Blended Haptic Feedback Control for Vehicle Steering

Solution Overview

Problem

Haptic systems, such as vehicle electric steering systems, often lack direct feedback to users, resulting in unrealistic or delayed responses due to the absence of mechanical links between the interface and the environment, leading to suboptimal user experience.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that combine modelled and estimated feedback data to generate blended feedback data, which is then used to control haptic feedback in a closed-loop system, allowing for more realistic and timely feedback by overlaying data from a feedback computational model and estimator, and using this blended data to drive feedback actuators.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If closed-loop control using vehicle status signals is applied to control feedback, then error minimization is achieved, but feedback becomes unrealistic and response time is extended

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror minimizationVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The feedback control is segmented into two independent pathways: a closed-loop pathway using vehicle status signals for error minimization, and an open-loop pathway using haptic system measurements for rapid response. These segmented pathways are then combined through blending to achieve both reliability and speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges closed-loop and open-loop control approaches by blending feedback data from both pathways. The controller combines the modelled feedback data (open-loop) and estimated feedback data (closed-loop) to produce a composite feedback signal that achieves both error minimization and fast response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If closed-loop control using vehicle status signals is applied, then error minimization is achieved, but feedback becomes unrealistic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror minimizationVSAvoidfeedback realism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The feedback control is segmented into two independent pathways: a closed-loop pathway using vehicle status signals for error minimization, and an open-loop pathway using haptic system measurements for rapid response. These segmented pathways are then combined through blending to achieve both reliability and speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges closed-loop and open-loop control approaches by blending feedback data from both pathways. The controller combines the modelled feedback data (open-loop) and estimated feedback data (closed-loop) to produce a composite feedback signal that achieves both error minimization and fast response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of time

If open-loop control is applied, then response time is reduced, but error minimization is not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse timeVSAvoiderror minimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The feedback control is segmented into two independent pathways: a closed-loop pathway using vehicle status signals for error minimization, and an open-loop pathway using haptic system measurements for rapid response. These segmented pathways are then combined through blending to achieve both reliability and speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges closed-loop and open-loop control approaches by blending feedback data from both pathways. The controller combines the modelled feedback data (open-loop) and estimated feedback data (closed-loop) to produce a composite feedback signal that achieves both error minimization and fast response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11679717B2Method and apparatus for operating a haptic system

Publication Date: 2023.06.20 VOLVO CAR CORP

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method for operating a haptic system, the haptic system comprising at least one actuator and at least one haptic control device adapted to control the at least one actuator and to provide haptic feedback to a user, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining, from a feedback computational model, modelled feedback data, obtaining, from a feedback estimator, estimated feedback data based on measurement data determined from measurement made on the haptic system, overlaying the modelled feedback data and the estimated feedback data to generate blended feedback data, and providing the blended feedback data to control the haptic feedback to the user.