Method for automated steering of a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371009-B2
Application number	US-202118254042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2021
Priority date	Nov 24, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A method for automated steering of a motor vehicle including wheels at least two of which are steered wheels. The method comprising: acquiring parameters relating to a path for avoidance of an obstacle by the motor vehicle, and calculating, by a computer, a first steering setpoint for a steering actuator for the steered wheels and a second steering setpoint for at least one actuator for differential braking of the wheels, depending on the parameters. The first and second steering setpoints are each determined by a controller respecting a model that limits setpoint variation and/or range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for automated piloting of a motor vehicle having wheels, at least two of the wheels being steered wheels, the process comprising:
acquiring parameters relating to a trajectory for the motor vehicle to avoid an obstacle;
calculating by a computer a first piloting setpoint of a steering-angle actuator of the steered wheels and a second piloting setpoint of at least one differential-braking actuator of the wheels, as a function of said parameters,
wherein the first piloting setpoint and the second piloting setpoint are each determined by a controller that satisfies a setpoint amplitude and/or variation limiting model, and
wherein the first piloting setpoint and the second piloting setpoint are determined as a function of a coefficient that fixes a contribution of each actuator, said coefficient being calculated as a function of a yaw velocity of the motor vehicle, a torque applied by a driver to a steering wheel of the motor vehicle and a parameter, a value of which varies according to whether or not the first piloting setpoint is limited by the controller; and

controlling the steering-angle actuator of the steered wheels based on the first piloting setpoint and controlling the differential-braking actuator of the wheels based on the second piloting setpoint.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coefficient is calculated so that:
the second piloting setpoint is zero when an absolute value of the torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel of the motor vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold,
only the steering-angle actuator of the steered wheels is used when the yaw velocity of the motor vehicle is greater than a control threshold and/or when the piloting setpoint on its own makes it possible to stabilize the motor vehicle, and
otherwise, the steering-angle actuator of the steered wheels and the differential-braking actuator of the wheels are used in combination.

3. The process as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the coefficient is calculated so as to vary continuously as a function of time.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising interrupting the determination of the first piloting setpoint when an absolute value of the torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel of the motor vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising interrupting the determination of the second piloting setpoint when an absolute value of the torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel of the motor vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller making it possible to determine the second piloting setpoint satisfies an amplitude limiting model, so that the second piloting setpoint remains less than or equal to a limit, and wherein said limit is determined as a function of a velocity and the yaw velocity of the motor vehicle.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in order to calculate the first piloting setpoint, provision is made to determine a first non-saturated setpoint and to deduce the first setpoint therefrom by a closed-loop pseudo-controller having a direct-chain transfer function that comprises a function of a hyperbolic tangent type of a deviation between the first non-saturated setpoint and the first setpoint.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in order to calculate the second setpoint, provision is made:
to determine a second non-saturated setpoint and to deduce a second semi-saturated setpoint therefrom by a closed-loop pseudo-controller having a direct-chain transfer function that comprises a function of a hyperbolic tangent type of a deviation between the second non-saturated setpoint and the second semi-saturated setpoint, then
to use another closed-loop pseudo-controller, which provides the second setpoint as output and the direct-chain transfer function of which comprises a function of a hyperbolic tangent type of a deviation between the second semi-saturated setpoint and said second setpoint.

9. A method for creating controllers for the process as claimed in claim 1 , the method comprising:
acquiring a behavioral matrix model of the motor vehicle;
determining at least some coefficients of matrices of the behavioral matrix model;
deducing two controllers therefrom, each of which satisfies a piloting setpoint amplitude limiting model and/or a piloting setpoint variation limiting model.

10. A motor vehicle comprising:
a steering-angle actuator of the steered wheels, a differential-braking actuator of the steered wheels, and a computer configured to pilot said actuators,
wherein the computer is programmed in order to carry out the process as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Renault Sas
• Nissan Motor
• Ampere Sas

Inventors

• Do Anh-Lam

Classifications

• B60W2710/207

  Steering angle of wheels · CPC title

• B60W2710/18

  Braking system · CPC title

• B60W2520/14

  Yaw · CPC title

• B60W2520/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title