint, RCB, (A) arranged on a first side of the vehicle, a track rod arrangement for steering the front wheels (), a first lever arm (A) arranged to transfer a driver torque applied by via the steering wheel to the track rod arrangement providing a connection between the RCB (A) and the track rod arrangement. The system further comprises a torsion bar (A) with a torsion-bar torque sensor associated with the steering column (A), an assistance actuator (A), arranged on a second side of the vehicle, opposite to the side of the vehicle where the RCB is arranged, said assistance actuator (A) comprising at least an electric motor (A) and an Electronic Control Unit, ECU, (A) controlling the electric motor depending on control signals received from the torsion-bar torque sensor, and an assistance actuator link arrangement (A) connected to said track rod arrangement, so that a steering torque applied by the driver as well as an assistance actuator torque provided or applied by the assistance actuator (A) is transferred to the track rod arrangement steering the front wheels of the vehicle.

Power assisted steering system arrangement

The present invention relates to a system and a method for controlling a feedback torque actuator in a steering system. The steering system comprises a steering assistance actuator () with a torsion bar () and a feedback torque actuator () with an Electric Control Unit, ECU, for giving feedback to a driver, a steering wheel () to which the driver applies a driver torque, T. Only the torsion bar of the steering assistance actuator () comprises a torsion-bar torque sensor, and a target torque for the feedback torque actuator () is a target steering feel torque compensated for torque sensed in the torsion bar ().

Method and system for combined hydraulic and electric power assisted steering

A method and a system for vehicle steering control by controlling a feedback torque actuator () in series with an angle overlay actuator () in a vehicle steering system () to provide a target feedback torque and a target overlay angle. The feedback torque actuator () is arranged above the angle overlay actuator (). The angle overlay actuator () is controlled so that a variable steering ratio and an additional overlay angle are provided, and the feedback torque actuator () is controlled using a reference generator so that the torque is controlled to provide a target steering feel, resulting in the angle overlay being controlled at the same time as the steering-wheel torque being controlled whereby a target overlay angle and a good steering feel are achieved.

Method and system for controlling vehicle steering

The present invention relates to a method for controlling vehicle lane holding for a vehicle with an electric power assisted steering by means of a steering system () with a steering assistance actuator and one or more controllable vehicle state actuators comprising measurement of at least one vehicle position input signal with using an on-board vision system for determination of a relative vehicle lane position in the form of a lateral lane position, a heading angle and a lane curvature, transformation of the relative vehicle lane position to a target yaw and/or lateral vehicle state, measuring at least one steering input signal, determination from said one or more measured steering input signals a torque value applied by the driver via a steering wheel (), transformation of said torque value to a relative to the afore-mentioned target yaw and/or lateral vehicle state a driver target relative yaw and/or lateral vehicle state, adding said target yaw and/or lateral vehicle state and said driver target relative yaw and/or lateral vehicle state together, and using the resulting yaw and/or lateral vehicle state as a reference signal to one or more controllers for the mentioned control of the one or more vehicle state actuators.

Method and system for controlling vehicle lane holding

A method in controlling a steering assistance actuator in a steering system () of a vehicle and one or more controllable vehicle state actuators so that the steering-wheel torque applied by the driver is an indicative for the driver intention and transformed to a target yaw and/or lateral vehicle state to be controlled by one or more vehicle state controllers and actuated by the vehicle state actuators along with the fact that the level of understeer is used to achieve an additional steering-wheel torque in the form of a ramp in the steering-wheel torque as a function of the level of understeer.

Method in order to control vehicle behaviour

A method is provided for assisting a driver of a vehicle during operation by providing the driver with a desired steering feel. The method includes determining a desired steering device guiding force including a part representing a desired friction in a steering arrangement, and providing the driver with the desired steering feel based on the determined steering device guiding force.

Method and a system for assisting a driver of a vehicle during operation

An apparatus for recuperation of hydraulic energy from an actuator comprises a first hydraulic machine having a first drive and a second hydraulic machine having a second drive mechanically coupled to the first drive. The first hydraulic machine is in hydraulic communication with an actuator, and the second hydraulic machine () is in hydraulic communication with an accumulator.

Apparatus and method for recuperation of hydraulic energy

A heave compensating system for a marine vessel includes a hydraulic machine configured to be coupled to a load suspended from the vessel and to vary the distance between the load and the vessel in response to heaving motion of the vessel. The system further includes a second hydraulic machine in fluid communication with a hydraulic accumulator, both the first and second hydraulic machines are mechanically connected to one another and a shared electric motor, and a controller configured to control hydraulic movement of the first and second hydraulic machines and to control the supply of power to the electric motor.

Heave compensating system

A method for changing a vehicle's trajectory, wherein the vehicle includes a steering arrangement including a manual steering device, at least one pair of ground engaging members and a mechanical interconnection therebetween, includes the steps of applying a braking force to at least one of the ground engaging members so that the vehicle's trajectory is changed, and simultaneously suppressing steering device disturbances resulting from the mechanical interconnection.

Method and a system for changing a vehicle's trajectory

A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle during operation in order to avoid an undesired situation based on a current driving scenario includes predicting if a first guiding force to a vehicle steering device is desired in order to avoid the undesired situation and, if the first guiding force is desired, predicting a total guiding force comprising the first guiding force, which would be applied to the steering device for avoiding the undesired situation, comparing the predicted total guiding force with a limit value, and if the predicted total guiding force exceeds the limit value, in advance, deciding whether to apply the predicted total guiding force to the steering device for avoiding the undesired situation or not.

The invention generally relates to an improvement of conventional Hydraulically Power Assisted Steering system (HPAS-system) arranged to supply a steering assist force to the steering assembly of a vehicle as a response to a torque applied by a driver to the steering wheel. In such HPAS-systems a certain drivers torque always results in a certain assist force. The invention therefore discloses a valve that can be actuated to dynamically alter the steering assist force produced by the HPAS-system. This makes it possible to dynamically adjust the assist force so that an appropriate force may be delivered to fit the specific driving scenario.

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Göteborg, Sweden

Jochen Pohl