Claims
- 1. A steer-by-wire control system comprising:a master control unit; at least one roadwheel unit electrically connected to said master control unit; at least one steering wheel unit electrically connected to said master control unit; a vehicle speed sensor for producing a vehicle speed signal, said vehicle speed sensor electrically connected to said master control unit; wherein said at least one roadwheel unit includes a roadwheel position sensor and a least one tie rod sensor to produce and transmit a tie rod force signal; wherein said at least one steering wheel unit includes a steering wheel position sensor to produce and transmit a steering wheel position signal; wherein said master control unit calculates at least one roadwheel command signal in response to said tie rod force signal and said steering wheel position signal; wherein said master control unit including a torque unit to calculate and produce a reaction torque signal in response to said tie-rod force signal and said vehicle speed signal; and wherein said torque unit uses said tie rod force signal as an index to a plurality of torque look-up tables and blending the outputs thereof to generate a blended value.
- 2. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 1 wherein said look-up table outputs are blended in a ratio dependent upon said vehicle speed signal.
- 3. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 1 further comprising:a position control unit, said position control unit calculates and produces a variable steering ratio signal in response to said steering wheel position signal and said vehicle speed signal.
- 4. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 3 wherein said variable steering ratio signal is calculated using said steering wheel position signal and said vehicle speed signal as inputs to a steering ratio look-up table.
- 5. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 3 wherein said position control unit further comprises a roadwheel command unit that calculates a theta correction and generates a theta corrected roadwheel command signal from said variable steering ratio signal and said steering wheel position signal.
- 6. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 3 wherein said position control unit calculates and produces at least one roadwheel command signal in response to said steering wheel position signal and said steering ratio signal.
- 7. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 6 wherein said position control unit further includes an Ackerman correction unit for producing a left roadwheel signal and a right roadwheel signal in response to said roadwheel command signal.
- 8. The steer-by-wire control system of claim 7 wherein said roadwheel unit includes a linear correction unit for calculating and producing a linear position command signal in response to a roadwheel command signal.
- 9. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:generating at least one tie-rod force signal; generating a vehicle speed signal; generating a steering wheel position signal; combining said signals in a master control unit; generating a steering wheel reaction torque signal in response to said tie rod force signal and said vehicle speed signal; generating at least one roadwheel command signal in response to said steering wheel position signal and said vehicle speed signal; calculating a first torque signal from a look-up table; calculating a second torque signal from a second look-up table; and calculating said steering wheel reaction torque signal as a blended value of said first and second torque signals.
- 10. A method for controlling a vehicle as in claim 9 comprising:calculating and producing a variable steering ratio signal in response to said steering wheel position signal and said vehicle speed signal.
- 11. A method for controlling a vehicle as in claim 10 wherein:said calculating and producing at least one roadwheel command signal is in response to said steering wheel position signal and said steering ratio signal.
- 12. A method for controlling a vehicle as in claim 11 comprising:calculating an Ackerman correction factor; modifying said roadwheel command signal with said Ackerman correction factor to adjust the vehicle wheels to track about a common center.
- 13. A method of controlling a vehicle as in claim 12 comprising:calculating and producing a linear position command signal.
- 14. A method of controlling a vehicle as in claim 11 further comprising:calculating and producing a left and right roadwheel command associated with the vehicles left and right roadwheel respectively.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon, and claims the benefit of, U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/154,453, filed Sep. 17, 1999, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
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Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/154453 |
Sep 1999 |
US |