Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Continental Automotive Systems Corporation

Scott T Sanford

Michael S Wyciechowski

Clinton Lee Schumann

Joseph A Labarbera

Steven D Klein

Kai Zheng

Emmanuel Garcia

Tejas M Varunjikar

Mariam Swetha George

Tao Yang

Rangarajan Ramanujam

Rakesh Mitra

Zaki Ryne

Michael Story

Omkar Karve

Geoff Bauer

Sarin Kodappully

Iulian Ungureanu

Gregory J Katch

Nick M Trewhella

Todd Bowman

Alexander Jennings

Patrick M Ryne

A number of variations may include a system, method, a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions thereon executable by an electronic processor to implement functionality comprising enhancing the curvature capability of a tertiary rack and pinion actuator by using brake-to-steer while the tertiary rack and pinion actuator is operating.

Brake-to-steer for steer-by-wire control algorithm using support from tertiary steering actuation

Disclosed is a number of variations that may include a method, system, or computer product useful in determining an intended yaw or yaw rate that a driver desires using a model, comparing the yaw or yaw rate with the actual vehicle yaw or yaw rate to determining a yaw error or yaw rate error, using the yaw error or yaw rate error in a model predictive control to determine the brake pressure required to minimize or reduced to zero the yaw error or the yaw rate error.

Driver directional control during brake-to-steer manual driving using model predictive control

A number of variations may include a method including pre-charging at least a portion of a vehicle brake system.

System and method of preemptively readying a brake system

A number of variations may include a method including using at least one of brakes or propulsion energy to steer an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle if a primary, secondary or other redundant steering system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle has failed or is insufficiently unhealthy to perform a desired function, the method including determining if a primary, secondary or other redundant steering system of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle has failed or is not sufficiently healthy to perform a desired function, and if so, converting a steer request into a desired yaw rate, curvature, curvature over time, radius, radius or time or yaw rate acceleration, calculating a brake pressure sufficient to produce the desired yaw rate, curvature, curvature over time, radius, radius or time or yaw rate acceleration, delivering brake pressures signals via a lateral control module to an actuator for at least one brake connected to a wheel of the vehicle so that the brake pressure causes the vehicle yaw at the desired yaw rate, curvature, curvature over time, radius, radius or time or yaw rate acceleration.

Method of using brakes to steer a vehicle

A number of illustrative variations may include a system that may manage torque overlay scenarios in a vehicle where the brakes and propulsion system are providing both lateral and longitudinal movement commands and there is a change in longitudinal acceleration requested from a driver or autonomous driving system. The system may manage driver brake inputs and brake-to-steer brake inputs to maintain brake-to-steer functionality while also applying sufficient braking as requested by the driver.

Longitudinal overlay while using brake-to-steer

A number of illustrative variations may include the steps of providing a first vehicle including at least one sensor, a controller configured to process sensor data, and a vehicle communication system; providing a driving surface having an actual coefficient of friction; determining at least one estimated driving surface coefficient of friction; communicating the at least one estimated driving surface coefficient from the first vehicle to the vehicle communication system; and communicating the at least one estimated driving surface coefficient from the vehicle communication system to at least one other vehicle directly or indirectly.

Surface detection via a directed autonomous vehicle

Steering a vehicle may include applying a net brake-steering force to a steered wheel sufficient to affect a steering moment upon the steered wheel sufficient to move the steered wheel away from a zero steering angle, and resisting movement of the steered wheel back toward the zero steering angle.

Vehicle wheel steer control system and method

A number of illustrative variations may include a system including brake-to-steer algorithms may achieve lateral control of a vehicle without longitudinal compensation but may also force a vehicle to slow down too rapidly before appropriate lateral movement can be achieved and may deliver an unnatural driving experience for vehicle occupants. A more natural feeling deceleration may be achieved by optimally selecting appropriate transmission shifts to allow for optimal engine speed or electric motor speed and torque based on current vehicle speed thereby reducing undesirably longitudinal disturbance.

Longitudinal control feedback compensation during brake-to-steer

A number of illustrative variations may include a system and method of controlling vehicle slowing while implementing brake-to-steer functionality that may include providing a feed-forward gain on vehicle propulsion torque to achieve or maintain target longitudinal acceleration and replicate the behavior of a vehicle not using brake-to-steer. The system may manipulate propulsion of the vehicle to manage longitudinal acceleration disturbance and speed disturbance during brake-to-steer.

Feed-forward compensation to manage longitudinal disturbance during brake-to-steer

A number of illustrative variations may include a method of providing a reliable driving surface friction coefficient estimate.

Mu confidence estimation and blending

According to one or more embodiments, a steer by wire steering system includes a handwheel actuator, a roadwheel actuator, and a resynchronization module to dynamically adjust handwheel position that is used for rack position reference calculation. The dynamic adjustment includes determining a desynchronization amount based on a difference in an actual handwheel position and a synchronized handwheel position. The dynamic adjustment further includes computing a handwheel adjustment using the desynchronization amount, a vehicle speed, and a handwheel speed. The dynamic adjustment further includes computing an adjusted handwheel position based on the handwheel adjustment and the actual handwheel position. The dynamic adjustment further includes updating the reference rack position based on the adjusted handwheel position. The dynamic adjustment is continuously repeated until the handwheel adjustment is substantially equal to zero.

Handwheel-roadwheel resynchronization in steer-by-wire systems

Technical solutions are described herein for steer-by-wire (SBW) steering systems to detect an end-of-travel condition dynamically and generate responsive handwheel torque for a driver. According to one or more embodiments, a steer-by-wire steering system includes a first controller that generates a plurality of torque commands. Generating the plurality of torque commands includes generating a curb torque command in response to detecting a curb condition in which road wheels are stationary despite a change in handwheel position, and generating an end-of-travel torque command in response to detecting an end-of-travel condition. The steer-by-wire steering system further includes an arbitrator module that determines a notification torque command by arbitrating between the plurality of torque commands, which comprises the curb torque command and the end-of-travel torque command. The steer-by-wire steering system further includes a second controller that generates a notification torque using the notification torque command.

Notification for rack limiting conditions for steer by wire steering systems

Technical features of a steering system include a control module that dynamically determines an operating mode based on a set of input signal values such as lateral acceleration signal values and corresponding handwheel position values. The control module dynamically determines and learns classification boundaries between multiple operating modes based the input signal values. The control module further calibrates the steering system according to operating mode that is determined using the classification boundaries.

Steering mode selection using machine learning

According to one or more embodiments a steer by wire steering system includes a handwheel actuator that provides a commanded position for a rack of a vehicle. The steer by wire steering system further includes a roadwheel actuator that moves the rack to a rack position based on the commanded position from the handwheel actuator. The steer by wire steering system further includes a diagnostic apparatus to compute a reference position based on the commanded position, and to compute a reference tracking error based on a difference between the reference position and the rack position. The diagnostic apparatus further determines a fault condition with the steer by wire system using the reference tracking error.

Steer by wire system diagnostic

According to one or more embodiments described herein, a steer by wire steering system includes a pair of actuators, a handwheel actuator that provides a commanded position to a roadwheel actuator, which moves a rack of the vehicle to a rack position based on the commanded position from the handwheel actuator. The steer by wire steering system further includes a controller that generates a handwheel torque command, the handwheel actuator generates a feedback torque based on the handwheel torque command. The controller further computes a tracking error based on a difference between the commanded position and the rack position. The controller further determines a catch motor torque value using the tracking error. The controller further modifies the handwheel torque command using the catch motor torque, the handwheel actuator generates an amount of torque that is substantially a sum of the feedback torque and the catch motor torque.

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Swartz Creek, MI, United States of America

Scott T Sanford