USE OF TRAFFIC LOCK AND TILT POSITION TO ASSIST IN REDUCING HAZARDS ON ROADS

Abstract

A method for controlling the position of a vehicle's steering wheel includes obtaining vehicle path data specifying a path of the vehicle, obtaining road condition data for lanes along the vehicle's path, determining, based on the road condition data, whether there are hazardous road conditions on the lanes along the vehicle's path, determining the condition of the vehicle's driver, determining, based on at least one of the determination of whether there are hazardous road conditions and the driver's condition, whether to provide a warning to the driver; and, in response to a determination to provide the warning to the driver, adjusting at least one of the steering wheel's stowed position and steering wheel's tilt position.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] This disclosure relates to cooperative vehicle operation. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), crossover, minivan, personal watercraft, aircraft, off-road vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other suitable means of transport, typically includes a steering system, such as an electronic power steering system (EPS system), a steer-by-wire system (SbW system), a hydraulic steering system, or another suitable steering system. The steering system of such a vehicle generally controls various aspects of vehicle steering, including providing steering assistance to the driver, controlling the vehicle's steerable wheels, and the like.

[0003] Increasingly, such vehicles incorporate or utilize advanced driver assistance systems that support (e.g., autonomously or semi-autonomously) one or more vehicle operations, such as steering and / or other vehicle functions. Under certain conditions, the driver and the advanced driver assistance system can perform these operations cooperatively. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This disclosure relates generally to driver guidance techniques for cooperative vehicle operation.

[0005] One aspect of the disclosed embodiments includes a method for controlling the position of a vehicle's steering wheel, which includes obtaining vehicle path data specifying a path of the vehicle, obtaining road condition data for lanes along the vehicle's path, determining, based on the road condition data, whether hazardous road conditions exist on the lanes along the vehicle's path, determining the state of the vehicle's driver, determining, based on at least one of the determination of whether hazardous road conditions exist and the driver's state, whether to provide a warning to the driver; and, in response to a determination to provide the warning to the driver, adjusting at least one of the steering wheel's stowed position and one of the steering wheel's tilt positions.

[0006] In other aspects, a system for controlling one or more steering functions of a vehicle is configured to perform the procedures described herein. In other aspects, a processing device is configured to execute instructions stored in memory to control one or more functions of a vehicle as described herein.

[0007] These and other aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description of the embodiments, the attached claims and the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The revelation is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various elements of the drawings are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various elements are arbitrarily enlarged or reduced for the sake of clarity. Fig. Figure 1A generally illustrates a vehicle in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 1B illustrates a controller in general terms in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 2 illustrates a general example of a system for reducing hazards on roads in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart that generally illustrates the steps of an example procedure for hazard reduction on roads in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The following explanation is directed at various embodiments of the disclosure. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the disclosed embodiments should not be interpreted or otherwise used as limiting the scope of protection of the disclosure that includes the claims. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art will understand that the following description has a broad scope and that the explanation of one embodiment is intended only as an example of that embodiment and does not mean that the scope of protection of the disclosure that includes the claims is limited to that embodiment.

[0010] As described, a vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), crossover, minivan, personal watercraft, aircraft, off-road vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other suitable means of transport, typically includes a steering system, such as electronic power steering (EPS), steer-by-wire (SbW), hydraulic steering, or another suitable steering system. The steering system of such a vehicle generally controls various aspects of vehicle steering, including providing steering assistance to the driver, controlling the vehicle's steerable wheels, and the like.

[0011] Some vehicles include or use an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that assists (e.g., autonomously or semi-autonomously) with one or more vehicle operations, such as steering and / or other vehicle actions. Under certain conditions, the driver and the ADAS can cooperate in performing such operations. For example, drivers may receive real-time alerts (e.g., blind spot warnings, lane departure warnings, obstacle warnings, etc.). However, drivers may not receive information about road conditions, obstacles in the roadway, etc., except through updates from the satellite or other navigation system, which primarily provide traffic-related information.

[0012] Furthermore, a significant proportion of drivers may disable various ADAS functions, including, but not limited to, adaptive cruise control, driver attention monitoring, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and traffic sign recognition. Some drivers may disable ADAS entirely or avoid using vehicles that implement ADAS.

[0013] Accordingly, road hazard mitigation systems and methods are configured according to the present disclosure to provide drivers with targeted warnings about road conditions. More specifically, the systems and methods of the present disclosure are configured to provide targeted warnings in a minimally intrusive manner while alerting drivers to difficult or hazardous driving conditions, such as snowy, icy, or otherwise slippery roads. In one example, warnings are provided by adjusting a steering wheel (hereinafter referred to synonymously as a "handwheel") or steering column, such as by adjusting the stowed and / or tilt position of the steering wheel, as described in more detail below. The term "hazardous driving conditions" as used herein can be generally used to describe weather or environmental conditions, obstacles (e.g.,Objects on the road, poor road surface conditions, or potholes, etc., may be used. In some examples, "hazardous driving conditions" may refer more specifically to slippery conditions caused by ice, snow, rain, etc. Furthermore, in various examples described herein, the systems and methods of this disclosure respond to the condition or status of the driver. The term "driver condition" or "status" used herein may refer to, but is not limited to, various characteristics related to the driver's attention, alertness, drowsiness, etc.

[0014] Fig. Figure 1A illustrates a vehicle 10 in general, in accordance with the principles of this disclosure. The vehicle 10 can be any vehicle, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), minivan, crossover, any other passenger vehicle, any suitable utility vehicle, or any other suitable vehicle. Although the vehicle 10 is illustrated as a passenger vehicle having wheels and for use on roads, the principles of this disclosure can also be applied to other vehicles, such as airplanes, boats, trains, drones, or other suitable vehicles.

[0015] The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 12 and a hood 14. A passenger compartment 18 is at least partially enclosed by the vehicle body 12. Another section of the vehicle body 12 encloses an engine compartment 20. The hood 14 can be movably attached to a section of the vehicle body 12 such that the hood 14 provides access to the engine compartment 20 when it is in a first or open position, and covers the engine compartment 20 when it is in a second or closed position. In some embodiments, the engine compartment 20 can be located in the rear section of the vehicle 10, as generally illustrated.

[0016] The passenger compartment 18 can be located behind the engine compartment 20, but in embodiments where the engine compartment 20 is located in the rear section of the vehicle 10, it can be located in front of the engine compartment 20. The vehicle 10 can include any suitable propulsion system, including an internal combustion engine, one or more electric motors (e.g., an electric vehicle), one or more fuel cells, a hybrid propulsion system (e.g., a hybrid vehicle) comprising a combination of an internal combustion engine, one or more electric motors, and / or any other suitable propulsion system.

[0017] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include a gasoline engine, such as a spark-ignition engine. In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include a diesel engine, such as a compression-ignition engine. The engine compartment 20 houses and / or encloses at least some components of the vehicle 10's propulsion system. Additionally or alternatively, propulsion controls such as an accelerator actuator (e.g., an accelerator pedal), a brake actuator (e.g., a brake pedal), a steering wheel or handwheel, and other such components are arranged in the passenger compartment 18 of the vehicle 10. The propulsion controls can be actuated or controlled by an operator of the vehicle 10 and can be directly connected to corresponding propulsion system components, such as a throttle valve, a brake, a vehicle axle, a vehicle transmission, and the like.In some embodiments, the drive controllers can transmit signals to a vehicle computer (e.g., drive-by-wire), which in turn can control the corresponding component of the drive system. In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 can be an autonomous vehicle.

[0018] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 includes a transmission connected to a crankshaft via a flywheel, clutch, or fluid coupling. In some embodiments, the transmission includes a manual transmission. In some embodiments, the transmission includes an automatic transmission. In the case of an internal combustion engine or a hybrid vehicle, the vehicle 10 may include one or more pistons that work in concert with the crankshaft to generate a force that is transmitted via the transmission to one or more axles that rotate the wheels 22. If the vehicle 10 includes one or more electric motors, a vehicle battery and / or a fuel cell provides energy to the electric motors to rotate the wheels 22.

[0019] Vehicle 10 may include automatic vehicle propulsion systems, such as cruise control, adaptive cruise control, automatic brake control, other automatic vehicle propulsion systems, or a combination thereof. Vehicle 10 may be an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, or any other suitable type of vehicle. Vehicle 10 may include additional or fewer features than those generally illustrated and / or disclosed herein.

[0020] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include an Ethernet component 24, a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus 26, a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) component 28, a FlexRay component 30 (e.g., a brake-by-wire system or the like), and a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) component 32. The vehicle 10 may use the CAN bus 26, the MOST 28, the FlexRay component 30, the LIN 32, other suitable networks or communication systems, or a combination thereof, to transmit various information from, for example, sensors inside or outside the vehicle to, for example, various processors or controllers inside or outside the vehicle. The vehicle 10 may include additional or fewer features than those generally illustrated and / or disclosed herein.

[0021] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include a steering system, such as an EPS system, a steering-by-wire steering system (which may, for example, include or communicate with one or more controllers that control the components of the steering system without the use of a mechanical connection between the handwheel and the wheels 22 of the vehicle 10), a hydraulic steering system (which may, for example, include a magnetic actuator that is incorporated into a valve assembly of the hydraulic steering system), or another suitable steering system.

[0022] The steering system may include an open-loop control system or mechanism, a closed-loop control system or mechanism, or a combination thereof. The steering system may be configured to receive various inputs, including but not limited to handwheel position, input torque, one or more road wheel positions, other suitable inputs or information, or a combination thereof.

[0023] Additionally or alternatively, the inputs may include a handwheel torque, a handwheel angle, an engine speed, a vehicle speed, an estimated engine torque command, another suitable input, or a combination thereof. The steering system may be configured to provide a steering function and / or control of the vehicle 10. For example, the steering system may generate an auxiliary torque based on the various inputs. The steering system may be configured to selectively control a motor of the steering system using the auxiliary torque to provide steering assistance to the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0024] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include a controller, such as the controller 100, as is generally the case in Fig. Figure 1B illustrates this. The controller 100 can be any controller, such as an electronic controller or any other suitable controller. The controller 100 can be configured to control, for example, the various functions of the steering system and / or various functions of the vehicle 10. The controller 100 can include a processor 102 and a memory 104. The processor 102 can include any suitable processor, such as those described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 100 can include any suitable number of processors in addition to or alongside the processor 102. The memory 104 can comprise a single disk or a plurality of disks (e.g., hard disks) and includes a mass storage management module that manages one or more partitions within the memory 104.In some embodiments, the memory 104 may include flash memory, solid-state memory, or the like. The memory 104 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. The memory 104 may include instructions which, when executed by the processor 102, cause the processor 102 to control at least various aspects of the vehicle 10. Additionally or alternatively, the memory 104 may include instructions which, when executed by the processor 102, cause the processor 102 to perform functions associated with the systems and procedures described herein.

[0025] The controller 100 can receive one or more signals from various measuring devices or sensors 106 that indicate detected or measured characteristics of the vehicle 10. The sensors 106 can include any suitable sensors, measuring devices, and / or other suitable mechanisms. For example, the sensors 106 can include one or more torque sensors or devices, one or more handwheel position sensors or devices, one or more engine position sensors or devices, one or more position sensors or devices, other suitable sensors or devices, or a combination thereof. The one or more signals can indicate handwheel torque, handwheel angle, engine speed, vehicle speed, other suitable information, or a combination thereof.

[0026] In some embodiments, the controller 100 may be configured to implement the hazard mitigation systems and procedures of this disclosure. However, the systems and procedures described herein, as implemented by the controller 100, are not to be understood as restrictive, and any type of software running on a controller or processor may perform the procedures described herein without infringing upon the scope of protection of this disclosure. For example, a controller such as a processor running software within a data processing device may perform the procedures described herein.

[0027] In one example, a controller is configured to adjust steering wheel stow and / or cant positions to provide warnings to the driver and / or provide steering / stow position / cant feedback from the driver, as described in more detail below. As used herein, "stow position" refers to a telescoping position of the steering wheel, such as a position along a longitudinal axis of a steering column (e.g., movement toward and / or away from the driver). In some contexts, the terms "stow" and "telescope" may be used interchangeably. Conversely, "cant position" (which may be equivalent to a "tilt angle") refers to an angular position of the steering wheel and / or steering column. For example, adjusting the cant is equivalent to adjusting a steering wheel angle relative to the chassis in a vertical direction, either up or down.

[0028] Fig. Figure 2 shows an example system (e.g., a road hazard mitigation system) 200 according to the present disclosure. The system 200 includes a controller 204 configured to implement functions of a road hazard mitigation system, including, but not limited to, controlling one or more steering wheel actuators 208 to guide a driver 212 (schematically shown in Figure 2). Fig. 2 shown) in response to the detection of various road conditions, obstacles, etc. The steering wheel actuators 208 include one or more actuators or actuator assemblies, motors, etc., configured to operate a steering wheel 216 as described herein, including, but not limited to, adjusting stow and tilt positions of the steering wheel 216.

[0029] In one example, the controller 204 is configured to adjust at least one of the stow / telescopic and cant positions of the steering wheel 216 in response to the detection of various conditions, including, but not limited to, road, vehicle, weather, and driver conditions, characteristics, etc. Although described herein in relation to stow and cant positions, in some examples the controller 204 may also be further configured to control other characteristics of the steering wheel 216 in accordance with the principles of this disclosure, such as vibration, forward and backward movement (i.e., tilt / angle in the horizontal or lateral direction), etc.

[0030] The controller 204 receives inputs such as detected, measured, estimated, or calculated values ​​from the steering wheel actuators 208, a vehicle 220, etc. Although components such as the controller 204, the steering wheel actuators 208, the steering wheel 216, etc., may be located inside the vehicle 220, the vehicle 220 is in Fig. 2 shown separately to indicate signals / inputs that correspond specifically to vehicle movement, steering path, direction of travel, etc. For example, for various ADAS (and non-ADAS) functions, inputs specifying the vehicle path and movement characteristics can be used to control vehicle steering, speed, braking, etc.

[0031] Conversely, the driver can receive 212 different signals and provide different outputs (in Fig. 2 shown with dashed lines), including feedback from the vehicle 220, inputs to and from the steering wheel 216 (e.g. steering wheel inputs such as torque and angle, reaction to a stow / tilt movement, etc.) and various other inputs (e.g. reference inputs such as vehicle track).

[0032] The steering wheel 216 responds to both driver inputs and inputs received by the steering wheel actuators 208 (e.g., inputs to control movement in the stowing / tilting direction, torque, such as a torque to return to the center position, etc.). The steering wheel 216 (and / or the steering wheel actuators 208) provides the vehicle with 220 different inputs corresponding to the control of the vehicle's steering (e.g., a steering wheel angle).

[0033] To implement systems and procedures according to the principles of this disclosure, the controller 204 further receives various inputs from the steering wheel actuators 208 and / or the steering wheel 216, the driver 212, the vehicle 220, etc., as well as one or more other inputs indicating road conditions, obstacles, etc. (“road condition data”). The one or more other inputs include, but are not limited to, inputs received from satellite or navigation systems, weather inputs (e.g., from one or more vehicle sensors configured to detect weather, atmospheric, and / or road conditions, from a weather telematics system or network, etc.), inputs from vehicle systems / controls configured to calculate or predict road conditions (e.g., based on other received or detected inputs).In one example, the controller 204 detects and / or determines whether the road surface in the vehicle's path (e.g., a current road surface or path, an upcoming road surface or path on a planned route, etc.) includes icy, snowy, or otherwise slippery conditions, and selectively controls a stowed position or tilt and / or other properties of the steering wheel 216 to provide a warning to the driver 212.

[0034] In some examples, the controller 204 also receives inputs indicating the driver's status 212, such as whether the driver's hands are on the steering wheel 216 (e.g., via one or more sensors associated with the steering wheel 216), an indication of drowsiness and / or inattention (e.g., via one or more sensors, cameras, etc., positioned to monitor the driver 212), etc. In various examples, the controller 204 further controls the steering wheel actuators 208 based on the inputs indicating the driver's status 212, such as by changing how the steering wheel actuators 208 are adjusted (e.g., changing a rate, size, or type of adjustment based on the driver's status 212), by selectively continuing or refraining from adjusting the steering wheel actuators 208 based on the driver's status 212, etc.

[0035] In addition to providing warnings to the driver 212 by controlling the steering wheel actuators 208, as described herein, the controller 204 may be configured to control other types of warnings, including, but not limited to, audio warnings, visual warnings, steering wheel vibrations, or other haptic warnings, etc. Furthermore, controlling the steering wheel actuators 208 may inherently include some degree of audio feedback due to noise generated by the actuators 208 and / or the associated motors.

[0036] Fig.Figure 3 is a flowchart that generally illustrates a Method 300 for reducing hazards on the road according to the principles of this disclosure. For example, one or more computing devices, processors, or processing devices, etc., are configured to execute instructions to implement Method 300, such as one or more of the processors of the systems described herein (e.g., a computing device or processor of a vehicle configured to implement System 200, Controller 204, etc.). One or more of the steps of Method 300 described below may be skipped or omitted in some examples, and / or one or more of the steps may be performed in a different order than described.

[0037] In accordance with 304, procedure 300 includes receiving one or more inputs specifying a vehicle path, route, etc. (“vehicle path data”), or one or more inputs specifying the condition or status of the driver (e.g., inputs indicating the driver’s attention, alertness, drowsiness, incapacitation, etc.), and / or one or more inputs specifying the driver’s response to stowage / diagonal movements. For example, the vehicle path may correspond to a lane the vehicle is currently traveling in, a lane within a planned route for the vehicle, etc.

[0038] In the case of 308, procedure 300 includes receiving or obtaining road condition data for carriageways along the vehicle's route or for carriageways otherwise associated with that vehicle path. The road condition data may include inputs received from satellite or navigation systems, weather data, inputs from vehicle systems / controls configured to calculate or predict road conditions, etc., as described herein.

[0039] In 312, procedure 300 includes determining, based on road condition data and vehicle path data, whether one or more hazardous road conditions exist on lanes along the vehicle path. In some examples, procedure 300 includes determining the driver condition or status, as described herein (e.g., determining whether the driver is inattentive, incapacitated, unresponsive, etc.). In one example, determining whether one or more hazardous road conditions exist may be equivalent to determining whether slippery road conditions exist. Determining whether slippery road conditions (or more specifically, icy road conditions) exist may include predicting the presence of slippery road conditions based on a combination of captured and received data, based on road condition data received from a weather telematics system, crowdsourced road condition data, etc.Determining the condition or status of the driver may include determining whether the driver is asleep / inattentive and needs to be woken / warned. Procedure 300 may include determining whether the driver is asleep or otherwise inattentive based on a lack of steering input, such as when the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel, or when input is received from a camera or other sensor, etc.

[0040] In 316, procedure 300 includes determining, based on the results of steps 304, 308, and 312 (e.g., road condition data, vehicle path data, determination of hazardous road conditions, driver condition or status, etc.), whether to provide the driver with one or more warnings regarding hazardous road conditions, driver condition or status, or combinations thereof. For example, procedure 300 may determine whether the one or more warnings should be provided in response to a determination that the driver's condition or status is incapacitated or otherwise unresponsive. For example, procedure 300 may provide one or more warnings in response to a prediction of hazardous road conditions (e.g., particularly icy road conditions) on the current roadway within one mile or one minute of the vehicle's current location.

[0041] In some examples, the procedure 300 can determine, based on the driver's status described herein, whether one or more warnings should be provided (e.g., based on a further determination that the driver's attention is below a threshold, the driver shows signs of drowsiness, the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel, etc.).

[0042] In some examples, such as in an example autonomous driving scenario (e.g., when the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel), Procedure 300 can determine whether to provide one or more warnings based on the status of the journey or trip (e.g., a journey to an identified destination). For example, Procedure 300 can provide one or more warnings in response to the determination that the driver is arriving at the destination (e.g., within a predetermined time or distance). In one example, Procedure 300 prompts the driver to take control of the steering wheel by initiating the stow / tilt movements described herein.

[0043] If the result of the determination in step 316 is "true / yes", procedure 300 continues with 320. If the result of the determination in step 316 is "false / no", procedure 300 continues with 304.

[0044] In procedure 300, 320 provides the driver with one or more warnings by adjusting at least one of the stowed and tilt positions of the steering wheel. In some examples, adjusting the stowed / tilted position may involve adjusting the steering wheel from a first stowed / tilted position to a second stowed / tilted position. In other examples, adjusting the stowed / tilted position may involve switching or changing between two or more positions (e.g., back and forth between the first and second positions, from a first position to a second position, and then from the second position to a third position, etc.). In still other examples, adjusting the stowed / tilted position may involve adjusting both the stowed position and the tilt, either sequentially (e.g.,(adjusting the stowage position and then the tilt, or vice versa) or simultaneously, alternating between adjusting the stowage position and adjusting the tilt, with the stowage position being adjusted from a first position to a second position while the tilt is alternately adjusted up and down (e.g. by 'wiggling' the steering wheel up and down) or vice versa, and so on.

[0045] In other examples, steering wheel adjustment may include further steering wheel adjustment based on the results of one or more of steps 304, 308, 312, and 316. For example, one type of adjustment (e.g., the stowed position) may be made in response to a determination that icy conditions are detected, while another type of adjustment (e.g., the tilt position) may be made in response to a determination that snow-covered conditions are detected. In other examples, the stowed / tilted position may be adjusted based on a determination of whether the driver's hands are on the steering wheel (e.g., by providing an adjustment with a lower frequency, magnitude, speed of movement, etc., in response to a determination that the driver's hands are on the steering wheel, and providing an adjustment with a higher frequency, magnitude, speed of movement, etc.).(as a reaction to a finding that the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel). Similar adjustments may be based on the predicted severity of hazardous road conditions, the driver's level of attention or drowsiness, etc.

[0046] In yet another example, the first and second positions can correspond to one or more predetermined positions, driver-preferred positions, etc. For instance, the first position can correspond to a position selected by the driver for reasons of comfort, driving preferences, etc. (either for automated or cooperative hands-free driving or for driving with hands), while the second position corresponds to a predetermined position for driving in hazardous conditions (which can be selected or adjusted by the driver), such as a predetermined position for driving in icy conditions, snowy conditions, etc.

[0047] In some examples, the adjustments to the stowage / tilt position may be related to specific actions of the driver or desired actions, such as an indication to slow down the vehicle or prepare to brake (e.g. by adjusting the stowage position towards the driver), to adjust body posture (e.g. by adjusting the tilt upwards), and so on.

[0048] The above explanations are intended to illustrate the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to a person skilled in the art after fully understanding the above disclosure. It is intended that the following claims are to be interpreted as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

[0049] The word "exemplary" is used here to serve as an example, a case, or an illustration. Any aspect or interpretation described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be understood as preferential or advantageous over other aspects or interpretations. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to illustrate concepts in a concrete way. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" and not an exclusive "or." That is to say, unless otherwise specified or clearly evident from the context, "X contains A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is to say, if X includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then "X includes A or B" is satisfied in any one of the foregoing cases.Furthermore, it is intended that the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the accompanying claims are generally to be interpreted as meaning “one or more”, unless otherwise specified or it is clear from the context that they refer to a singular form. Moreover, the use of the term “implementation” or “an implementation” does not imply that it refers to the same embodiment or implementation unless it is described as such.

[0050] Implementations of the systems, algorithms, procedures, instructions, etc., described herein may be realized in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. The hardware may include, for example, computers, intellectual property cores (IP cores), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, optical processors, programmable logic controllers, microcode, microcontrollers, servers, microprocessors, digital signal processors, or any other suitable circuitry. In the claims, the term "processor" is to be understood as encompassing any of the aforementioned hardware, either individually or in combination. The terms "signal" and "data" are used interchangeably.

[0051] As used herein, the term module can encompass a packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components, a set of instructions that can be executed by a controller (e.g., a processor running software or firmware), a processing circuit arrangement configured to perform a specific function, and a self-contained hardware or software component that provides an interface to a larger system. For example, a module might include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit, a digital logic circuit, an analog circuit, a combination of discrete circuits, gates, and other types of hardware, or a combination thereof.In other embodiments, a module can include a memory in which instructions are stored that can be executed by a controller to implement a feature of the module.

[0052] Furthermore, the systems described here can be implemented, for example, using a general-purpose computer or a general-purpose processor with a computer program that, when executed, performs one of the procedures, algorithms, and / or instructions described here. Additionally or alternatively, a dedicated computer / processor can be used, for example, which contains other hardware for performing any of the procedures, algorithms, or instructions described here.

[0053] Furthermore, all or part of the implementations of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product accessible, for example, from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium. A computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any device capable of, for example, containing, storing, communicating, or transporting the program for use by or in conjunction with any processor. The medium may, for example, be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor device. Other suitable media are also available.

[0054] The embodiments, implementations, and aspects described above have been provided for the purpose of facilitating a simple understanding of the present invention and do not limit it. Rather, the invention is intended to encompass various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of protection of the accompanying claims, the scope of protection being interpreted as broadly as possible to include all modifications and equivalent structurings that are legally permissible.

Claims

[1] Method for controlling the position of a steering wheel of a vehicle, the method comprising: Obtaining vehicle path data that specifies the vehicle's path; Obtaining road condition data for lanes along the vehicle path; Determine, based on road condition data, whether there are hazardous road conditions on the lanes along the vehicle's path; Determining the condition of a driver of the vehicle; Determine whether to issue a warning to the driver, based on at least one of (i) the determination of whether dangerous road conditions exist, and (ii) the driver's condition; and in response to a provision to provide the driver with a warning, adjusting at least one of a stowed steering wheel position and a tilted steering wheel position. [2] Method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a driver's response to adjusting at least one of the stow position and the tilt position. [3] Method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the stow position includes telescoping the steering wheel inwards away from the driver or outwards towards the driver. [4] Method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the tilt includes adjusting a tilt angle of the steering wheel upwards or downwards. [5] Method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether dangerous road conditions exist includes determining whether ice is present on the road surfaces, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting at least one of the stowed position and the tilt position in response to a determination that ice is present on the road surfaces. [6] Method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of at least one of the stow position and the tilt position includes the adjustment of the at least one of the stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position. [7] Method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position includes adjusting the at least one stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position and from the second position to a third position. [8] Method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position includes adjusting the at least one stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position and from the second position back to the first position. [9] Method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting the at least one of the stowed position of the steering wheel and the tilt of the steering wheel, further based on a determination of a distance or travel time of the hazardous road conditions from a current position of the vehicle. [10] System for controlling the position of a steering column of a vehicle, the system comprising: a controller that is configured to Obtaining vehicle path data that specifies the vehicle's path; obtaining road condition data for lanes along the vehicle path. Determine, based on road condition data, whether there are hazardous road conditions on the carriageways along the vehicle path. Determining the driver's condition, determining whether a warning should be issued to the driver, based on at least one of (i) the determination of whether hazardous road conditions exist, and (ii) the driver's condition, and in response to a determination to provide the driver with a warning, generating an output configured to adapt to at least one of a stowed steering wheel position and a steering wheel tilt; and at least one actuator configured to adjust at least one of the stowed position and the tilt position in response to the controller's output. [11] System according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a response of the driver to the adjustment of at least one of the stow position and the tilt position. [12] System according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the stow position includes telescoping the steering wheel inwards away from the driver or outwards towards the driver. [13] System according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the tilt includes adjusting a tilt angle of the steering wheel upwards or downwards. [14] System according to claim 10, wherein determining whether dangerous road conditions exist includes determining whether ice is present on the road surfaces, wherein the controller is further configured to generate the output in response to a determination that ice is present on the road surfaces. [15] System according to claim 10, wherein the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position includes the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position. [16] System according to claim 10, wherein the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position includes adjusting the at least one stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position and from the second position to a third position. [17] System according to claim 10, wherein the adjustment of the at least one stow position and the tilt position includes adjusting the at least one stow position and the tilt position from a first position to a second position and from the second position back to the first position. [18] System according to claim 10, further comprising adjusting the at least one of the stowed position of the steering wheel and the tilt position of the steering wheel, based on a determination of a distance or travel time of the hazardous road conditions from a current position of the vehicle. [19] Processing device configured to execute instructions stored in memory to control a steering wheel position of a vehicle, the instructions comprising: Obtaining vehicle path data that specifies the vehicle's path; Obtaining road condition data for lanes along the vehicle path; Determine, based on road condition data, whether there are hazardous road conditions on the lanes along the vehicle's path; Determining the condition of a driver of the vehicle; Determine whether to issue a warning to the driver, based on at least one of (i) the determination of whether dangerous road conditions exist, and (ii) the driver's condition; and in response to a provision to provide the driver with a warning, adjusting at least one of a stowed steering wheel position and a tilted steering wheel position. [20] Processing device according to claim 19, wherein the instructions further include determining a response of the driver to the adjustment of the at least one stow position and / or tilt position.

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