Patent Application
20070118263
The present invention relates to automatic steering systems and, more specifically, to determine operational direction of a vehicle from vehicle yaw rate and steering wheel movement.
In order to work properly, an automatic steering system for a vehicle must recognize if the vehicle is operating in a forward mode or a reverse mode. To turn the vehicle a given direction, movement of the steering device during operation of the vehicle in a forward mode typically is the opposite of the movement of the device during operation of the vehicle in reverse. Many presently available integrated automatic steering or tracking systems can determine the vehicle gear selected and the direction of travel. However, some non-integrated steering systems lack a transducer or other attachment that can readily communicate the actual vehicle operational direction to the controller. An example of a non-integrated system is a retrofittable steering control with a drive mechanism that attaches to a steering column or contacts an existing steering wheel for automatic steering control such as described in my commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/019,482 entitled Automatic Steering Control, filed 21 Dec. 2004. Even in systems wherein the selected gear and direction is readily determinable, further verification of the direction is often desired.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved system and method for determining vehicle direction. It is a further object to provide such a system and method which overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems.
It is another object to provide an improved system and method for determining vehicle direction which can operate independently of gear select switches and which is particularly useful with retrofittable steering controls.
A system constructed in accordance with the present invention compares the rate of change of the yaw rate and the rate of change of the steering wheel or steering control position. If the steering wheel is turned to the right and the vehicle is in a forward gear, then the vehicle yaw rate will go to the right. If the steering wheel is turned to the right and the vehicle is in reverse gear, the vehicle yaw rate will go to the left. Upon vehicle start up, the direction is set to unknown. Once vehicle speed, steering wheel turn and vehicle yaw reach preselected thresholds, a determination of the vehicle direction can be made by comparing the sign of the steering wheel angle change and the sign of the yaw rate change. If the signs match, then the vehicle is in a forward gear. If the signs do not match, then the vehicle is in reverse.
As a further enhancement to this method, the GPS course can be monitored after the direction has been determined to provide a more rapid response to changing direction. A change in direction is indicated when the vehicle speed transitions to zero and GPS course change approaches 180 degrees. Even when the direction is known, the steering wheel angle and yaw rate changes can be monitored to verify that the direction is correct.
The system provides a direction indication without need for an input from the vehicle transmission or shift control. Therefore, a direction determination input for an automatic steering system, even a system which is retrofitted to an existing vehicle is easily attainable.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description which follows taken with the drawings.
Referring now to
As shown, the steering wheel 30 is part of conversion structure indicated generally at 32 for providing an automatic steering function on a vehicle normally equipped with manual steering only. Alternatively, the original steering wheel of the vehicle may be mounted on the conversion structure 32. The conversion structure is fully described in my aforementioned co-pending application U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/019,482 entitled Automatic Steering Control.
Pulley structure 34 is connected for rotation with the shaft 20 about the shaft axis at a location adjacent the connection of the steering wheel 30 with the shaft 20. A motor 40 is supported from the column 22. Pulley structure 44 drivingly connects the motor 40 to the pulley structure 34. As shown, the pulley structures 34 and 44 are pulleys connected by a chain, conventional drive belt or timing belt arrangement 46. However, other types of drives such as gear drives may also be used. For example, a motor may be mounted on the end of the steering shaft 20 to provide direct drive to the shaft 20 at a location offset from hand grip portion 31.
A processor 50 is located on the vehicle 10 and includes a control output 52 connected through a CAN harness 54 to an input 56 of the motor 40. A position feedback output 58 on the motor 40 is connected to an input of the processor 50. As shown, the motor 40 is an electric stepper motor, and the feedback device is an encoder located on the motor 40 and providing signal over a feedback line 58 indicative of the number of steps the motor 40 has moved. The motor 40 remains drivingly connected to the steering shaft 20 in both a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode so that the encoder is capable of providing a shaft position signal to the processor 50 in both modes.
The processor 50 is connected to position sensor structure indicated generally at 60 in
The system 60 is connected through CAN 54 to an input of the processor 50. A steering system unit (SSU) 70 is connected through a CAN harness 71 and a system connector 72 to the CAN harness 54 and to a system display 73. The SSU 70 receives control information from the processor 50 and position feedback information via line 58 from the encoder on the motor 50. An on-off and resume switch 78 is connected to the SSU 70.
The processor 50 determines the position of the vehicle and compares the position to a desired position and intended path of the vehicle. An error signal is generated, and the motor 40 is activated to move a preselected number of steps depending on the error signal. Detection devices, such as a ground speed detector and lateral velocity, provide signals utilized by the processor 50 to increase the accuracy of the automatic steering system.
If the number of steps reported by the motor encoder to the processor 50 outside a range expected by the processor, the system assumes the operator wants control and turns off power to the stepper motor 40. Also, if the encoder determines there is steering wheel movement when no change in position was requested by the processor, the power to the motor 40 is interrupted.
An adapter bracket 80 connects the motor 40 to the steering column 22 or other convenient location adjacent the upper end of the steering shaft 20. The bracket 80 includes a U-clamp 82 secured to the column 22 and having an arm support 84 pivotally connected to ends of a pair of arms 86. A second pair of arms 88 is pivotally connected to opposite ends of the arms 86 and supports a motor mount 90. The stepper motor 40 is bolted to the mount 90 and includes a drive shaft 94 which receives the pulley 44. The pulley structure 34 is supported for rotation on the mount 90 by insert and bearing structure 100 secured by bolts 104 and snap ring 106. A replaceable insert 110 is captured within the bearing structure 100 for rotation together with the upper end of the shaft 20 and the pulley 34. The insert 110 has an inner configuration 112 adapted to be received on the splined or keyed end of the steering shaft 20 for the particular vehicle being converted for automatic steering. A cover 118 is secured to the mount 90 and generally encloses the pulley structures 34 and 44. The structure 32 can be easily positioned by selectively locating the clamp 82 and pivoting the arms 86 and 88. Once the structure 32 is properly positioned with the insert 110 over the steering shaft 20, the linkage 80 can be anchored to a fixed surface to prevent rotation of the motor assembly.
The GPS system 60 provides speed, course, and timing information. The processor 50 uses the speed information to determine when the vehicle 10 has transitioned between moving and stopped states. The course information is used to continually monitor the direction once an initial direction determination has been made. Alternatively, another type of position sensor system indicated by the broken lines at 60′ in
The encoder on the motor 40 provides a steered angle signal via line 58 is used to measure vehicle steered angle. Although this signal is shown as generated from the encoder on the motor 40, other types of conventional signal generating devices indicated at 40′ can be used to measure the steering wheel angle, an actual steered wheel angle, or an articulation angle for a four-wheel drive vehicle 10 to provide the steered angle signal.
A yaw rate signal is provided to the processor 50 by the TCM 65. Alternatively, a yaw rate sensor or gyro such as shown by the broken lines at 65′ associated with the vehicle 10 may be connected to the processor 50. Yaw rate signals may be generated by monitoring the rate of change of the GPS course, or by measuring the vehicle attitude using two GPS receivers. The processor 50 performs the necessary comparisons and calculations as described below. As shown in
Upon initiation of the routine at 100 (
If the speed is greater than the threshold at 104, the processor then obtains the rate of change of the steering wheel angle or steering control and yaw rate over a period of time at 106 and 108. The system as shown, for example has an elapsed time threshold of approximately three seconds. The time is obtained from the GPS signal but timing information can also be obtained from an internal timer on the
At the step 108, the processor 50 compares the steering wheel angle or steering control change over the time interval of the step 106 to a threshold to determine if there has been enough control motion to cause a change in the yaw rate. By way of example, the current threshold, for steering wheel angle is 45°. If the control angle is greater than the prescribed threshold, the processor 50 compares path curvature change over the time interval to a threshold at 110 to determine if then steering radius has changed. Curvature is calculated using the yaw rate and the ground speed. The sign of the path curvature is compared to the sign of the control motion at step 112. If curvature and control motion signs are the same, then the direction is set to forward in the processor 50 at 114. If the curvature and wheel motion signs are not the same, then the direction is set to reverse at 116.
The process can be repeated to verify that the direction is correct. If a determination is made during operation that conflicts with the currently stored direction, then the series of questions will be repeated once more to verify that field conditions have not caused a momentary false reading.
Referring to
The routine is begun at 200, and once a direction has been established at 202, the processor 50 compares the speed of the vehicle 10 to a threshold at 204 to determine if the vehicle has come to a stop. The direction may change from forward to reverse, or from reverse to forward, when the vehicle 10 has come to a stop. Once it is determined at 204 that the vehicle has come to a stop, the vehicle course when the transition to zero speed occurred is stored in the processor 50 at 206. The vehicle speed is then monitored and compared to a threshold at step 208 to determine when the vehicle starts to move again. The threshold of the current system, for example, is 0.5 mph. If the speed is not greater than the threshold; the integral of the yaw rate is calculated at 210 and the stored course is changed by that amount. The integration is necessary because the vehicle may be rotating while traveling below the speed threshold. Such movement is possible, for example, on track tractors which can rotate without moving forward.
Once the speed becomes greater than the threshold, then the new course is subtracted from the stored course at 212. If the difference is greater than a preselected angle, which for example is 120°, then a reversal of direction is signaled at 214, and the direction is toggled at 216 in the processor. If the difference is less than this threshold, then the direction has not changed, and the system returns to the start and monitors for another transition to zero speed.
Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.
