Systems and methods for inducing speed reduction responsive to detecting a surface having a relatively low coefficient of friction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11884324-B2
Application number	US-202217749923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2022
Priority date	May 20, 2022
Publication date	Jan 30, 2024
Grant date	Jan 30, 2024

Abstract

A method includes identifying at least a portion of a surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold. The method also incudes determining whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold, and determining whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle. The method also includes, generating a first alert signal, selectively adjusting at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value, and, in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjusting the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for vehicle control, the method comprising:
identifying, for a surface being traversed by a vehicle, at least a portion of the surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold;
determining, responsive to identifying the portion of the surface has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction threshold, whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold;
in response to determining that the vehicle speed is greater than the vehicle speed threshold, determining whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle; and
in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle:
generating a first alert signal;
selectively adjusting, after a predetermined period, at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value; and
in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjusting the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle includes:
receiving at least one handwheel signal; and
determining whether the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle based on the at least one handwheel signal.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one handwheel signal indicates at least a torque applied to the handwheel of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one steering characteristic of the steering system includes at least one of an assist steering characteristic, a damping steering characteristic, and a pull compensation steering characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alert signal corresponds to an oscillation of the handwheel of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is not engaging the handwheel of the vehicle, generating a second alert signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second alert signal corresponds to at least one of a visual indication, an audible indication, and a haptic indication.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steering system includes an electronic power steering system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steering system includes a steer-by-wire steering system.

10. A system for vehicle control, the system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
identify, for a surface being traversed by a vehicle, at least a portion of the surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold;
determine, responsive to identifying the portion of the surface has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction threshold, whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold;
in response to determining that the vehicle speed is greater than the vehicle speed threshold, determine whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle; and
in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle:
generate a first alert signal;
selectively adjust, after a predetermined period, at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value; and
in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjust the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine whether the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle by:
receiving at least one handwheel signal; and
determining whether the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle based on the at least one handwheel signal.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one handwheel signal indicates at least a torque applied to the handwheel of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one steering characteristic of the steering system includes at least one of an assist steering characteristic, a damping steering characteristic, and a pull compensation steering characteristic.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first alert signal corresponds to an oscillation of the handwheel of the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to, in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is not engaging the handwheel of the vehicle, generate a second alert signal.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the second alert signal corresponds to at least one of a visual indication, an audible indication, and a haptic indication.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the steering system includes an electronic power steering system.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the steering system includes a steer-by-wire steering system.

19. An apparatus for vehicle control, the apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
identify, for a surface being traversed by a vehicle, at least a portion of the surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold;
determine, responsive to identifying the portion of the surface has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction threshold, whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold;
in response to determining that the vehicle speed is greater than the vehicle speed threshold, determine whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle based on at least one handwheel signal;
in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is engaging the handwheel of the vehicle:
generate a first alert signal;
selectively adjust, after a predetermined period, at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value; and
in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjust the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value; and

in response to determining that the operator of the vehicle is not engaging the handwheel of the vehicle, generate a second alert signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the at least one steering characteristic of the steering system includes at least one of an assist steering characteristic, a damping steering characteristic, and a pull compensation steering characteristic.

Assignees

• Steering Solutions Ip Holding

Inventors

• Bolourchi Farhad
• Ryne Zaki
• Rambourg Juliette M
• Wang Lei

Classifications

• B62D15/029 Primary

  Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system · CPC title

• B60W50/16

  Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal · CPC title

• B62D5/0481

  monitoring the steering system, e.g. failures · CPC title

• B62D6/006

  using a measured or estimated road friction coefficient · CPC title

• B62D6/008

  Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications · CPC title