Variable-gear-ratio steering, also known as active steering, is an advanced steering technology which enhances the driver’s comfort and vehicle operability. However, one big problem, namely the unnatural reaction torque created by the variable actuator, restricts the further practical-use of the variable-gear-ratio steering. This paper proposes a control method to cancel the unnatural torque using a simple concept called friction relocation. Effectiveness of the method is experimentally confirmed using a hardware-in-the-loop simulator.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
friction, gears, steering systems, variable-gear-ratio steering, active steering, electric power steering, reaction torque, steering feel
Topics:
Control equipment, Friction, Gears, Torque, Actuators

References

1.
Koehn
,
P.
, and
Eckrich
,
M.
, 2004, “
Active Steering – The BMW Approach Towards Modern Steering Technology
,
SAE Paper No. 2004-01-1105
.
2.
Klier
,
W.
,
Reimann
,
G.
,
Reinelt
,
W.
, 2004, “
Concept and Functionality of the Active Front Steering System
,”
SAE Paper No. 2004-21-0073
.
3.
Morita
,
Y.
,
Torii
,
K.
,
Tsuchida
,
N.
,
Iwasaki
,
M.
,
Ukai
,
H.
,
Matsui
,
N.
,
Hayashi
,
T.
,
Ido
,
N.
,
Ishikawa
,
H.
,2008, “
Improvement of Steering Feel of Electric Power Steering System With Variable Gear Transmission System Using Decoupling Control
,” AMC’08 2008.
4.
Morita
,
Y.
,
Yokoi
,
A.
,
Iwasaki
,
M.
,
Ukai
,
H.
,
Matsui
,
N.
,
Ito
,
N.
,
Uryu
,
N.
,
Mukai
,
Y.
, 2009, “
Improvement of Steering Feel of Electric Power Steering System With Variable Gear Transmission System Using Decoupling Control
,”
IEEJ Trans. Electron., Inf. Syst.
,
129
(
12
), pp.
2136
–
2143
.
5.
Noh
,
T.
,
Kim
,
J.
,
Choi
,
J.
, and
Cha
,
H.
, 2007, “
A Control Strategy to Compensate the Reaction Torque of Active Steering, Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference
,”
SAE Paper No. 2007-01-3659
.
6.
Reinelt
,
W.
,
Klier
,
W.
,
Schuster
,
W.
,
Großheim
,
R.
, 2004, “
Active front steering (part 2): safety and functionality
,”
SAE World Congress, 2004-01-1101
.
7.
Reinelt
,
W.
,
Klier
,
W.
,
Lundquist
,
C.
,
Reimann
,
G.
,
Schuster
,
W.
, Großheiml, 2005, “
Active Front Steering for Passenger Cars: System Modeling and Functions
,”
Proc. of the First IFAC Symposium on Advances in Automotive Control
,
Salerno
,
Italy
, Apr 2004.
8.
Yamauchi
,
Y.
,
Yamamoto
,
T.
, and
Suzuki
,
T.
, “
Steering Apparatus for Vehicle
,” U.S. Patent No. 6523638B1.
9.
Minaki
,
R.
,
Hoshino
,
H.
, and
Hori
,
Y.
, 2009, “
Ergonomic Verification of Reactive Torque Control Based on Driver’s Sensitivity Characteristics for Active Front Steering
,”
Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference
,
IEEE
, Sep. 7–11, Dearborn, pp.
160
–
164
.
10.
Mammer
,
S.
, and
Koenig
,
D.
, 2002, “
Vehicle Handling Improvement by Active Steering, Vehicle System Dynamics
,”
Veh. Syst. Dyn.
,
38
(
3
), pp.
211
–
242
.
Crossref
Search ADS
 
11.
Sienel
,
W.
, 2002, “
Robust Decoupling for Active Car Steering Holds for Arbitrary Dynamic Tire Characteristics
,”
IEE Proc. Contr. Theory Appl.
,
149
(
5
), p.
394
.
12.
Hill
,
D. J.
, 1977, “
Stability Results for Nonlinear Feedback Systems
,”
Automatica
,
13
, pp.
377
–
382
.
Crossref
Search ADS
 
13.
Im
,
J. S.
,
Okazaki
,
F.
,
Matsunaga
,
N.
, and
Kawaji
,
S.
, 2007, “
Control of Steering-By-Wire System Using Bilateral Control Scheme With Passivity Approach
,”
in International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems
.
Copyright © 2012
 by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.