The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 23, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 14, 2000
Joseph D. Miller, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
TRW Inc., Lyndhurst, OH (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling a steering assist system ( ) of the type having an electric assist motor ( ) steerably connected to steerable wheels ( ) of a vehicle. The apparatus ( ) includes a torque sensor ( ) for providing a torque signal indicative of applied steering torque. A steering selector ( ) is used to select a desirable amount of steering assist. A vehicle speed sensor ( ) is provided for sensing vehicle speed. A main controller ( ) controls the steering assist motor ( ) in response to the applied steering torque, the sensed vehicle speed, and the steering selector by adding an indexed speed value ( ) to the vehicle speed signal in response the selection of the steering selector ( ). The main controller ( ) includes dynamically varying, vehicle speed dependant tunable parameters. An overseer controller ( ) monitors operation of the main controller. The operation of the overseer controller and the main controller are synchronized relative to the vehicle speed so that the overseer ( ) accounts for the dynamically varying, vehicle speed dependant tunable parameters of the main controller ( ).