Steering arrangement and vehicle

Abstract

A steering arrangement (20) has a steering wheel (30) and a control device (50), which steering wheel (30) has a sensor system (60) and an operating element (71, 72, 73), which sensor system (60) has sensors (61) and is designed to carry out a hands-off detection and to generate a hands-off signal (S_HO), which control device (50) is designed to receive the hands-off signal (S_HO) and to carry out a maintenance process of the operating element (71, 72, 73) at predetermined first times, wherein the control device (50) is designed to determine the first time as a function of at least one predetermined condition, which at least one predetermined condition comprises a first condition which is dependent on the hands-off signal (S_HO).

Description

The invention relates to a steering assembly and a vehicle.U.S. Pat. No. 11 738 803 B2 shows a system for calibrating a control system.DE 11 2021 005 767 T5 shows a seating algorithm.DE 10 2019 213 880 B3 shows a system with capacitive steering wheel sensors for hands-off detection.WO 2023 / 153 267 A1 shows a steering wheel device which has a steering wheel and a control device, wherein the steering wheel has a handle sensor, a touchpad and a control panel, wherein the handle sensor has a plurality of electrodes, wherein the handle sensor is designed to detect a contact between a hand of the driver and the steering wheel and to generate a signal which is received by the control device.It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novel steering arrangement and a novel vehicle.This object is achieved by the subject matter of the main claim and the subject matter of the subordinate claim.A steering arrangement has a steering wheel and a control device, which steering wheel has a sensor system and an operating element, which sensor system has sensors and is designed to carry out hands-off detection and to generate a hands-off signal, which control device is designed to receive the hands-off signal and to carry out a maintenance operation of the operating element at predefined first times, wherein the control device is designed to determine the first time as a function of at least one predefined condition, which at least one predefined condition comprises a first condition, which is a function of the hands-off signal. Such maintenance operations of operating elements can be disturbed by the driver touching the operating elements, or operation can be made more difficult by the maintenance operation. It is therefore advantageous to evaluate the hands-off signal and to carry out the maintenance operations as a function of the hands-off signal.According to a preferred embodiment, the operating element comprises at least one first operating element from an operating element group consisting of:sensor operating element, andactuator control element.In these types of operating elements, the execution of maintenance processes is advantageous.According to a preferred embodiment, the operating element comprises a sensor operating element, which sensor operating element has a capacitive touch recognition, and the maintenance process comprises a baseline update.According to a preferred embodiment, the operating element comprises an actuator operating element, which actuator operating element comprises an electromagnetic actuator, and the maintenance process comprises a reduction in the residual induction in the electromagnetic actuator.According to a preferred embodiment, the steering wheel has a steering wheel rim, and the sensors are arranged at least partially at least in sections in the region of the steering wheel rim. This is advantageous for hands-off detection.According to a preferred embodiment, the steering wheel has a steering wheel spoke, and the operating element is arranged at least in sections in the region of the steering wheel spoke.According to a preferred embodiment, the steering arrangement comprises a driver assistance system, which driver assistance system is configured to receive the hands-off signal and to perform a driver assistance in dependence on the hands-off signal. The hands-off signal can hereby be used twice, and no additional sensors need to be installed.According to a preferred embodiment, the first condition comprises a first criterion that the hands-off signal carries a first information item that no contact of the steering wheel has been detected.According to a preferred embodiment, the first condition comprises a second criterion that the hands-off signal carries a second item of information that a contact of the steering wheel has been detected in at least one predefined first range.According to a preferred embodiment, the first condition comprises a third criterion that the hands-off signal carries third information that a contact of the steering wheel has been detected in at least one predefined second range but no contact has been detected in at least one predefined third range.According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one predefined condition comprises a second condition, which second condition is dependent on the time difference between the current point in time and the preceding first point in time. This can prevent the maintenance process from being triggered too frequently.According to a preferred embodiment, the control device is configured to enable the maintenance process to be interrupted before it is ended, wherein the interruption takes place as a function of the hands-off signal.A vehicle has such a steering arrangement. The functionality of the vehicle is thereby increased, and the users experience a high functionality.Further details and advantageous developments of the invention are evident from the exemplary embodiments described below and illustrated in the drawings and from the dependent claims. It shows: FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle having a steering arrangement, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the steering arrangement from FIG. 1.In the following, identical or identically acting parts are provided with the same reference symbols and are usually described only once. The description is based on one another across the figures in order to avoid unnecessary repetitions.FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10.The vehicle 10 has a steering assembly 20.The steering arrangement 20 has a steering wheel 30 with steering wheel spokes 31 and with a steering wheel rim 32.The steering arrangement 20 preferably has a driver assistance system 100.FIG. 2 shows the steering arrangement 20 of FIG. 1.The steering arrangement 20 has a control device 50, which is arranged in the steering wheel 30 in the exemplary embodiment. Alternatively, it may be disposed elsewhere on the vehicle 10.The steering wheel 30 has a sensor system 60 and three operating elements 71, 72, 73 or, expressed generally, at least one operating element 71, 72, 73.The operating elements 71, 72, 73 are preferably arranged at least partially, at least in sections, in the region of the steering wheel spoke 31.The sensor system 60 has sensors 61 and a hands-off detection device 62 for evaluating the sensor signals of the sensors 61. The sensor system 60 is designed to carry out a hands-off detection and to generate a hands-off signal S_HO.The sensors 61 are preferably arranged at least partially at least in sections in the region of the steering wheel rim 32. This facilitates a detection of whether or in which region the driver has a hand on the steering wheel rim 32.The control device 50 is configured to receive the hands-off signal S_HO and to perform a maintenance operation for at least a part of the operating elements 71, 72, 73 at predetermined first times.The operating elements 71, 72, 73 comprise at least one first operating element from an operating element group consisting of:sensor operating element 71, andactuator control element 72.The sensor operating element 71 has, for example, capacitive touch detection.In such sensor operators 71, the raw count value of a sensor may fluctuate with time due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity. Therefore, the raw count is low pass filtered to generate a new count value which is used as a baseline that compensates for the gradual changes in the raw value. The baseline is less sensitive to sudden changes in raw value caused by a touch. Therefore, the baseline value serves as a reference value for the calculation of the signals. Such a maintenance process for determining the baseline must be carried out at time intervals. In the determination, the driver may not have capacitive contact with the sensor operation element 71, as otherwise the determination of the baseline provides a false result and the maintenance objective is not reached.The maintenance process thus comprises, for example, a baseline update.The actuator operating element 72 has, for example, an electromagnetic actuator. An example of this is a rotary wheel in which latching positions are electromagnetically defined by coils. Here, in a magnetic material, residuality may occur which changes the rotation property of the rotary wheel. In such a case, the maintenance process may include a reduction in the residual induction in the electromagnetic actuator. This can be effected, for example, by applying an alternating voltage, wherein the amplitude of the alternating voltage is reduced over time. During such a maintenance operation, the rotation property of the rotary wheel is influenced, and therefore the maintenance operation should not be performed when the driver operates the rotary wheel or the actuator operation member 72. Such a rotary wheel can be, for example, a thumb roller with programmable latching or haptics.These are examples of operating elements 71, 72, which require maintenance at time intervals at a first point in time. There are also other types of operating elements 73 that require maintenance.The control device 50 is configured to determine the first point in time as a function of at least one predefined condition, which at least one predefined condition comprises a first condition, which is a function of the hands-off signal S_HO.For this purpose, the first condition can comprise the criterion that the hands-off signal S_HO carries a first item of information that no contact with the steering wheel 30 has been detected. In such a case, the driver is highly likely not to operate the operating elements 71, 72, 73, since the hand is usually placed on the steering wheel 30 for this purpose.Furthermore, the first condition can comprise the criterion that the hands-off signal S_HO carries a second item of information that a contact of the steering wheel 30 has been detected in at least one predefined first range. This first region can be at a large distance from the corresponding operating element 71, 72, 73, so that the risk of operating the operating element 71, 72, 73 is low. If, for example, the driver has both hands lying against the outside of the steering wheel rim 32, the risk of he operating an inner operating element 71, 72, 73 is low.The first condition may comprise the criterion that the hands-off signal S_HO carries third information, that a contact of the steering wheel 30 has been detected in at least one predefined second range, but no contact has been detected in at least one predefined third range. Such a criterion enables a more accurate determination of a hand position on the steering wheel, and the probability of an operation of an operating element 71, 72, 73 is low in the case of predefined hand positions. Such hand positions can be determined by tests in the case of a respective steering wheel geometry.The criteria for the first condition may either be individually sufficient to fulfil the first condition, or, in the case of certain criteria, cumulative consideration may also be defined as a prerequisite.The at least one predefined condition can comprise a second condition, which second condition is dependent on the time difference between the current time and the preceding first time. This is advantageous in order not to perform the maintenance operations unnecessarily frequently.The individual conditions may be defined as necessary or sufficient conditions depending on their meaning.In a first exemplary embodiment, a maintenance operation can be carried out whenever the steering wheel is not touched or is touched only in specific regions.In a second embodiment, a maintenance operation can be performed whenever the steering wheel is not touched or is touched only in certain areas, and whenever the last maintenance operation is longer than 5 s or longer than 20 s.The exact assessment of the conditions and criteria depends on the type of operating element 71, 72, 73, the type of steering wheel and the type of vehicle and can be established during the development of the vehicle 10.The control device 50 is preferably configured to enable the maintenance process to be interrupted before it is ended, wherein the interruption takes place as a function of the hands-off signal S_HO. For example, when the left hand or the right hand is applied to the steering wheel 30 or a hand position on the steering wheel 30 is changed during a maintenance operation, an operation of one of the operation members 71, 72, 73 may be imminent, and the maintenance operation may be canceled by the control device 50.The driver assistance system 100 of FIG. 1 is preferably configured to receive the hands-off signal S_HO and to perform a driver assistance as a function of the hands-off signal S_HO. Double use of the hands-off signal S_HO reduces the number of sensors necessary and increases vehicle safety.Of course, within the scope of the present invention, numerous modifications and variations are possible.

Claims

Steering arrangement (20), which has a steering wheel (30) and a control device (50), which steering wheel (30) has a sensor system (60) and an operating element (71, 72, 73), which sensor system (60) has sensors (61) and is designed to perform hands-off detection and to generate a hands-off signal (S_HO), which control device (50) is designed to receive the hands-off signal (S_HO) and to perform a maintenance operation of the operating element (71, 72, 73) at predefined first times, wherein the control device (50) is designed to determine the first time depending on at least one predefined condition, which at least one predefined condition comprises a first condition, which is dependent on the hands-off signal (S_HO).Steering arrangement (20) according to Claim 1, in which the operating element (71, 72, 73) comprises at least one first operating element from an operating element group consisting of: - sensor operating element (71), and - actuator operating element (72).Steering arrangement (20) according to Claim 2, in which the operating element (71, 72, 73) comprises a sensor operating element (71), which sensor operating element (71) has capacitive touch recognition, and in which the maintenance operation comprises a baseline update.Steering arrangement (20) according to Claim 2 or 3, in which the operating element (71, 72, 73) comprises an actuator operating element (72), which actuator operating element (72) comprises an electromagnetic actuator, and in which the maintenance process comprises a reduction in the residual induction in the electromagnetic actuator.Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the steering wheel (30) has a steering wheel rim (32), and in which the sensors (61) are arranged at least partially at least in sections in the region of the steering wheel rim (32).Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the steering wheel (30) has a steering wheel spoke (31), and in which the operating element (71, 72, 73) is arranged at least in sections in the region of the steering wheel spoke (31).Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises a driver assistance system (100), which driver assistance system (100) is configured to receive the hands-off signal (S_HO) and to perform a driver assistance in dependence on the hands-off signal (S_HO).Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first condition comprises a first criterion that the hands-off signal (S_HO) carries a first item of information that no contact with the steering wheel (30) has been detected.Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first condition comprises a second criterion that the hands-off signal (S_HO) carries a second item of information that a contact of the steering wheel (30) has been detected in at least one predefined first range.Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first condition comprises a third criterion that the hands-off signal (S_HO) carries third information that a contact of the steering wheel (30) has been detected in at least one predefined second range but no contact has been detected in at least one predefined third range.Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the at least one predefined condition comprises a second condition, which second condition is dependent on the time difference between the current point in time and the preceding first point in time.Steering arrangement (20) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control device (50) is configured to enable the maintenance process to be interrupted before it is ended, the interruption taking place as a function of the hands-off signal (S_HO).Vehicle (10) comprising a steering arrangement (20) according to any of the preceding claims.

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