Method and control unit for operating a steering unit for a commercial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12559170-B2
Application number	US-202418743307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2024
Priority date	Jun 15, 2023
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A method for operating a steering unit for a commercial vehicle includes a step of transfer or operation of a regulator unit of the steering unit of the commercial vehicle in an inactive operating mode if it is recognized that a driver is not giving a steering requirement and if a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle is lower than a predefined threshold value. The method further includes a step of activation of the regulator unit of the steering unit in an active operating mode if it is recognized that the driver is giving a steering requirement or if a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle exceeds the predefined threshold value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for operating a hydraulic steering unit for a commercial vehicle, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
transferring or operating a regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit of the commercial vehicle in an inactive operating mode when determining that a driver is not giving a steering requirement and when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle is lower than a predefined threshold value; and activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit into an active operating mode when determining that the driver is giving a steering requirement or when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle exceeds the predefined threshold value, wherein activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit comprises actuating a hydraulic pump of the hydraulic steering unit.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the regulator unit is activated in the activating step in a delayed manner and/or with a weighted regulator signal.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein
the regulator signal is weighted and/or delayed in the activating step using a linear, quadratic and/or exponential function.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the weighting is a temporal weighting.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the transferring step or the activating step, using, as the predefined threshold value for the vehicle velocity, a value which represents at maximum a walking speed.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the value is not more than 3 or 5 kilometers per hour.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the regulator unit in the transferring step and the activating step is a PID controller.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the regulator unit is actuated in the transferring step and/or the activating step such that a physical quantity regulated by the regulator unit does not exceed and/or fall below a maximum value.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the step of transferring the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit of the commercial vehicle from the active to the inactive operating mode, the regulator unit is actuated such that a pressure drop in a hydraulic circuit of the hydraulic steering unit does not fall below a predefined gradient threshold value, and/or in the step of activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit of the commercial vehicle from the inactive to the active operating mode, the hydraulic regulator unit is actuated such that a pressure rise in a hydraulic circuit of the steering unit does not exceed a predefined gradient threshold value.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit is actuated in the transferring step using a brake signal which represents an activated state of a hand brake or parking brake.

11 . A control unit comprising one or more processors operatively configured to:
transfer or operate a regulator unit of a hydraulic steering unit of a commercial vehicle in an inactive operating mode when determining that a driver is not giving a steering requirement and when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle is lower than a predefined threshold value; and activate the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit into an active operating mode when determining that the driver is giving a steering requirement or when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle exceeds the predefined threshold value, wherein activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit comprises actuating a hydraulic pump of the hydraulic steering unit.

12 . A commercial vehicle comprising a control unit according to claim 11 .

13 . A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code which, when executed on one or more processors, causes the acts of:
transferring or operating a regulator unit of a hydraulic steering unit of a commercial vehicle in an inactive operating mode when determining that a driver is not giving a steering requirement and when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle is lower than a predefined threshold value; and activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit into an active operating mode when determining that the driver is giving a steering requirement or when a vehicle velocity of the commercial vehicle exceeds the predefined threshold value, wherein activating the regulator unit of the hydraulic steering unit comprises actuating a hydraulic pump of the hydraulic steering unit.

Assignees

• Knorr Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh

Inventors

• Saleme Ahmed

Classifications

• B62D5/10

  characterised by type of power unit · CPC title

• B62D5/065 Primary

  characterised by specially adapted means for varying pressurised fluid supply based on need, e.g. on-demand, variable assist · CPC title

• B62D5/0481

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

• B62D5/06

  fluid, i.e. using a pressurised fluid for most or all the force required for steering a vehicle · CPC title

• B62D6/007

  adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode · CPC title