KR102344546B1 - Apparatus for controlling handle of vehicls - Google Patents

Abstract

A steering wheel control device for a vehicle is disclosed. An apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to the present invention includes: an autonomous driving system for outputting a target steering wheel angle in an autonomous driving mode; an electric steering device controlling the steering wheel to follow the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system; and a variable steering device for limiting or reducing the rotation angle of the steering wheel while following the target vehicle wheel angle of the electric steering device.

Description

Vehicle Steering Wheel Control Device {APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING HANDLE OF VEHICLS}

The present invention relates to a steering wheel control device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a steering wheel control device for a vehicle that reduces or restricts rotation of a steering wheel in an autonomous driving mode of a vehicle.

In general, a steering system for responding to autonomous driving in a vehicle performs position or torque control of a vehicle wheel using an electric steering device using an electric motor.

During autonomous driving, the electric steering apparatus performs vehicle wheel control to converge the target steering angle transmitted from the autonomous driving controller.

On the other hand, recently, in order to secure redundancy, a double wheel motor or a double winding motor that performs the same function is being constructed. In this case, the movement of the vehicle rotates to the handle connected to the mechanical restraint state.

However, in the conventional autonomous driving mode, the electric steering apparatus controls the position of the vehicle wheel even when the driver does not hold the steering wheel, and in this case, the mechanically connected steering wheel rotates.

Such rotation of the steering wheel may cause injury to the driver at the moment of holding the driver for avoiding or avoiding collision during high-speed rotation due to driving or parking.

In addition, when an unintentional driver's contact with the steering wheel occurs, the autonomous driving response function may be frequently canceled.

In addition, when two motors are used for the recent development of a steering system for autonomous driving, there is a problem in that cost-effectiveness is relatively lowered because there is only a redundancy effect for redundancy.

The background technology of the present invention is disclosed in 'A device and method for switching the driving control right of an autonomous vehicle' of Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2017-0087335 (2017.07.28).

The present invention was devised to improve the above problems, and an object according to an aspect of the present invention is to control the rotation amount of the steering wheel in the autonomous driving mode of the vehicle to protect the driver in situations where the steering wheel angle is large, such as low-speed corner driving, and hold the vehicle. The goal is to provide a steering wheel control device for a vehicle that shortens the transition time from autonomous driving to driver driving mode by making it possible.

An apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an autonomous driving system for outputting a target steering wheel angle in an autonomous driving mode; an electric steering device controlling the steering wheel to follow the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system; and a variable steering device for limiting or reducing a rotation angle of the steering wheel while following the target vehicle wheel angle of the electric steering device.

The variable steering apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the rotation angle of the steering wheel is changed by controlling the pinion angle through a preset variable gear ratio set value for each vehicle speed.

The variable steering apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the rotation angle of the steering wheel is changed by using a preset inverse variable steering ratio for each vehicle speed.

The inverse variable steering ratio of the present invention is characterized in that it is set through a preset steering wheel angle limit set value and a mechanical maximum steering wheel angle for each vehicle speed.

The inversely variable steering ratio of the present invention is characterized in that it is a value obtained by dividing the handle angle limit set value by the mechanical maximum handle angle.

The variable steering apparatus of the present invention calculates the target angle of the steering wheel by multiplying the target angle of the vehicle wheel set for each vehicle speed, the conversion ratio of the vehicle wheel angle to the pinion angle, and the inverse variable steering ratio, and adjusts the steering wheel of the vehicle according to the calculated target angle of the steering wheel. characterized by controlling.

When the electric steering device of the present invention is in a fail state, the column lock device may further include a column lock device for locking the column.

The column lock device of the present invention is characterized in that the column lock is released according to the detection result of the column torque sensor.

A steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention controls the amount of rotation of a steering wheel during autonomous driving of a vehicle to protect the driver in a situation where the steering wheel angle is large, such as low-speed corner driving, and makes it grippable to enable driver driving mode in autonomous driving conversion time can be shortened.

The steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention can secure redundancy by using a variable steering system, thereby reducing redundant parts of the electric steering system.

A steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention enables driver convenience specifications to be secured before fully autonomous driving is implemented or before a completely separate steering device using Steer By Wire is applied.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view conceptually illustrating an electric steering apparatus and a variable steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a method for preventing handle rotation of a pinion angle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a handle rotation prevention method of a handle angle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram of an electric steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram of a variable steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view illustrating a difference in handle angle when using the electric steering device alone and when using the variable steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an operation of a column lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of the lines or the size of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, the terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an electric steering apparatus and a variable steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is this view It is a diagram conceptually illustrating a method for preventing rotation of a handle in a pinion angle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a method of preventing rotation of a handle in a handle angle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention 5 is a block diagram of an electric steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a variable steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the present invention It is a view showing the difference in steering wheel angle when the electric steering device is used alone and when the variable steering device is used.

1 and 2 , an apparatus for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driver steering angle sensor (SAS) 10 , a vehicle speed sensor 20 , a pinion angle sensor 30 , and a pinion. Torque sensor 40 , column torque sensor 50 , autonomous driving system 60 , variable steering device 70 , electric steering device 80 , column lock device 90 , steering wheel 100 and vehicle wheel 110 . ) is included.

The driver's steering angle sensor 10 senses a steering angle by the driver's steering wheel steering.

The vehicle speed sensor 20 detects the speed of the vehicle. For reference, the vehicle speed sensor 20 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various sensors or systems capable of detecting the speed of the vehicle, such as a navigation system, may be employed.

A pinion angle sensor (PAS) 30 detects an angle of a pinion provided in the steering system.

Here, the steering system includes a steering shaft having one side connected to the handle 100 to rotate together with the handle 100 and the other side connected to the pinion through a pair of universal joints (not shown). In addition, the pinion is connected to the rack bar through a rack-and-pinion mechanism (not shown), and both ends of the rack bar are connected to the wheels of the vehicle through a tie rod and a knuckle arm.

The pinion torque sensor 40 detects the torque of the pinion provided in the steering system.

The column torque sensor 50 detects a torque of a column connected to the handle 100 .

The autonomous driving system 60 allows the vehicle to drive itself without the driver holding the steering wheel 100 . The driver mode in which the driver directly drives, and the autonomous driving mode in which the driver drives themselves without the driver , and a redundancy mode that performs the same function to secure redundancy.

In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving system 60 monitors the driving situation with various sensors of the vehicle, such as a precision map and a satellite navigation system, even if the driver does not operate the steering wheel 100, the accelerator pedal (not shown), and the brake (not shown). Find out and guide yourself to your destination.

In this autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving system 60 generates a target vehicle wheel angle required for the electric steering device 80 , for example, a Motor Driven Power Steering System (MDPS), and converts the target vehicle wheel angle to the electric steering device 80 . forward to

The electric steering device 80 rotates the steering wheel 100 according to the target vehicle wheel angle transmitted from the autonomous driving system 60 in the autonomous driving mode to follow the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system 60, or in the driver mode generates a steering force according to the driver's steering.

That is, when the autonomous driving system 60 is in the autonomous driving mode, the electric steering device 80 controls the angle of the steering wheel 100 according to the target vehicle wheel angle transmitted from the autonomous driving system 60, and the autonomous driving system ( 60) is the driver mode, the steering force is generated according to the driver's steering and vehicle speed.

For reference, although the MDPS has been described as an example of the electric steering device 80 in this embodiment, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and an Electronic Power Steering System (EPS) may also be included.

The variable steering system (Active Front Steering; AFS) 70 combines the steering gear ratio variable function and the steering boost function to operate the internal motor in the driver's steering direction when the vehicle is traveling at low speed, such as when parking, to operate the AFS gear ratio (Pinion angle/steering angle) is increased, while driving at high speed reduces the AFS gear ratio by rotating the motor in the opposite direction to the driver's steering direction.

In this variable steering device 70, the autonomous driving system 60 operates in the autonomous driving mode, and at this time, the vehicle speed and the target vehicle wheel angle are inputted while the electric steering device performs the autonomous driving function and follows the target vehicle wheel angle. It is reversible by a preset variable ratio to limit or reduce the handle rotation angle according to the motor driving. That is, the variable steering device 70 adjusts the rotation angle of the steering wheel 100 according to the vehicle speed while the electric steering device 80 rotates the vehicle wheel 110 according to the target steering wheel angle transmitted from the autonomous driving system 60 . limit or reduce

First, when the operation mode of the autonomous driving system 60 is the driver mode, the electric steering device 80 generates the driver's steering force. In this case, the variable steering device 70 is variable for driver convenience according to the vehicle speed and driving situation. create a steering ratio In general, at a low speed, the variable steering device 70 rotates the vehicle wheel 110 more than the driver's steering angle to secure convenience, and at high speed, the variable steering device 70 rotates the vehicle wheel 110 less than the driver's steering angle, conversely, to secure safety.

When the operation mode of the autonomous driving system 60 is the autonomous driving mode, while the electric steering device 80 controls the vehicle wheel 110 according to the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system 60, variable steering The device 70 drives the motor in the reverse direction to adjust the angle of the mechanically connected handle 100 .

In this case, the variable steering device 70 may limit the rotation of the handle 100 by using either a method of adjusting the pinion angle or a method of adjusting the handle angle according to the control input/output structure.

First, according to the method of adjusting the pinion angle shown in FIG. 3 , the variable steering device 70 controls the steering wheel angle in the same manner as in the driver mode, but sets the pinion angle as a steering target. In this case, a reaction force is generated in the handle 100 according to the pinion angle, and the handle angle is adjusted. That is, the variable steering device 70 sets the pinion angle that is changed according to the driving of the electric steering device 80, so that the handle angle is changed according to the variable gear ratio in which the rotation angle is set by the motor driven according to the pinion angle. .

Next, according to the method of adjusting the steering wheel angle, the variable steering device 70 may directly adjust the steering wheel angle, thereby securing the control robustness of the steering wheel angle.

That is, referring to FIG. 4 , the variable steering device 70 sets an inversely variable steering ratio, and limits the steering wheel angle using the inversely variable steering ratio.

In the autonomous driving mode, the inverse variable steering ratio is set through a preset steering wheel angle limit setting value and a mechanical maximum steering wheel angle for each vehicle speed.

For example, when the vehicle speed is 30 kph, when the handle angle limit set value set at the vehicle speed is ±150 degrees and the mechanical maximum steering angle is ±480 degrees, the reverse variable steering ratio at 30 kph is 0.3125 (150/480).

As the inverse variable steering ratio is set as described above, the variable steering device 70 limits the rotation of the steering wheel 100 according to the inverse variable steering ratio. , and the inverse variable steering ratio to calculate a target angle of the steering wheel 100 , and control the steering wheel 100 of the vehicle according to the calculated target angle of the steering wheel 100 .

That is, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , when a target vehicle wheel angle is input from the autonomous driving system 60 , the electric steering device 80 detects the target pinion angle according to the steering gear ratio and moves the pinion according to the target pinion angle. control In this case, the pinion angle sensor 30 detects the pinion angle, and the electric steering device 80 receives the pinion angle sensed by the pinion angle sensor 30 as feedback and controls the pinion angle to follow the target pinion angle.

On the other hand, when the pinion angle is detected by the pinion angle sensor 30 as described above, the variable steering device 70 sets the target vehicle wheel angle set for each vehicle speed as described above, the conversion ratio of the pinion angle to the vehicle wheel angle, and the inverse variable steering. The ratio is multiplied to calculate the target handle angle of the handle 100 .

As the target steering wheel angle is calculated, the variable steering device 70 drives an internal motor according to the target steering wheel angle to control the steering wheel angle.

Referring to FIG. 7 , when the steering wheel angle is controlled using only the electric steering device 80 and when the steering wheel angle is controlled using both the electric steering device 80 and the variable steering device 70 , It is a diagram showing the difference in rotation amount. Referring to FIG. 7 , it can be seen that when the steering wheel angle is controlled using both the electric steering device 80 and the variable steering device 70 , the rotation amount of the handle 100 is relatively small.

The column lock device 90 locks the column when the electric steering device 80 is in a fail state. That is, in the column lock device 90, when the electric steering device 80 is in a fail state, for example, when an operation error occurs in the electric steering device 80 or the motor of the electric steering device 80 becomes in a fail state, Lock the column as shown in FIG. 8 . In this case, the variable steering device 70 performs an emergency steering function before the driver steers the steering wheel 100 by performing a redundancy function.

As described above, when the column lock device 90 locks the upper end of the column in an emergency situation, the motor torque of the variable steering device 70 is transmitted to the vehicle wheel 110 to perform autonomous driving.

In this case, the column torque sensor 50 detects the column torque, and when the column torque sensor 50 detects the column torque as the driver steers the steering wheel 100 , the detection result of the column torque sensor 50 is Accordingly, the column lock device 90 releases the column lock.

Here, the column lock device 90 may be an electric steering column locking device (Electrical Steering Cloumn Lock; ESCL) that locks the column to block steering control for the handle 100 may be employed.

On the other hand, when the operation mode of the autonomous driving system 60 is the redundancy mode, after performing column locking instead of the electric steering device 80, the variable steering device 70 responds to autonomous driving while changing the column lock release condition. When the driver torque is sensed by the column torque sensor 50 , the driver torque is transmitted to the autonomous driving system 60 , and feedback from the autonomous driving system 60 is received to release the column lock.

Hereinafter, a method for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9 .

9 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 , first, when the autonomous driving system 60 operates in the autonomous driving mode in the autonomous driving mode ( S10 ), the target vehicle wheel angle of the electric steering device 80 is generated, and the generated target vehicle wheel angle is electrically operated. It is transmitted to the steering device (80).

In this case, the column lock device 90 checks whether the electric steering device 80 is in a fail state, for example, an operation error occurs in the electric steering device 80 or the motor of the electric steering device 80 is in a fail state. and (S10), when the electric steering device 80 is in a fail state, the column lock device locks the column (S20).

At this time, the column torque sensor 50 detects the column torque, and the column lock device 90 releases the column lock when the torque by the driver is detected by the column torque sensor 50 (S50) (S60).

On the other hand, if the electric steering device 80 is not in the fail state in step S20, the variable steering device 70 controls the pinion angle or the handle angle to control the rotation amount of the handle 100 (S30). That is, when the autonomous driving system 60 is in the autonomous driving mode, the variable steering device 70 limits or reduces the rotation angle of the steering wheel 100 to prevent an injury that may occur at the moment the driver grips the steering wheel in advance. .

That is, while the electric steering device 80 controls the vehicle wheel 110 according to the target steering wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system 60 , the variable steering device 70 drives the motor in the reverse direction to mechanically In order to adjust the angle of the handle 100 connected to the

First, according to the method of adjusting the pinion angle, the variable steering device 70 controls the steering wheel angle in the same manner as in the driver mode, but sets the pinion angle that is changed according to the driving of the electric steering device 80 . Accordingly, the handle angle is changed according to the variable gear ratio in which the rotation angle is set by the motor driven according to the pinion angle.

Also, according to the method of adjusting the steering wheel angle, the variable steering device 70 directly adjusts the steering wheel angle, sets a reverse variable steering ratio for each vehicle speed, and limits the steering wheel angle using the reverse variable steering ratio. Here, the inverse variable steering ratio is set using a steering wheel angle limit set value and a mechanical maximum steering wheel angle preset for each vehicle speed in the autonomous driving mode.

As the inverse variable steering ratio is set as described above, the variable steering device 70 multiplies the target vehicle wheel angle set for each vehicle speed, the vehicle wheel angle to pinion angle conversion ratio, and the inverse variable steering ratio to calculate the target angle of the steering wheel 100 . and control the steering wheel 100 of the vehicle according to the calculated target angle of the steering wheel 100 .

As described above, the device for controlling a steering wheel for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the rotation amount of the steering wheel during autonomous driving of the vehicle to protect the driver in a situation where the steering wheel angle is large, such as low-speed corner driving, and makes the vehicle in a grippable state for autonomous driving It is possible to shorten the transition time from to driver driving mode.

The steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention can secure redundancy by using a variable steering system, thereby reducing redundant parts of the electric steering system.

A steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention enables driver convenience specifications to be secured before fully autonomous driving is implemented or before a completely separate steering device using Steer By Wire is applied.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it is understood that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible by those of ordinary skill in the art. will understand Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

10: driver steering angle sensor
20: vehicle speed sensor
30: pinion angle sensor
40: pinion torque sensor
50: column torque sensor
60: autonomous driving system
70: variable steering device
80: electric steering system
90: column lock device
100: handle
110: vehicle wheel

Claims (8)

delete an autonomous driving system that outputs a target steering wheel angle in an autonomous driving mode;
an electric steering device controlling the steering wheel to follow the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system; and
and a variable steering device for limiting or reducing the rotation angle of the steering wheel in the process of following the target vehicle wheel angle of the electric steering device;
and the variable steering device changes the rotation angle of the steering wheel by controlling the pinion angle through a preset variable gear ratio setting value for each vehicle speed.
an autonomous driving system that outputs a target steering wheel angle in an autonomous driving mode;
an electric steering device controlling the steering wheel to follow the target vehicle wheel angle input from the autonomous driving system; and
and a variable steering device for limiting or reducing the rotation angle of the steering wheel in the process of following the target vehicle wheel angle of the electric steering device;
wherein the variable steering device changes the rotation angle of the steering wheel by using a preset inverse variable steering ratio for each vehicle speed.
The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inversely variable steering ratio is set through a steering wheel angle limit set value and a mechanical maximum steering wheel angle preset for each vehicle speed.
5. The steering wheel control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inversely variable steering ratio is a value obtained by dividing the set value of the steering wheel angle limit by the mechanical maximum steering wheel angle.
The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the variable steering device calculates the target angle of the steering wheel by multiplying the target angle of the vehicle wheel set for each vehicle speed, the conversion ratio of the vehicle wheel angle to the pinion angle, and the inverse variable steering ratio, and calculates the target angle of the vehicle according to the calculated target angle of the steering wheel. A steering wheel control device for a vehicle, characterized in that it controls the steering wheel of the vehicle.
4. The steering wheel control device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a column lock device for locking the column when the electric steering device is in a fail state.
The steering wheel control device for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the column lock device releases the column lock according to a detection result of the column torque sensor.

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