Steering Wheel Angle Offset Correction for Uneven Roads

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicles operating on uneven road surfaces, such as angled or crowned roads, experience steering issues due to gravitational forces, causing them to veer off course even when the steering wheel is held straight, posing a hazard to operators.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control system continuously updates the steering wheel angle offset value based on various sensor inputs, using multiple calculation methods and filter conditions to adjust the steering system, ensuring safe and stable operation by compensating for road surface changes without sudden adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the steering wheel angle offset value is continuously updated to adapt to changing road conditions, then the vehicle's ability to maintain straight travel on uneven surfaces is improved, but the complexity of the steering control system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle straight travel maintenanceVSAvoidsteering control system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-calculates and stores multiple observed steering angle values using different calculation methods before they are needed for correction. By having these values ready in advance, the system can quickly determine the appropriate steering wheel angle offset without complex real-time computations, thus improving reliability while managing system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that receives multiple vehicle parameter values from sensors and transforms them into observed steering angle values through various calculation methods. This intermediary layer simplifies the overall system architecture by handling the complexity of multiple sensors and calculation methods in a structured manner, making the steering control system more manageable while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If multiple calculation methods are used to calculate observed steering angle values, then the accuracy of steering angle determination is improved, but the computational complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesteering angle determination accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system calculates multiple observed steering angle values using different calculation methods, but does not necessarily use all of them equally. Instead, it selects or weights certain calculations based on current vehicle conditions and sensor data quality. This partial use of multiple calculation methods maintains high accuracy while reducing unnecessary computational overhead and processing time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically changes the parameters and weights of different calculation methods based on vehicle operating conditions. When certain sensors provide high-quality data, their corresponding calculation methods are given higher weight. This adaptive parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain high measurement precision while minimizing processing time by focusing computational resources on the most relevant calculations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If the steering wheel angle offset value is continuously adjusted to compensate for road surface angles, then vehicle direction control is improved, but the risk of sudden adjustments affecting vehicle stability increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle direction controlVSAvoidvehicle stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies beforehand cushioning by filtering and smoothing the steering wheel angle offset corrections before they are applied to the steering system. It uses threshold comparisons and rate-of-change calculations to ensure that corrections are applied gradually and only when necessary, preventing sudden adjustments that could destabilize the vehicle while still maintaining good direction control on uneven surfaces

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP2627525B1Continuous correction for steering wheel angle offset
Publication Date: 2015.08.26 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP2627525B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2627525B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2627525B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system and method of continuously updating a steering wheel angle offset value to adapt to changing road conditions. A vehicle control system receives a plurality of vehicle parameter values each from a different vehicle sensor. The system then calculates a plurality of observed steering angle values, each using a different calculation method based on one or more of the plurality of vehicle parameter values. The plurality of observed steering angle values are then used to calculate a vehicle steering angle. A steering wheel angle offset value is then calculated based on the steering wheel angle and the calculated vehicle steering angle. The steering wheel angle offset value and the steering wheel angle are used to control the vehicle's steering system.