Method for controlling the front wheel steer angle

Abstract: The method of the present invention improves the damping property of the yaw motion of the vehicle by feeding back a detected yaw rate value (r) in a dynamic sense for compensating the front wheel steer angle (δf) so as to increase the damping coefficient(ζ) of the yaw motion of the vehicle. By controlling the front wheel steer angle by accounting for not only the proportional term of the steering wheel input angle (δsw) but also the derivative term which is proportional to the steering wheel input angular speed, in the feed-forward control of the front wheel steer angle in relation with the steering operation by the driver, and by appropriately varying the control parameters of the yaw rate feed-­ back and the steering wheel input feed-forward, the yaw response of the vehicle can be made proportional to the steering wheel input, and the response delay in the yaw rate against the steering wheel input can be reduced to substantially zero.

Description: The present invention relates to a method for controlling the front wheel steer angle which can improve the driving stability of a vehicle through improvement of the response properties of the vehicle with respect to the steering wheel input angle. As well known, the response property of the yaw rate r (i.e., the behaviour of the yaw rate r in relation to the steering wheel input angle or the turning angle of the steering wheel) of a conventional vehicle, whose front wheel steer angle δ f is controlled in proportion to the steering wheel input angle δ sw by the driver, can be expressed by the following transfer function: £{r/δ sw } = G₁(s) = G₁(0) × 1 + T r s 1 + (2ζ/ω n )s + (1/ω n ²)s² where G₁(0) = 1 n · V₀ ℓ(1 + KV₀₂) K = C r b - C f a C f C r ℓ² m T r = am C r ℓ V₀ 2ζ ω n = (C f a² + C r b²) m + (C f + C r ) I C f C r ℓ² × V₀ 1 + KV₀² 1 ω n ² = Im C f C r ℓ² × V₀² 1 + KV₀² The symbols used here are defined as follows: G₁(s) : transfer function of the yaw rate r with respect to the front wheel steer angle δ f n : steering gear ratio (δ sw = n δ f ) V₀ : vehicle speed ℓ: wheel base K : stability factor T r : advance time constant of the yaw rate ζ : damping coefficient ω n : natural frequency C f : front wheel cornering power (combination of right and left wheels) C r : rear wheel cornering power (combination of right and left wheels) a : distance between the front axle and the center of gravity b : distance between the rear axle and the center of gravity m : mass of the vehicle I : yaw rate moment of inertia of the vehicle £ : Laplace transformation Equation (1) disregards the contribution from the rolling motion and assumes that the motion of the vehicle consists of two degrees of freedom of motion or the yawing rotational motion and the lateral parallel motion. However, it is possible to make Equation (1) to be substantially exact in most cases even when the influence from the rolling motion cannot be neglected, by appropriately modifying the coefficients in the various terms of Equations (2) through (6). From Equations (5) and (6), one can see that the natural frequency ω n of the yawing motion of the vehicle becomes lower and the damping coefficient ζ becomes less as the vehicle speed increases. Therefore, at high speed, the response delay between the steering wheel input by the driver and the onset of the yawing motion of the vehicle becomes so great and the damping of the yawing motion of the vehicle becomes so small that the driver experiences a certain difficulty in steering the vehicle along a prescribed course, and this difficulty increases with the increasing vehicle speed. In view of such problems of conventional vehicles, a primary object of the present invention to improve the damping property of the yawing motion of the vehicle. A second object of the present invention is to eliminate the undesirable time delay between the steering wheel input and the yawing motion of the vehicle. A third object of the present invention is to improve the damping property of the yawing motion of the vehicle and/or to eliminate the undesirable time delay between the steering wheel input and the yawing motion of the vehicle simply through appropriate control of the front wheel steer angle with respect to the steering wheel input. EP-A-150856 discloses a method for controlling the front wheel steer angle in a front wheel steering system of a vehicle in dependence on a steering wheel input angle and a measured yaw rate of the vehicle. The invention is characterised in that the front wheel steer angle δf is controlled as a sum of a steering wheel input angle feed-forward term f₁(δ sw ) which is based on the steering wheel input angle δ sw , and a yaw rate feed-back term f₂(r) which is based on a detected value of the yaw rate r, or according to the following formula; δ f = f₁(δ sw ) + f₂(r) wherein: the transfer function of the yaw rate feed-back term f₂(r) with respect to the yaw rate value r is given by £{f₂(r)/r} = T d s 1 + T₁s (where s is the Laplace variable and £{ } denotes the Laplace transformation). Thus, by appropriately determining the values of T₁ and T d , (which are coefficients which can be determined at will and are adjusted so as to obtain a desired vehicle response) the damping and time delay properties of the yaw response of the vehicle can be controlled at will. In particular, if T₁ = T r , where T r is the advance time constant of the yaw rate, the damping property may be controlled without affecting the other properties of the yaw response of the vehicle. Further, by controlling the front wheel steer angle by accounting for not only the proportional term of the steering wheel input angle but also the derivative term which is proportional to the steering wheel input angular speed, in the feed-forward control of the front wheel steer angle in relation with the steering operation by the driver, the delay property of the yaw response of the vehicle can be improved. Since the dynamic yaw response of the vehicle to a given steering wheel input is dependent on the vehicle speed, by varying T₂ and T d according to the vehicle speed V₀, a particularly favorable response can be obtained. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the steering wheel input angle feed-forward term f₁(δ sw ) is given as a sum of a proportional term and a derivative term or as £{f₁(δ sw )/δ sw } = (1/n)(1 + T₂s) Particularly when T₂ = (1/ω n ²)(1/Tr) where T₂ is the differentiation time and T d = {T r + T₂ - (2ζ/ω n )} × {1/G₁(O)} the yaw response of the vehicle becomes proportional to the steering wheel input, and there is no delay therebetween. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figures 1 through 6 are block diagrams for showing the principle of the method for controlling the front wheel steer angle according to the present invention; Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of a structure for implementing the method according to the present invention; and Figure 8 is an illustrative view showing an embodiment of the addition mechanism incorporated in the steering gear box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [control mode I] Increase in the damping coefficient due to yaw rate feed-back The feed-back control of the yaw rate r is performed by using a wash-out filter as shown in Figure 1. As is known in the art, a wash-out filter produces an output only as a transient response and its transfer function may be expressed by G(s) = Ts/(I+Ts). A wash-out filter is essentially a high-pass filter having zero gain. Thus the transfer function of the wash-out filter in Fig 1 is T d s/(1 + T₁s) £(δ f ) = (1/n)£(δ sw ) + {T d s/(1+T₁s) r }£(r) £(r) = G₁(0) × 1 + T r s 1 + (2ζ/ω n )s + (1/ω n ²)s² × £(δ f ) By eliminating £(δ f ) from Equations (15) and (16), £(r) = G₁(0) × 1 + T r s 1 + (2ζ/ω n )s + (1/ω n ²)s² × [(1/n)£(δ sw ) + {T d s/(1+T₁s)}£(r)] Here, by setting T₁ = T r and rearranging the above equation, the yaw rate transfer function G₂(s) with respect to the steering wheel input angle δ sw is given by (combining equations 15 and 16) £{r/δ sw } = G₂(s) = (1/n)G₁(0)(1 + T r s)/[1 + {(2ζ/ω n ) + T d }s + (1/ω n ²)s²] On the other hand, since the yaw rate transfer function of a conventional front wheel steering vehicle without any yaw rate feed-back is, from Equation (1), given by G₂(0) = (1/n)G₁(0) the following relationship can be derived from equation 16 : £{r/δ sw } = G₂(s) = (1/n)G₁(0)(1+T r s)/[1 + (2ζ/ω n )s + (1/ω n ²)s²] The difference between Equations (17) and (17′) is found only in the s-term in the denominator, and it means that the yaw rate feed-back adds T d to the coefficient 2ζ/ω n . In other words, by performing the yaw rate feed-back given in Figure 1 and setting the parameter T₁ = T r , the coefficient of the s-term or the damping term in the denominator of Equation (17), which gives the characteristic equation for the yaw rate, increases by T d . The other terms of Equation (17) are identical to those of Equation (17′). In short, as shown in Figure 1, by performing a feed-back through a wash-out filter such as the one expressed by T d s/(1 + T r s), the damping of the yaw response of the vehicle can be controlled at will without changing the natural frequency ω n and the advance time constant T r of the yaw rate. [control method II] Feed-forward control which adds a derivative term based on the steering wheel angular velocity to the front wheel steer angle, in addition to the steering wheel input angle As shown in Figure 2, the front wheel steer angle δ f with respect to the steering wheel input angle δ sw is dynamically controlled (according to the turning angle of the steering wheel and the turning speed of the steering wheel) according to the transfer function (1 + T₂s), instead of controlling the same simply with a fixed gear ratio (1/n). The coefficient T₂ of the s-term is generally known as the differentiation time. From the previous discussion, Figures 2 and 3 are equivalent to each other. By combining the blocks arranged in series in Figure 3 into one, Figure 4 is obtained. In other words, the yaw rate r against the steering wheel input angle δ sw is given by £(r/δ sw ) = G₂(s) = (1/n)G₁(0) × {1 + (T₂ + T r )s + T₂T r s²}/[1 + {(2ζ/ω n ) + T d }s + (1/ω n ²)s²] Here, by selecting the time constants T₂ and T d such that T₂ + T r = (2ζ/ω n ) + T d and T₂T r = 1/ω n ² Equation (18) can be simplified into £(r/δ sw ) = G₂(s) = (1/n)G₁(0) = (1/n)V₀/ℓ(1 + KV₀²) and only the proportional term remains, with the result that the transfer function given in Figure 4 can be reduced into the one shown in Figure 5. The parameters T₂ and T d which satisfy Equations (19) and (20) can be readily found as follows: T₂ = 1/T r ω n ² T d = T r + T₂ - 2ζ/ω n = T r + (1/T r ω n ²) - (2ζ/ω n ) By rewriting Equations (22) and (23) using Equations (4) through (6), one obtains T₂ = 1 C f aℓ · V₀ (1 + KV₀²) T d = { I am - b + am C r ℓ V₀²} × KV₀ 1 + KV₀² In others words, T₂ and T d both become functions of the vehicle speed V₀ only. The other terms are constants which are all uniquely determined by the specifications of the vehicle. In the actual process of control, as shown in Figure 6, the vehicle speed V₀ is detected and the parameters T₂ and T d are computed according to Equations (24) and (25). Then, the front wheel steer angle δ f is controlled as a process of addition and subtraction with respect to the steering wheel input angle δ sw , according to the steering wheel input angle δ sw and the yaw rate r. According to this control method, the response of the yaw rate r becomes free from time delay with respect to the steering wheel input angle δ sw and the behavior of the vehicle becomes highly predictable with the result that the driving of the vehicle is much simplified for the driver. Figure 7 shows a specific structure for implementing the above described method. The information, such as the vehicle speed, the steering wheel input angle, the front wheel steer angle and so on, detected by a vehicle speed sensor 1, a steering wheel input angular speed sensor 2, a steer angle sensor 5, a yaw rate gyro 6 and so on, is supplied to a computer 7 which realizes the previously mentioned transfer function through a digital process, and performs the required steering operation by supplying to a motor 3 a certain drive signal as an addition or subtraction with respect to the steering wheel input angle. The steering angle wheel angular speed sensor 2 may conveniently consist of an angular speed sensor, such as a tacho-generator which can directly measure the angular speed, but may also consist of an angle sensor, such as a potentiometer or a rotary encoder, whose output is to be differentiated by the computer. Also shown in Figure 7 are the other conventional elements of a steering system, including steering wheel 22, steering column 24, wheels 26, 28 and steering arms 30, 32. The addition and subtraction process for the steering wheel input angle is performed by an addition mechanism 10, as shown in Figure 8, which is incorporated in the steering gear box 4. This addition mechanism comprises an input shaft 11 which is connected to the steering shaft, a plurality of planetary gears 13 pivotally supported by a carrier 14 which is in turn securely attached to the input shaft. The planetary gears 13 mesh with a sun gear 15 as well as with a fixed internal gear 12. A plurality of different planetary gears 16 are pivotally supported by a carrier 17 which is fixedly attached to an output shaft 20 for undergoing an angular motion proportional to the steer angle of the front wheels, and mesh with a rotatably supported internal gear 18, as well as with the common sun gear 15. The pinion gear 19 which is fixedly attached to the output shaft of the motor 3 meshes with an outer gear formed around the internal gear 18. In this mechanism, when the motor 3 is not turning, the rotation of the input shaft 11 is transmitted to the output shaft 20 at one-to-one ratio by way of the planetary gears 13, the sun gear 15 and the planetary gears 16. On the other hand, as the motor 3 turns, the internal gear 18 turns accordingly, and the resulting rotation of the planetary gears 16 adds to the rotation of the output shaft 20. In the above described embodiment, attention was directed to the output response of the yaw rate, but it is equally possible to direct the attention to the lateral acceleration of the vehicle as the output response. Thus, the time delay of the response of the yaw rate r with respect to the steering wheel input angle δ sw is eliminated, and the behavior of the vehicle becomes highly predictable so that a substantial advantage is obtained in reducing the burden on the driver.

Claims: A method for controlling the front wheel steer angle in a front wheel steering system of a vehicle in dependance on a steering wheel input angle (δ sw ) and a measured yaw rate (r) of the vehicle characterised in that the front wheel steer angle δ f is controlled as a sum of a steering wheel input angle reed-torward term f₁(δ sw ) which is based on the steering wheel input angle δ sw , and a yaw rate feed-back term f₂(r) which is based on a detected value of the yaw rate r, or according to the following formula; δ f = f₁(δ sw ) + f₂(r) wherein: the transfer function of the yaw rate feed-back term f₂(r) with respect to the yaw rate value r is given by £{f₂(r)/r} = T d s 1 + T₁s where s is the Laplace variable and £{} denotes Laplace transformation, and where T d and T₁ are coefficients affecting the damping and time delay properties of the yaw response. A method for controlling the front wheel steer angle as defined in claim 1, wherein when the transfer function of the yaw rate value r with respect to the front wheel steer angle δ f , or G₁(s), is given by G₁(s) = G₁(0) × 1 + T r s 1 + (2ζ/ω n )s + (1/ω n 2 )s² where G₁(0) is the yaw rate value when the vehicle is undergoing a steady turn, ω n is the natural yaw frequency, ζ the steering angle, T r the advance time constant of the yaw rate and where T₁ = T r . A method for controlling the front wheel steer angle as defined in claim 2, wherein T₁ and T d are both functions of the vehicle speed V₀, and become larger in value as the vehicle speed increases. A method for controlling the front wheel steer angle as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the steering wheel input angle feed-forward term f₁(δ sw ) is given as a sum of a proportional term and a derivative term or as £{f₁(δ sw )/δ sw } = (1/n)(1 + T₂s) where T₂ is a differentiation time. A method for controlling the front wheel steer angle as defined in claim 4, wherein the T₂ = (1/ω n ²)(1/Tr) and T d = {T r + T₂ - (2ζ/ω n )} × {1/G₁(0)}

Inventors: FURUKAWA YOSHIMI KABUSHIKI KAI, ISHIDA SHINNOSUKE KABUSHIKI KA, OHNO NOBUYUKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TAKEI AKIHIKO KABUSHIKI-KAISHA, FURUKAWA,YOSHIMI,KABUSHIKI KAISHA, ISHIDA,SHINNOSUKE,KABUSHIKI KAISHA, OHNO,NOBUYUKI,KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TAKEI,AKIHIKO,KABUSHIKI-KAISHA,HONDA
Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO LTD, HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G05D1
IPC codes: B62D6, B62D7, B62D5, B62D1