Steering Engagement Detection via Force Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for detecting a driver's hands-on or hands-off status in vehicles are inaccurate on uneven roads due to additional forces from the drivetrain and chassis, requiring multiple sensors and complex setups.
Innovation Solution
A system using a single control device to compare force applications from a steering sensor and a chassis sensor to identify the driver's steering engagement, eliminating the need for a steering wheel sensor and relying on standard vehicle sensors for accurate 'hands-on' or 'hands-off' detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a steering sensor is used to detect driver steering engagement, then steering situation detection is enabled, but measurement precision deteriorates on uneven roads due to additional forces from drivetrain and chassis
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the force detection into two independent measurement locations: the steering sensor measures forces at the steering system, while the chassis sensor measures forces at the chassis/wheel. By separating these measurements, the system can distinguish between driver-induced steering forces and road-induced chassis forces, eliminating the interference problem that plagues single-sensor systems on uneven roads.
Solution Approach 2:
The chassis sensor acts as an intermediary that measures the road-induced forces transmitted through the drivetrain. This intermediary measurement allows the control device to compensate for or filter out the harmful effects of road irregularities, enabling accurate detection of driver steering engagement even when the vehicle encounters uneven surfaces.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to compensate for drivetrain forces, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis sensor serves multiple functions: it detects road surface conditions, measures drivetrain-induced forces, and provides reference data for compensating steering measurements. By making this single sensor multi-functional, the system achieves high measurement precision without requiring multiple specialized sensors, thus avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing vehicle sensors (steering sensor and chassis sensor) that are already part of the vehicle's standard equipment for other purposes. By repurposing these existing sensors for steering engagement detection, the system avoids adding complex dedicated sensor systems, maintaining simplicity while achieving accurate measurement even on uneven roads.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for detecting a steering engagement by a driver in a vehicle without a steering wheel sensor system, in which at least one steering sensor associated with a steering system of the vehicle, which sensor is associated either with the steering wheel or with a steering linkage of the vehicle, is used to capture a first application of force into the steering system of the vehicle, in which at least one chassis sensor associated with at least one chassis component of the vehicle is used to capture a second application of force onto the at least one chassis component.