KR20100020677A - Method and apparatus for steering force according to road surface state - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method and a device for supporting steering force depending on a road surface state are provided to control handling by receiving information related to a road or a vehicle. CONSTITUTION: A method for supporting steering force depending on a road surface state comprises an information collecting part(110), a wireless communication part(120), a decision control part(130), and a steering part(140). The information collecting part receives the vehicle location information calculated using a GPS module. The wireless communication part communicates with around vehicles or around base station. The decision control part calculates the road information in which the vehicle is located in a map program using the received vehicle location information. And the decision control part creates the road surface state information using the road information, and transfers a steering control signal. The steering part controls handling by controlling the steering angle or assist torque depending on the received steering control signal.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Steering Force According to Road Surface State}

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assisting steering force according to a road surface condition. In more detail, the vehicle receives location information of the own vehicle, calculates road information on which the own vehicle is located, receives information related to the road information through a vehicle-to-vehicle or a neighboring base station near the roadside, and analyzes road surface information analyzed by the corresponding information. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assisting steering force according to a road surface state, which can generate and adjust a degree of handling according to a road surface state.

In general, a hydraulic power steering device (Hydraulic Power Steering Apparatus) using the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic pump is used as the power assist steering device of the automobile, but since the 1990s, the electric power steering device (EPS: Electric Power Steering Apparatus (EPS)) Is becoming more and more common.

Existing hydraulic steering system consumes energy at all times regardless of whether the steering wheel is rotated by the hydraulic pump driven by the engine. Energy-driven motors provide steering assistance. Therefore, when using EPS, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle compared to the hydraulic steering device.

The conventional EPS receives a variety of signals from the sensor unit (torque sensor, vehicle speed sensor, steering angle sensor) to determine the driving state of the vehicle and then controls the driving of the motor by adjusting the amount of current flowing through the motor. However, in the case of using the conventional method, there is a disadvantage in that steering power cannot be assisted according to the state of the road surface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention receives the location information of the own vehicle, calculates the road information where the own vehicle is located, receives the information related to the road information through a vehicle-to-vehicle or a nearby base station of the roadside, and the corresponding information It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for assisting the steering force according to the road surface state to generate the road surface state information analyzed and to adjust the degree of handling according to the road surface state.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, an information collection unit for receiving and transmitting the own vehicle position information of the own vehicle calculated using the GPS module; A wireless communication unit for communicating with a neighboring vehicle or a neighboring base station; Calculating road information on which the own vehicle is located on a mounted map program using the received own vehicle location information, receiving road related information corresponding to the road information from the wireless communication unit or the information collecting unit, and A determination controller configured to generate road surface state information by analyzing road surface conditions using related information and to transmit a steering control signal according to the road surface state information; And a steering part controlling an assist torque amount or steering angle according to the received steering control signal to adjust a degree of handling.

In addition, according to another object of the present invention, (a) receiving the own vehicle position information of the own vehicle calculated using the GPS module; calculating road information on which the host vehicle is located on a mounted map program using the host vehicle position information; (c) receiving road related information corresponding to the road information from a wireless communication unit or an information collection unit; (d) generating road surface state information by analyzing road surface conditions using the road-related information; (e) generating a steering control signal according to the road surface condition information; And (f) controlling a degree of handling by controlling an assist torque amount or a steering angle according to the steering control signal.

As described above, according to the present invention, the position information of the own vehicle is received, the road information on which the own vehicle is located is calculated, the information related to the road information is received through a vehicle-to-vehicle or a neighboring base station near the road, and the corresponding information is received. Analyzes road surface information and adjusts the degree of handling according to road surface conditions.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First of all, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for assisting steering force according to a road surface state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus for assisting the steering force according to the road surface state according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an information collecting unit 110, a wireless communication unit 120, the determination control unit 130 and the steering unit 140.

In the present invention, the device assisting the steering force according to the road surface state is described as including only the information collecting unit 110, the wireless communication unit 120, the determination control unit 130 and the steering unit 140, which is the present invention As merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs to the component included in the device for assisting the steering force according to the road surface conditions without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention It will be applicable to various modifications and variations with respect to.

The information collecting unit 110 receives the own vehicle position information of the own vehicle calculated by using a GPS module (not shown) and transmits the received vehicle position information to the determination controller 130.

In addition, the information collecting unit 110, vehicle speed information, acceleration / deceleration information, lateral force information, ABS (Antilock Braking System) warning / control flag information, TCS (Traction Control System) warning / control flag information for the host vehicle from the sensor unit At least one of electronic control suspension (ESC) warning / control flag information, steering wheel angle information, user operating torque information, direction indicator information, road flatness information, emergency light switch input information, starting state information, and driver door opening / closing information. Performs a function of transmitting information to the determination controller 130.

Here, the sensor unit may be at least one module of an ESC control unit, a TCS control unit, an ESC control unit, a steering control unit, a suspension control unit, and an immobilizer. However, in the present invention, the sensor unit is described as a sensor unit for convenience of description. Define it and explain it.

The wireless communication unit 120 performs a function of communicating with a neighboring vehicle or a neighboring base station.

Here, the wireless communication unit 120 performs a direct communication (C2C) to a vehicle equipped with a module capable of performing wireless communication and a vehicle-to-vehicle, or indirectly through a neighboring base station near the road (C2I). The wireless communication standard may be a standard such as dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) or 802.11.p.

That is, the wireless communication unit 120 is a communication means capable of exchanging information (position, direction, speed, etc.) required for driving between vehicles through a vehicle equipped with a module capable of performing wireless communication or a neighboring base station on the roadside. .

The determination controller 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention calculates road information on which the own vehicle is located on the mounted map program using the own vehicle position information received from the information collecting unit 110, and the wireless communication unit 120 or Receives road-related information corresponding to road information from the information collection unit 110, generates road surface state information using the road-related information, and transmits a steering control signal according to the road surface state information. To perform.

Here, the road-related information is road surface information received from the road environment information or information collection unit 110 including at least one or more of temperature information, humidity information, weather information, wind speed information, and freezing state information of the road surface received from the neighboring base station It includes at least one of the degree information, ABS warning / control flag information, TCS warning / control flag information and ESC warning / control flag information.

The steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the assist torque amount or the steering angle according to the steering control signal received from the determination controller 130 to adjust the degree of handling.

Here, the steering unit 140 may control the electric power steering apparatus (EPS) to control the amount of assist torque, and may control the active front steering (AFS) to control the steering angle.

The EPS receives a torque signal, a vehicle speed signal, or a steering angle signal from a sensor provided in the host vehicle to determine driving conditions of the vehicle, and generates assist torque for adjusting the amount of current flowing through the motor. In addition, the AFS receives a torque signal, a vehicle speed signal, or a steering angle signal from a sensor provided in the host vehicle to determine the driving state of the vehicle and adjusts the steering angle and the gear ratio according to the driving state.

In addition, the steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when determining the road surface state according to the steering control signal to the unpaved road, according to the road surface flatness information to control the EPS to increase the amount of assist torque by the road surface Controls to reduce kick-back.

In addition, the steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that the road surface state is rain, snow or ice state according to the steering control signal, the temperature information, humidity information, weather information or road surface ice state information As a result, the EPS function reduces the amount of assist torque, thereby controlling the handling smoothly.

In addition, the steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the road surface state according to the steering control signal determines that the strong wind is a state, for preventing the vehicle from being pulled to one side according to the wind direction according to the wind speed information Performs the function of applying the offset steering angle reflecting the compensation value.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which the information collecting unit operates to assist the steering force according to the road surface state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The information collecting unit 110 receives the own vehicle location information calculated using the GPS module provided (S210).

The information collecting unit 110 checks the road information on which the own vehicle is currently located by matching the calculated own vehicle location information with the mounted map program (S220).

Here, the road information may be a link ID indicating a specific road in the map data.

The information collecting unit 110 may include vehicle speed information, acceleration / deceleration information, lateral force information, antilock braking system (ABS) warning / control flag information, transaction control system (TCS) warning / control flag information, and the like from the ESC, TCS and ABS controllers. ESC (Electronic Control Suspension) warning / control flag information is received (S230).

The information collecting unit 110 receives steering angle information of the steering wheel, user operating torque low and the direction indicator light information from the steering control unit (S240).

The information collecting unit 110 receives road surface flatness information from the suspension control unit (S250).

The information collecting unit 110 receives emergency light switch input information (S260).

The information collecting unit 110 receives starting state information and driver's door opening / closing information from the vehicle anti-theft prevention unit (S270).

In FIG. 2, the information collecting unit 110 sequentially executes steps S210 to S270. However, this is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and is commonly known in the art. Those having the same will be applicable to various modifications and variations to the information collecting unit 110 to execute the step S210 to step S270 in parallel without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

The information collecting unit 110 may include vehicle speed information, acceleration / deceleration information, lateral force information, antilock braking system (ABS) warning / control flag information, transaction control system (TCS) warning / control flag information, and ESC Electronic Control Suspension) Determines at least one of warning / control flag information, steering wheel angle information, user operating torque information, direction indicator information, road flatness information, emergency light switch input information, starting state information and driver door opening / closing information Transfer to the controller 130.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which the determination controller and the steering unit according to an embodiment of the present invention operate to assist the steering force according to the road surface state.

The determination controller 130 calculates road information on which the own vehicle is located on the mounted map program using the own vehicle position information received from the information collecting unit 110 (S310).

The determination controller 130 receives the road related information corresponding to the road information from the wireless communication unit 120 or the information collecting unit 110 (S320).

Here, the road-related information is road surface information received from the road environment information or information collection unit 110 including at least one or more of temperature information, humidity information, weather information, wind speed information, and freezing state information of the road surface received from the neighboring base station It includes at least one of the degree information, ABS warning / control flag information, TCS warning / control flag information and ESC warning / control flag information.

The determination controller 130 generates road surface state information by analyzing road surface conditions using road-related information (S330).

The determination controller 130 transmits a steering control signal according to the road surface state information to the steering unit 140 (S340).

The steering unit 140 controls the amount of handling by controlling the amount of assist torque or steering angle according to the received steering control signal (S350).

The steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the assist torque amount or the steering angle according to the steering control signal received from the determination controller 130 to adjust the degree of handling.

Here, the steering unit 140 may control the EPS to control the assist torque amount, and may control the AFS to control the steering angle.

The EPS receives a torque signal, a vehicle speed signal, or a steering angle signal from a sensor provided in the host vehicle to determine driving conditions of the vehicle, and generates assist torque for adjusting the amount of current flowing through the motor. In addition, the AFS receives a torque signal, a vehicle speed signal, or a steering angle signal from a sensor provided in the host vehicle to determine the driving state of the vehicle, and then adjusts the steering angle and the gear ratio.

That is, when the steering unit 140 determines the road surface state according to the steering control signal as an unpaved road, the steering unit 140 controls the EPS to increase the assist torque amount according to the road surface flatness information so that the kick-back by the road surface is performed. To shrink.

In addition, the steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that the road surface state is rain, snow or ice state according to the steering control signal, the temperature information, humidity information, weather information or road surface ice state information Accordingly, the EPS is controlled to reduce the assist torque so as to smooth the handling.

In addition, the steering unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the road surface state according to the steering control signal determines that the strong wind is a strong state, according to the wind direction according to the wind speed information to the AFS is directed to one side when the vehicle is going straight It is to apply the offset steering angle reflecting the compensation value to prevent.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for assisting steering force according to a road surface state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an information collection unit to assist a steering force according to a road surface state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which the determination controller and the steering unit according to an embodiment of the present invention operate to assist the steering force according to the road surface state.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

110: information collecting unit 120: wireless communication unit

130: determination controller 140: steering unit

Claims (7)

An information collection unit which receives and transmits the own vehicle position information of the own vehicle calculated using a GPS module; A wireless communication unit for communicating with a neighboring vehicle or a neighboring base station; Calculating road information on which the own vehicle is located on a mounted map program using the received own vehicle location information, receiving road related information corresponding to the road information from the wireless communication unit or the information collecting unit, and A determination controller configured to generate road surface state information by analyzing road surface conditions using related information and to transmit a steering control signal according to the road surface state information; And Steering unit for adjusting the amount of handling by controlling the amount of assist torque or steering angle in accordance with the received steering control signal Apparatus for assisting the steering force according to the road surface condition comprising a. The method of claim 1, The information collecting unit, Vehicle speed information, acceleration / deceleration information, side force information, ABS (Antilock Braking System) warning / control flag information, TCS (Traction Control System) warning / control flag information, ESC (Electronic Control Suspension) warning from the sensor unit At least one or more of control flag information, steering wheel steering angle information, user operating torque information, direction indicator information, road flatness information, emergency light switch input information, starting state information, and whether the driver's door is opened or closed to the determination controller. Device for assisting the steering force according to the road surface condition, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, The road related information, Road environment information including at least one or more of temperature information, humidity information, weather information, wind speed information, and frost state information received from the neighboring base station or the road surface flatness information received from the information collection unit, the ABS warning And / or at least one of control flag information, the TCS warning / control flag information, and the ESC warning / control flag information. The method of claim 3, wherein The steering unit, In the case of determining the road surface state according to the steering control signal as an unpaved road, the assist torque amount is increased according to the road surface flatness information so as to reduce the kick-back caused by the road surface. A device that assists steering in response to road conditions. The method of claim 3, wherein The steering unit, When it is determined that the road surface state is rain, snow or ice state according to the steering control signal, the handling torque is reduced by reducing the amount of assist torque according to the temperature information, the humidity information, the weather information, or the freezing state information of the road surface. Apparatus for assisting the steering force according to the road surface condition characterized in that the control to be smooth. The method of claim 3, wherein The steering unit, When the road surface state is determined to be a strong wind condition according to the steering control signal, an offset steering angle reflecting a compensation value for preventing the vehicle from being pulled to one side when going straight according to the wind direction according to the wind speed information is applied. A device that assists steering power according to the road surface condition. (a) receiving the own vehicle position information of the own vehicle calculated using the GPS module; calculating road information on which the host vehicle is located on a mounted map program using the host vehicle position information; (c) receiving road related information corresponding to the road information from a wireless communication unit or an information collection unit; (d) generating road surface state information by analyzing road surface conditions using the road-related information; (e) generating a steering control signal according to the road surface condition information; And (f) adjusting the degree of handling by controlling the amount of assist torque or steering angle according to the steering control signal; Method for assisting the steering force according to the road surface condition comprising a.

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