Steering wheel adjustment device and method

Abstract

To provide an apparatus and method for adjusting a steering wheel which make the quality of zero adjustment uniform and improve work man-hours.SOLUTION: An apparatus for adjusting a steering wheel according to the present invention comprises: an image capturing unit configured to capture images of a current state of a steering wheel at multiple angles; an analysis unit configured to create leveling information on zero adjustment of the steering wheel by processing the image acquired by the image capturing unit; and a control unit configured to calculate an error from preset reference leveling information depending on the leveling information created by the analysis unit and perform the zero adjustment on a drive unit by controlling the drive unit of the steering wheel depending on the calculated error.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering wheel adjustment device and method for processing image information on the side and front of a steering wheel to measure column tilting and zero-point error, thereby controlling a drive motor to rotate the steering wheel, in order to solve the problems of a leveler used by an operator to directly adjust the rotation angle of a vehicle's steering wheel to a zero point, thereby equalizing the quality of zero-point adjustment and improving the working hours.

Background Art

[0002] Before a vehicle is shipped out, it is essential to adjust the wheel alignment of the vehicle. And before that, the rotation angle of the steering wheel, which is a steering device of the vehicle, must be adjusted to be close to the zero point. Otherwise, even when the vehicle is traveling straight, there is a possibility that a wheel off-center occurs where the steering wheel rotates at a certain angle. As a result, even if the wheel alignment is correctly performed, there is a possibility that a problem occurs where the vehicle deviates to one side by the amount of the wheel off-center of the vehicle even though the zero point of the steering wheel is adjusted for straight-ahead driving.

[0003] Therefore, in order to sense and adjust the rotation angle of the steering wheel, an operator has conventionally utilized a device called a leveler to adjust the wheel off-center of the vehicle. The leveler includes a main body equipped with a monitor and a gyro sensor for zero-point correction of the steering wheel, an attachment part that is pulled out from the inside of the main body and attaches the main body to the front windshield of the vehicle, and a fixing part that fixes the main body to the steering wheel. However, since the adjustment amount of the rotation angle can vary depending on the fixed position of the leveler, a non-uniformity problem in zero-point adjustment occurs due to this.

[0004] The matters described above as background technology are merely for the purpose of enhancing understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be taken as constituting prior art already known to those with ordinary skill in the art. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2012-0033831 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a steering wheel adjustment device and method that solves the problems of levelers, which are devices used by operators to directly adjust the rotation angle of a vehicle's steering wheel to the zero point. This is achieved by processing image information from the side and front of the steering wheel to measure column tilting and zero point errors, and thereby controlling the drive motor to rotate the steering wheel, thereby standardizing the quality of zero point adjustment and improving the number of work hours. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The steering wheel adjustment device according to the present invention includes: an imaging unit that captures images of the steering wheel's current state from multiple angles; an analysis unit that processes the images acquired by the imaging unit to generate leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel; and a control unit that calculates the error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, and controls the steering wheel's drive unit to adjust the zero point of the drive unit based on the calculated error.

[0008] The imaging unit further includes an obstacle detection sensor, which can detect obstacles on the path to enter or exit the interior of the vehicle equipped with the steering wheel in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel.

[0009] The control unit can control the vehicle's door glass to open if it detects the vehicle's door glass as an obstacle on the path.

[0010] The analysis unit can process a side view image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit to measure the tilt angle of the steering wheel and generate leveling information for zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured tilt angle.

[0011] The analysis unit can process a frontal image of the steering wheel's current state acquired by the imaging unit to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel, and generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle.

[0012] The analysis unit may further include a shape learning unit that extracts a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from an image of the front of the steering wheel and generates the reference leveling information.

[0013] The analysis unit can extract multiple feature points related to the shape of the steering wheel from the front image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit, and generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel.

[0014] The aforementioned imaging unit may further include a focus adjustment unit equipped with multiple reference points for zero-point adjustment of the focus of the captured image.

[0015] The steering wheel adjustment method according to the present invention includes the steps of: an imaging unit capturing images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state; an analysis unit processing the images acquired by the imaging unit to generate leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel; and a control unit calculating an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, controlling the steering wheel drive unit based on the calculated error, and adjusting the zero point of the drive unit.

[0016] Prior to the aforementioned step of taking photographs, the obstacle detection sensor further includes the step of detecting obstacles in the path of entering or exiting the interior of the vehicle equipped with the steering wheel in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel.

[0017] In the step of generating the leveling information, the tilt angle of the steering wheel can be measured by processing a side view image of the steering wheel in its current state, and the leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured tilt angle can be generated.

[0018] In the step of generating the leveling information, the frontal image of the steering wheel in its current state is processed to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel, and the leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle can be generated.

[0019] Prior to the step of generating the leveling information, the shape learning unit may further include the step of extracting a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from an image of the front of the steering wheel to generate the reference leveling information.

[0020] In the step of generating the leveling information, a plurality of feature points related to the shape of the wheel can be extracted from the front image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit, and the leveling information related to the zero point adjustment of the steering wheel can be generated.

[0021] Before the step of taking the image, the focus adjustment unit can further include a step of adjusting the focus of the captured image to the zero point based on a plurality of reference points provided.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the steering wheel adjustment device and its operation method of the present invention, in order to solve the problems of the leveler, which is a device used by an operator to directly adjust the rotation angle of the vehicle's steering wheel to the zero point, the image information of the side and front of the steering wheel is processed to measure the column tilting and zero point error, and thereby the drive motor is controlled to rotate the steering wheel, so that the quality of the zero point adjustment can be made uniform and the working hours can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a configuration diagram of a steering wheel adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing a conventional steering wheel adjustment device. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the control mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an obstacle sensing sensor of a steering wheel adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the tilting adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing the wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]This figure shows the wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows the wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] The specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are illustrative for illustrating embodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of the present invention can be carried out in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 shows a conventional steering wheel adjustment device, Figure 3 shows the control mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 shows the obstacle detection sensor of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 shows the tilting adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figures 6 to 8 show the wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: an imaging unit I that captures images of the current state of the steering wheel W from multiple angles; an analysis unit A that processes the images acquired by the imaging unit I and generates leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W contained in the steering wheel W; and a control unit C that calculates the error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit A and a preset reference leveling information, controls the drive unit D of the steering wheel W based on the calculated error, and adjusts the zero point of the drive unit D.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the imaging unit I captures images of the steering wheel W from multiple angles of its current state. Here, multiple angles include the front and side views of the steering wheel W. The imaging unit I may further include a device to adjust the imaging angle or the focus of the image, or a device to measure and adjust the degree of the shift, as the imaging angle or focus of the image may be physically shifted due to external factors such as physical impact.

[0028] Analysis unit A processes images acquired by imaging unit I to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W. Here, the leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment includes steering angle information such as the rotation angle used to determine whether the steering wheel is in a zero-point state, tilt information related to the inclination angle of the side surface of the steering wheel W for performing zero-point adjustment within a defined range, and telescopic information related to the degree to which the steering wheel W has been adjusted vertically or horizontally. Furthermore, the leveling information includes information on control quantities that control a tilt-telescopic device that controls the inclination angle of the shaft to which the MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) or steering wheel W is attached, which drives the drive motor to determine whether the steering wheel is in a zero-point state as described above, or to adjust it to a zero-point state based on the information necessary for zero-point adjustment, thereby assisting the driver's steering, or adjusting the position of the steering wheel W vertically, or pushing or pulling it horizontally (telescopic), thereby ensuring the driver's steering convenience and driving safety.

[0029] The control unit C calculates the error between the leveling information and the preset reference leveling information, controls the drive unit D of the steering wheel W based on the calculated error, and adjusts the zero point of the drive unit D. Here, the reference leveling information is the leveling angle of a steering wheel W that has been zero-point adjusted while the type of steering wheel W is specified, or has a difference of only the reference error in zero-point adjustment, and may be a database of that type of steering wheel W including information on tilting / telescoping / wheel off-center. Alternatively, here, the reference leveling information may be information on feature points that characterize the leveling angle of the steering wheel W, extracted by learning images of the steering wheel W taken from multiple angles while the type of steering wheel W is specified, based on a learning algorithm such as a deep learning technique or an image processing technique.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a steering wheel adjustment device of the conventional invention. As shown in Figure 2, the steering wheel leveler L, which is a steering wheel adjustment device of the conventional invention, is manual and includes a fixing part that the operator fixes to the steering wheel W and the front windshield of the vehicle, a fixing pusher having an adjustment part that the operator adjusts to adjust the zero point while finely rotating the steering wheel W, and a gyro sensor that reads the rotation angle. Alternatively, the steering wheel adjustment device of the conventional invention is automatic and can automatically adjust the zero point while finely rotating the steering wheel W by forcibly driving the MDPS drive motor via communication with the vehicle.

[0031] However, as shown in Figure 2, the conventional invention may result in uneven adjustment quality in the step where the operator fixes the steering wheel W to the glass G at the front of the vehicle. This is because if the operator fixes the fixing point and the fixing position at the front of the vehicle differently, the amount of adjustment may change during the steering wheel adjustment (leveling) work.

[0032] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 2, in the conventional invention, the direction of rotation (CW: Clockwise or CCW: Counter-Clockwise) may differ during the process of zeroing the wheel off-center of the steering wheel W by the operator. This can negatively affect wheel alignment due to the operation performed in the CW direction after the steering wheel leveling.

[0033] Finally, conventional inventions did not adjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel together. This is because, depending on the tilt angle of the steering wheel, the actual amount of adjustment can change as the wheel is tilted up / mid / down, even if the MDPS zeros the wheel with the same amount of drive, due to the gearbox pinion connected to different steering wheels and the assembly angle (not shown) of the universal joint that adjusts the gearbox pinion.

[0034] Therefore, the steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention utilizes image information of the steering wheel to eliminate inconsistencies caused by the operator's zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel and to readjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel to a constant angle. Specifically, the steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention processes images taken from multiple angles, including the front, back, left side, right side, top, and bottom of the steering wheel, and compares them with reference leveling information to automatically control the steering wheel drive unit D so that the difference from the reference leveling information is below a certain level. This improves the automatic adjustment of the steering wheel and the accuracy and reliability of the automatic adjustment.

[0035] Figure 3 shows the control mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, in the steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the imaging unit I is mounted on a collaborative robot and can enter or exit the steering wheel W of a vehicle. The control unit C may be provided on the collaborative robot. The control unit C can be connected to a wheel alignment equipment controller by communication or other means. Therefore, the control unit C can be connected to an in-vehicle terminal equipped with a communication unit T that can communicate with the wheel alignment equipment controller. The in-vehicle terminal can be connected to an MDPS controller that controls the vehicle's MDPS. Thus, the control unit C, provided on the collaborative robot, can adjust the wheel off-center by automatically comparing reference leveling information with leveling information measured by image processing, communicating with the MDPS controller, and controlling the MDPS.

[0036] Figure 4 shows an obstacle detection sensor for a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 4, the imaging unit I further includes an obstacle detection sensor S, which can detect obstacles on the path entering or leaving the interior of the vehicle equipped with the steering wheel in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel. The control unit C can then control the vehicle to open the vehicle's door glass if the vehicle's door glass is detected as an obstacle on the path.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the imaging unit I can be provided on a collaborative robot, and in particular can be mounted on the end of the collaborative robot's arm to enable imaging from multiple angles. The collaborative robot may further include an obstacle detection sensor S, as unexpected collisions may occur when entering the interior of a vehicle. The obstacle detection sensor S can be located near the imaging unit I. The obstacle detection sensor S is an ultrasonic sensor that can sense the position of an obstacle and the distance between the obstacle and the sensor, and output sensing information to a drive controller that controls the movement of the collaborative robot. Based on this, the drive controller can control the startup of the collaborative robot or the imaging unit I to stop before a collision with an obstacle. Subsequently, if the obstacle detection sensor S detects the vehicle's door glass as an obstacle on the movement path, the control unit C can control the vehicle's door glass to open. At this time, the detection of the door glass can be performed by processing the sensing data of the obstacle detection sensor S, or by processing image data and sensing data input from the obstacle detection sensor S and the imaging unit I. After the door glass is opened under the control of the control unit C, the imaging unit I, which is equipped on the collaborative robot, re-enters and takes a photograph of the vehicle's steering wheel W.

[0038] Figure 5 shows the tilt adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 5, the analysis unit A processes a side view image of the steering wheel W in its current state, acquired by the imaging unit I, measures the tilt angle of the steering wheel W, and generates leveling information for zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W corresponding to the measured tilt angle.

[0039] As shown in Figure 5, the tilt of the steering wheel W is measured as tilt MID / tilt UP / tilt DOWN, and such measurements are performed by the analysis unit A processing a side view of the steering wheel W against the current state acquired by the imaging unit I. If the analysis results show that the steering wheel is tilted beyond ±1 reference angle from neutral, the analysis unit A generates leveling information regarding the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W to adjust the tilt angle to set it back to neutral. Based on the error between this leveling information and reference leveling information based on the neutral state, the control unit C controls the drive unit D to set the tilt angle back to neutral.

[0040] On the other hand, unlike what is shown in Figure 5, in a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the analysis unit A processes a frontal image of the steering wheel W in its current state acquired by the imaging unit I to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel W, and can generate leveling information corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W. That is, after readjusting the tilt angle, the analysis unit A can measure the wheel off-center angle based on the processed image and generate corresponding leveling information. In this case, as described above, the image processing of the analysis unit A can read an image of a reference steering wheel that has been zero-point adjusted with the type of steering wheel W identified into a database, and measure the wheel off-center angle based on the difference with the image.

[0041] Figure 6 shows a wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 6, the analysis unit A may further include a shape learning unit that extracts a plurality of feature points (a), (b), and (c) relating to the shape of the wheel from a front image of the steering wheel and generates reference leveling information.

[0042] As shown in Figure 6, the shape learning unit learns the shape of the steering wheel from an image of the front of the steering wheel. Here, there are two possible methods for learning the shape: rule-based learning or deep learning-based learning of a database of images of the front of the steering wheel. In the former case, if the steering wheel is of the same type and shares most of its features, the type can be identified, and feature points of that type of steering wheel can be extracted from rules such as a pre-set database or feature extraction algorithm. In the latter case, if there are many types of steering wheels and the type of wheel cannot be identified, the front image of the steering wheel can be classified into types based on deep learning techniques, especially map learning, and then feature points of that type of steering wheel can be extracted for the classified wheels, or newly discovered feature points can be updated.

[0043] Figure 7 shows the wheel off-center adjustment mechanism of a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 7, the analysis unit A can extract multiple feature points related to the shape of the wheel from the front image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit I, and generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel contained in the steering wheel. As shown in Figure 7, the image processing of the analysis unit A involves learning from images of the steering wheel taken from multiple angles using learning algorithms such as deep learning and image processing techniques to extract multiple feature points that characterize the leveling angle of the steering wheel, and then comparing the angles between the multiple feature points to obtain information on multiple off-center angles of the wheel. Figure 7 shows a front view image of the reference steering wheel W1 and a front view image of the captured steering wheel W2. Here, the analysis unit A extracts straight lines or curves, etc., from the feature points (a), (b), and (c) of both steering wheel images. The analysis unit A then measures the angles between each feature point of both steering wheel images to generate reference leveling information and leveling information, enabling the control unit C to calculate the error.

[0044] Figure 8 shows a wheel off-center adjustment mechanism for a steering wheel adjustment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 8, the imaging unit I may further include a focus adjustment unit having a plurality of reference points J for zero-point adjustment of the focus of the captured image.

[0045] As shown in Figure 8, four reference points J divided into quarter planes are shown on the front image of the steering wheel W captured by the imaging unit I. In all embodiments of the present invention, the image captured by the imaging unit I is processed to automatically adjust the steering wheel W of the vehicle. Therefore, adjusting the image focus of the imaging unit I is extremely important. However, when mounted on a collaborative robot or the like, the camera of the imaging unit I may be displaced due to impact or other reasons, which can cause the focus to be subtly off. For this reason, the focus adjustment unit periodically considers the distance and angle between the multiple reference points J, the relationship with the characteristic points of the steering wheel W, and the relationship with the center of the steering wheel W to determine how finely the zero-point adjustment has spread, and corrects this to improve the accuracy of angle measurement using the captured image of the steering wheel W.

[0046] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 9, the steering wheel adjustment method according to the present invention includes the steps of: an imaging unit I capturing images of the steering wheel W from multiple angles of its current state (S100); an analysis unit A processing the images acquired by the imaging unit I to generate leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W (S200); and a control unit C calculating the error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit A and a preset reference leveling information (S300), controlling the drive unit D of the steering wheel W based on the calculated error (S400), and adjusting the zero point of the drive unit D (S500).

[0047] As shown in Figure 9, in a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, first, the imaging unit I captures images of the steering wheel W from multiple angles of its current state (S100). Here, multiple angles include the front and side views of the steering wheel W. Since the imaging angle or the focus of the image may be physically shifted due to external factors such as physical impact during the imaging step, the method may further include a step to adjust these.

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 9, in a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, the analysis unit A processes the image acquired by the imaging unit I to generate leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W (S200). Here, the drive unit D includes an MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) that drives a drive motor to assist the driver's steering, or a tilt telescopic device that adjusts the tilt angle of the shaft to which the steering wheel W is attached, adjusts the position of the steering wheel W up and down, or pushes or pulls it back and forth to ensure the driver's steering convenience and driving safety.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 9, in a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit C calculates the error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit A and the preset reference leveling information (S300). Here, the reference leveling information is the leveling angle of a steering wheel W that has been zero-point adjusted while the type of steering wheel W is specified, or has a difference of only the reference error in zero-point adjustment, and may be a database of that type of steering wheel W including information on tilting / telescoping / wheel off-center. Alternatively, the reference leveling information may be information on feature points that characterize the leveling angle of a steering wheel W, extracted by learning images of the steering wheel W taken from multiple angles while the type of steering wheel W is specified, based on a learning algorithm such as a deep learning technique or an image processing technique.

[0050] Finally, as shown in Figure 9, in a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit D of the steering wheel W is controlled based on the calculated error (S400), and the zero point of the drive unit D is adjusted (S500). Similarly, the drive unit D here includes an MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) or tilt-telephone device that drives a drive motor to assist the driver's steering.

[0051] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, further including, before the step of taking a photograph (S100), a step in which an obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle on the path entering or exiting into the interior of the vehicle equipped with the steering wheel W in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel W.

[0052] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the step of generating leveling information (S200), the side view image of the steering wheel W in its current state is processed to measure the tilt angle of the steering wheel W, and leveling information corresponding to the measured tilt angle and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W can be generated.

[0053] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the step of generating leveling information (S200), the acquired front image of the steering wheel W in its current state is processed to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel W, and leveling information corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W can be generated.

[0054] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, and before the step of generating leveling information (S200), the method may further include a step in which the shape learning unit extracts a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from a front image of the steering wheel W to generate reference leveling information.

[0055] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the step of generating leveling information (S200), multiple feature points related to the shape of the wheel are extracted from the front image of the steering wheel W acquired by the imaging unit I, and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W can be generated.

[0056] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, which may further include a step in which, prior to the shooting step (S100), the focus adjustment unit zero-points the focus of the captured image based on a plurality of reference points J.

[0057] The detailed technical features of each step in the steering wheel adjustment method according to the present invention are the same as or similar to the technical features of each component in the steering wheel adjustment device according to the present invention described above, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0058] On the other hand, the "~part" of this embodiment may consist of a combination of software and hardware, either individually or in combination. Furthermore, the "~part" of this embodiment may be contained within a computer-readable storage medium. Also, a portion of the "~part" of this embodiment may be distributed across multiple hardware components, software, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the "~part" of this embodiment can be configured in hardware to operate as one or more software modules, and vice versa.

[0059] Furthermore, the method of "controlling the drive unit D of the steering wheel W based on the error" in this embodiment is a two-degree-of-freedom control that places different controllers in the feedforward path and the feedback path, and includes PI-D control, PI-PD control, lag compensation control, lead-lag compensation control, series compensation or parallel compensation thereof, compliance control, etc.

[0060] Although the invention has been illustrated and described above in relation to specific embodiments, it will be obvious to those who are ordinary skill in the art that various improvements and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as provided by the following claims.

[0061] Therefore, it will be obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the vehicle art that a “~part” or “~step” of one embodiment of the present invention can be combined with a “~part” or “~step” of a different embodiment of the present invention to constitute a new embodiment. For example, it will be obvious in the art that in a steering wheel adjustment device of one embodiment of the present invention, the imaging unit I further includes an obstacle detection sensor, and the control unit C can be configured to control the vehicle's door glass to open when the vehicle's door glass is detected as an obstacle in the path.

[0062] As another example, it is obvious in the art that, in a steering wheel adjustment method according to one embodiment of the present invention, a side view image of the steering wheel W in its current state is processed to measure the tilt angle of the steering wheel W, leveling information corresponding to the measured tilt angle and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W are generated, and then a front view image of the steering wheel W in its current state is processed to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel W, and leveling information corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle and leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel W are generated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] A Analysis Department C control section D Drive Unit I. Photography Department W. Steering Wheel G The glass on the front of the vehicle L Steering Wheel Leveler T Communications Department S Obstacle detection sensor P Gearbox Pinion W1 standard steering wheel W2 Steering Wheel J reference point

Claims

1. A camera unit that captures images of the steering wheel's current state from multiple angles, An analysis unit processes the images acquired by the aforementioned imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes a unit that calculates an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, and controls the drive unit that drives the steering wheel based on the calculated error, thereby adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, The steering wheel adjustment device further includes an obstacle detection sensor, the obstacle detection sensor being characterized by detecting obstacles on a path entering or leaving the interior of a vehicle equipped with the steering wheel in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel.

2. The steering wheel adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the vehicle's door glass to open when the vehicle's door glass is detected as an obstacle on the path.

3. A shooting unit that captures images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state, An analysis unit processes the images acquired by the aforementioned imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes a unit that calculates an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, and controls the drive unit that drives the steering wheel based on the calculated error, thereby adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, A steering wheel adjustment device characterized in that the analysis unit processes a side view image of the steering wheel in its current state acquired by the imaging unit to measure the tilt angle of the steering wheel, and generates leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured tilt angle.

4. The steering wheel adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the analysis unit processes a frontal image of the steering wheel's current state acquired by the imaging unit to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel, and generates leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle.

5. A shooting unit that captures images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state, An analysis unit processes the images acquired by the aforementioned imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes a unit that calculates an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, and controls the drive unit that drives the steering wheel based on the calculated error, thereby adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, A steering wheel adjustment device, characterized in that the analysis unit further includes a shape learning unit that extracts a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from an image of the front of the steering wheel and generates the reference leveling information.

6. The steering wheel adjustment device according to claim 5, characterized in that the analysis unit extracts a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from the front image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit, and generates leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel.

7. A shooting unit that captures images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state, An analysis unit processes the images acquired by the aforementioned imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes a unit that calculates an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, and controls the drive unit that drives the steering wheel based on the calculated error, thereby adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, The steering wheel adjustment device is characterized in that the imaging unit further includes a focus adjustment unit which has a plurality of reference points for zero-point adjustment of the focus of the captured image.

8. The camera unit takes images of the steering wheel from multiple angles in its current state, The analysis unit processes the images acquired by the imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes the steps of calculating an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, controlling the steering wheel drive unit based on the calculated error, and adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, A steering wheel adjustment method characterized in that, prior to the step of taking the aforementioned photograph, an obstacle detection sensor further includes the step of detecting an obstacle on the path to enter or exit the interior of the vehicle equipped with the steering wheel in order to photograph the current state of the steering wheel.

9. The imaging unit takes the step of capturing images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state, The analysis unit processes the images acquired by the imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes the steps of calculating an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, controlling the steering wheel drive unit based on the calculated error, and adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, A steering wheel adjustment method characterized in that, in the step of generating the leveling information, it processes a side image of the steering wheel relative to its current state to measure the tilt angle of the steering wheel, and generates the leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured tilt angle.

10. The steering wheel adjustment method according to claim 8, characterized in that, in the step of generating the leveling information, a frontal image of the steering wheel's current state is processed to measure the wheel off-center angle of the steering wheel, and the leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel corresponding to the measured wheel off-center angle is generated.

11. The imaging unit takes images of the steering wheel from multiple angles of its current state, The analysis unit processes the images acquired by the imaging unit to generate leveling information related to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel, The control unit includes the steps of calculating an error between the leveling information generated by the analysis unit and a preset reference leveling information, controlling the steering wheel drive unit based on the calculated error, and adjusting the zero point of the drive unit, A steering wheel adjustment method characterized in that, prior to the step of generating the leveling information, the shape learning unit further includes the step of extracting a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel from an image of the front of the steering wheel to generate the reference leveling information.

12. The steering wheel adjustment method according to claim 10, characterized in that, in the step of generating the leveling information, a plurality of feature points relating to the shape of the wheel are extracted from the front image of the steering wheel acquired by the imaging unit, and leveling information relating to the zero-point adjustment of the steering wheel is generated.

13. The steering wheel adjustment method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of adjusting the focus of the captured image to zero based on a plurality of reference points, prior to the step of taking the image.

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