Disclosed is a steering wheel sensor unit, wherein the steering wheel is mounted on a shaft, which is journaled in a housing. The unit includes a ring magnet attached to the shaft within a shaft housing for rotation with the shaft, and sensing elements being arranged radially outside the shaft housing in an encapsulated compartment sensing rotation of the magnet and the shaft through the shaft housing.

The disclosure relates to a method for cooperative steering angle control for an electromechanically assisted steering system of a motor vehicle. The steering system has electromechanical steering assistance with an electric motor and at least one controller. The controller has two degrees of freedom, a first of the two degrees of freedom being associated with a torque exerted on a steering wheel, and a second of the two degrees of freedom being associated with a steering angle. The method comprises the following steps: determining a driver torque; ascertaining a reference steering wheel torque by a dynamic feedforward; receiving a reference steering angle; feeding the reference steering angle into a control loop; feeding the determined reference steering wheel torque into the control loop by the dynamic feedforward; and ascertaining a steering wheel torque and a steering angle by the control circuit (34). A control device for an electromechanically assisted steering system of a motor vehicle is also disclosed.

Method for detecting the presence of a driver's hands on the steering wheel is described. By a mathematical model, at least one part of a steering system of the motor vehicle is modeled. In addition, a rotational angle of a lower end and/or an upper end of a torsion bar of the steering system is determined. A torque acting on the torsion bar is determined by a measuring device. A sum of a torque with which the driver acts on the steering wheel and a counter-torque generated by friction in the upper part of the steering system is estimated by a Kalman Filter. In addition, the counter-torque is estimated, and the estimated sum of the torque and the counter-torque are used to determine whether the driver's hands are on the steering wheel.

An electric power steering apparatus includes a steering mechanism, an electric motor, a torque signal generator, a column angular position signal generator and a signal processing unit. The steering mechanism operatively connects a steering wheel to the road wheels of the vehicle. The electric motor may be operatively connected to the steering mechanism. The torque signal generator may produce a torque signal indicative of the torque carried by a portion of the steering mechanism. The column angular position signal generator may produce a column angle signal indicative of the angular position of the steering wheel or steering column. The signal processing unit may receive the column torque signal and the column angle signal and may produce therefrom a torque demand signal representative of a torque to be applied to the steering mechanism by the motor.

A behavior control device and a behavior control method for an autonomous vehicle are provided. The behavior control device includes a learning device configured to perform deep learning of a behavior pattern of a vehicle according to a driving environment and a controller configured to control a behavior of the autonomous vehicle based on a result of the learning of the learning device.

A position measurement system for a steering system includes a steering shaft. The position measurement system also includes a worm gear coupled to the steering shaft. The position measurement system further includes a worm in meshed engagement with the worm gear, the worm driven by a motor. The position measurement system yet further includes a first sensor operatively coupled to the worm to detect an angular position of the worm and the motor that drives the worm. The position measurement system also includes a driving gear coupled to the steering shaft. The position measurement system further includes a spur gear in meshed engagement with the driving gear. The position measurement system yet further includes a second sensor operatively coupled to the spur gear to detect an angular position of the spur gear.

A method of steering steerable wheels of a vehicle includes determining a first angle of a first portion of a steering column. A second angle of a second portion of the steering column is determined. The first and second angles are compared to determine a difference between the first and second angles. The vehicle is steered autonomously if the difference between the first and second angles is above a predetermined amount and a time that the difference between the first and second angles is above the predetermined amount is greater than a predetermined amount of time.

An electric power assisted steering apparatus comprises a steering mechanism which operatively connects a steering wheel to the road wheels of a vehicle, an electric motor operatively connected to the steering mechanism, a torque signal generator adapted to produce a torque signal, a column angular position signal generator for producing a column angle signal and a signal processing unit adapted to receive the column torque signal and the column angle signal and to produce therefrom a torque demand signal representative of a torque to be applied to the steering mechanism. A torque demand signal generating circuit adapted to produce the torque demand signal is a function of both the friction compensating torque and the assistance torque signal, at least partially assists the driver in overcoming the effects of static and/or kinetic friction.

A vehicle steering device includes a target steering torque generation unit configured to generate target steering torque for a reaction force motor, and a torque correction value calculation unit configured to generate a torque signal Tref_p in accordance with road surface reaction force acting on a steering wheel of a vehicle. The torque correction value calculation unit generates the torque signal Tref_p by separating estimated road surface reaction force into a low-frequency component and a high-frequency component, providing level restriction on each of the low-frequency component and the high-frequency component, and adding torque values converted from the low-frequency component and the high-frequency component after the level restriction. The target steering torque generation unit generates the target steering torque by adding the torque signal Tref_p and a torque signal Tref_a generated based on a predetermined basic map in accordance with at least a vehicle speed and a steering angle of the vehicle.

Methods and systems for sensor fusion in a production line environment are disclosed. An example system for data collection in an industrial production environment may include an industrial production system comprising a plurality of components, and a plurality of sensors each operatively coupled to at least one of the components; a sensor communication circuit to interpret a plurality of sensor data values in response to a sensed parameter group; and a data analysis circuit to detect an operating condition of the industrial production system based at least in part on a portion of the sensor data values; and a response circuit to modify a production related operating parameter of the industrial production system in response to the detected operating condition.