Patent ID: 7676310
Filing Date: 2010-03-09
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. A method for enabling a parking assist operational mode of a vehicle steering system, comprising: receiving a parking assist request signal at a computer indicating a parking assist operational mode is desired for automatically parking a vehicle; receiving a vehicle speed signal indicative of a vehicle speed at the computer; receiving a handwheel torque signal indicative of an amount of torque applied to a vehicle handwheel at the computer; and generating a parking assist enable signal to enable the parking assist operational mode for automatically parking the vehicle, utilizing the computer when the parking assist request signal is received, and the vehicle speed signal indicates a vehicle speed is less than a first threshold vehicle speed, and the handwheel torque signal indicates an amount of handwheel torque is less than a threshold handwheel torque; adjusting a rate of change of the parking assist enable signal based on the handwheel torque signal to obtain a rate-limited parking assist enable signal; and adjusting a smoothness of the rate-limited parking assist enable signal to obtain a transition-smoothed parking assist enable signal.