Steering Assist Control Using Multi-Sensor Grip Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive assist apparatuses face issues with false determination of steering-wheel holding state, leading to unnecessary cancellation of steering assist controls, which can be annoying for drivers and may result in incomprehensible warnings, especially when there are no hazards present, and the system struggles to provide a natural and smooth steering assist control.
Innovation Solution
The proposed drive assist apparatus incorporates a combination of sensors, including a steering-wheel touch sensor and a steering torque sensor, along with a surrounding situation recognition system using cameras and radar, to accurately determine the steering-wheel holding state and execute appropriate steering assist controls, such as lane departure prevention and emergency lane keeping, while minimizing false warnings and ensuring smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single sensor (steering torque sensor) is used to determine steering-wheel holding state, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision deteriorates leading to false determination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors (steering torque sensor and steering-wheel touch sensor) to determine the steering-wheel holding state. The control unit integrates signals from both sensors to make a more accurate determination, reducing false positives while maintaining manageable system complexity through unified processing logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes and integrates information from multiple sensors. It combines the steering torque signal and steering-wheel touch signal to determine the holding state, mediating between the raw sensor data and the final control decision to achieve higher measurement precision.
2Reliability
If steering assist control is canceled when no holding state is detected, then the system responds to potential driver abnormality, but false cancellation occurs causing driver annoyance and incomprehensible warnings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the output signals from the steering torque sensor and steering-wheel touch sensor to make a more reliable determination of driver abnormality. By requiring consistent indications from both sensors before canceling steering assist control, the system reduces false cancellations during normal operation while maintaining reliable detection of actual abnormalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the combination of multiple sensors to cushion against false determination before canceling steering assist control. By having redundant sensing mechanisms in place beforehand, the system prevents erroneous cancellation due to transient or false signals from a single sensor, thereby protecting normal operation from unnecessary interruption.
3Reliability
If steering assist control provides strong intervention to prevent lane departure, then the safety improvement is significant, but the control feels unnatural and abrupt to the driver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic steering assist control where the level of intervention is adjusted based on the situation. The control unit provides stronger assist torque when lane departure risk is high, and gradually reduces intervention as the vehicle approaches the target position, creating a more natural and progressive control experience while maintaining effective lane departure prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering assist control operates in periodic cycles: detecting lane departure risk, applying corrective torque, monitoring vehicle response, and adjusting or terminating assistance when the target position is approached. This periodic action pattern ensures safety through consistent monitoring while providing natural, non-abrupt control that adapts to the vehicle's response.
Data Source
AI summary
A drive assist apparatus includes a surrounding situation recognition device, a surrounding situation determination processor, a steering-wheel holding state recognizer, a steering-wheel holding state determination processor, and a traveling control device. The surrounding situation recognition device recognizes a surrounding situation of a first vehicle to be applied with the apparatus. The surrounding situation determination processor determines the surrounding situation based on a recognition result of the surrounding situation recognition device. The steering-wheel holding state recognizer recognizes a steering-wheel holding state. The steering-wheel holding state determination processor determines the steering-wheel holding state on the basis of a recognition result of the steering-wheel holding state recognizer. The traveling control device executes a traveling control for emergency in a case where the surrounding situation determination processor or the steering-wheel holding state determination processor determines that the first vehicle or a driver of the first vehicle is unable to maintain normal traveling.