Active steering system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550519-B2
Application number	US-201313953204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2013
Priority date	Apr 30, 2009
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A method for operating an active steering system of a vehicle, in which a ratio between a wheel steer angle and a steering wheel angle specified by the driver can be modified by superimposition of a superimposition angle. The method comprises detecting an offset between a requested motor angle and an actual motor angle, and reducing the offset between the requested motor angle and the actual motor angle using a reduction rate that is selected as a function of at least one input variable specified by the driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating an active steering system of a vehicle, comprising:
detecting an offset angle between a requested motor angle and an actual motor angle of a motor; and
reducing the offset angle by actuating the motor using a reduction rate selected as a function of at least one input variable specified by a driver of the vehicle,
wherein detecting and reducing the offset angle occur only upon receipt of an external synchronization request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one input variable specified by the driver comprises one or more of a steering wheel speed and a wheel steer angle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the offset angle comprises reducing the offset angle in a manner that is synchronized with a steering operation of the driver.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an external synchronization request at a state decision module.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising outputting state information to an offset arbitration module.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising calculating a modified demanded motor angle based on the state information.

7. A method for operating an active steering system of a vehicle, comprising:
modifying a ratio between a wheel steer angle and a driver-specified steering wheel angle by superimposing a superimposition angle on the ratio when operating a motor of active steering system, a setpoint value for the superimposition angle being based on an external request for detection of an offset angle,
wherein, when there is no external request, the setpoint value is set to a demanded motor angle, and
wherein, when there is an external request, the setpoint value is set to a modified demanded motor angle.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the modified demanded motor angle is equal to the demanded motor angle minus the offset angle.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the offset angle is multiplied by a factor dependent on a steering wheel speed and/or a wheel steer angle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Shah Jitendra
• Nehls Oliver
• Wijffels Lodewijk
• Codonesu Sergio

Classifications

• B62D5/046 Primary

  Controlling the motor · CPC title

• B62D5/008 Primary

  Changing the transfer ratio between the steering wheel and the steering gear by variable supply of energy, e.g. by using a superposition gear · CPC title

• B62D6/007

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

• B62D6/002

  computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels (B62D7/159 takes precedence) · CPC title