Steering Transfer Ratio Adjustment for Driver Posture
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Solution Overview
Problem
In automatic steering mode, the turning movement of the steering wheel can interfere with the driver, causing feelings of strangeness or anxiety due to unintended contact or deviation between the vehicle's turning and the steering wheel movement.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that adjust the transfer ratio between the turning angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering input device based on the driver's body posture, using a turning drive unit, body posture parameter detector, and controller to determine target values and adjust the transfer ratio, preventing interference and reducing driver anxiety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the steering wheel turns automatically in accordance with the turning angle of the steerable road wheel during automatic steering mode, then the vehicle can be steered without driver input, but the steering wheel may interfere with or contact the driver causing feelings of strangeness or anxiety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the transfer ratio adjustable rather than fixed. The transfer ratio is dynamically changed based on detected driver body posture parameters. When the driver is detected to be in a posture that may cause interference, the transfer ratio is reduced to minimize steering wheel movement. This resolves the contradiction by enabling automatic steering while adaptively reducing driver interference through real-time parameter adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the transfer ratio parameter according to driver body posture. The controller detects body posture parameters and accordingly adjusts the transfer ratio between steering wheel angle and road wheel angle. This allows the system to maintain automatic steering functionality while adapting the steering wheel's turning characteristics to prevent driver contact and reduce anxiety.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed transfer ratio is used between steering wheel turning angle and road wheel turning angle, then the steering mechanism is simple to control, but the driver experiences interference when body posture varies
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static fixed transfer ratio to a dynamic adjustable transfer ratio. The controller continuously monitors driver body posture parameters and adjusts the transfer ratio in real-time during automatic steering mode. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the steering wheel movement adapts to the driver's posture, preventing contact while maintaining simple automated control operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by detecting driver body posture parameters and using this information to adjust the transfer ratio. The system continuously monitors the driver's posture and provides feedback to the controller, which then modifies the steering wheel's turning characteristics accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by maintaining simple automated control while preventing driver interference through posture-based adaptation.
Data Source
AI summary
In a vehicle, an amount of change of a turning angle of a turning mechanism to an amount of change of a steering angle of a steering input device is defined as a transfer ratio, the turning mechanism is rotationally driven by a turning drive unit, and a driver's body posture parameter is detected by a body posture parameter detector. An apparatus for steering the vehicle includes a controller that executes an automatic steering mode that determines a target value for the turning angle of the turning mechanism based on a travelling condition of the vehicle and/or information about a road on which the vehicle is travelling, and controls the turning mechanism to adjust the turning angle of the turning mechanism to the target value. A transfer ratio adjuster adjusts the transfer ratio in accordance with the body posture parameter during execution of the automatic steering mode.