Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein to center a steering wheel. An example vehicle includes a steering assistance system, an axle including a wheel, memory, and a processor to execute instructions to identify a first position of the wheel, detect a request to move the wheel to a second position, adjust the wheel from the first position to the second position via the steering assistance system, disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to a third position, the third position offset from the second position by an angular offset in a first direction, adjust the wheel to a fourth position, the fourth position offset from the second position by the angular offset in a second direction different than the first direction, and disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to the second position.

A position detection device for detecting a position of a rack shaft having a rack teeth portion that meshes with a pinion gear in a part in an axial direction, is provided with a capacitance member that is arranged around a periphery of the rack shaft and forms a capacitive load together with the rack shaft, and a calculation unit that calculates the position of the rack shaft based on a capacitance between the rack shaft and the capacitance member. The capacitance member is arranged to face at least a part of the rack teeth portion. The capacitance changes in accordance with the position of the rack shaft.

A method of determining an angle of rotation and/or a rotational speed of a motor shaft (110) of a motor (105) which is designed to produce a translational movement of a control element (115, 115a) relative to the motor (105). The method includes a step of reading in a movement signal via an interface with at least one sensor element (120) arranged outside the motor (105) such that the movement signal represents a translational movement of the control element (115) relative to the motor. In addition, the method further includes a step in which, using the movement signal, the angle of rotation and/or the rotational speed of the motor shaft (110) is/are determined.

A method and system for controlling a lane change maneuver of an autonomous vehicle. The method includes detecting a feature of a road surface with a sensor and determining, at an electronic processor, a road camber of a target lane based on the feature. The target lane is a traffic lane targeted for a lane change maneuver by the autonomous vehicle. The method further includes determining a lateral compensating force based on the road camber and applying the lateral compensating force, by the electronic processor, during the lane change maneuver.

A position detection device, configured to detect a position of a shaft that moves forward and backward in an axial direction, is provided with an excitation coil that generates an alternating magnetic field; a target which is fixed to the shaft and in which a magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field is interlinked; and a detection coil in which the magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field is interlinked, wherein the detection coil has a first portion and a second portion, where an induced voltage is generated by the magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field being interlinked, and a connecting path connecting the first portion and the second portion. The first portion and the second portion respectively extend along the axial direction and the coil longitudinal direction parallel to the axial direction and at least a portion of each is aligned in an alignment direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The target includes a first target portion facing the first portion, and a second target portion facing the second portion. The induced voltage generated in the first portion changes according to a position of the first target portion relative to the first portion. The induced voltage generated in the second portion changes according to a position of the second target portion relative to the second portion.

Electric steering gears and related methods are disclosed herein. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a shaft, a helical groove disposed on the shaft, a ball nut rack engaged with the helical groove, the ball nut rack including a plurality of bearings, a motor configured to apply force to the ball nut rack, and a gear housing, the ball nut rack, the helical groove, and the motor disposed within the gear housing.

A position sensor may include an angle sensor, sensor shaft, and sensor wheel. The sensor wheel may include a first wheel-half, a second wheel-half, and a leg spring. The angle sensor may sense the rotation of the sensor shaft. The first wheel-half may be affixed to the sensor shaft. The first wheel-half may impart the rotations on the sensor shaft for sensing via a coupling with an external device, such as external threads of a ball screw nut. The second wheel-half may be supported by the sensor shaft and configured to rotate relative to the sensor shaft. The leg spring may torsionally couple the first wheel-half and the second wheel-half. The leg spring may cause the second wheel-half to an opposing lash of the external threads of the ball screw nut, thereby providing zero gear-lash.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein to center a steering wheel. An example vehicle includes a steering assistance system, an axle including a wheel, memory, and a processor to execute instructions to identify a first position of the wheel, detect a request to move the wheel to a second position, adjust the wheel from the first position to the second position via the steering assistance system, disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to a third position, the third position offset from the second position by an angular offset in a first direction, adjust the wheel to a fourth position, the fourth position offset from the second position by the angular offset in a second direction different than the first direction, and disengage the steering assistance system, the disengagement of the steering assistance system to cause the wheel to move to the second position.

A torque sensor includes an input rotation component, which rotates with a steering column input shaft and is provided with a first conducting part, an output rotation component which rotates with a steering column output shaft and is provided with a second conducting part, and an electromagnetic carrier positioned in a positionally fixed manner and provided with a magnetic field generating component and a magnetic field detection component. The magnetic field generating component generates a magnetic field penetrating the first conducting part and the second conducting part, the magnetic field detection component detects a change in the magnetic field caused by a change in the positions of the first and second conducting parts in the magnetic field when the steering column is under torsional stress, and the steering torque is determined on the basis of the detected change in the magnetic field.

The vehicle behavior control device comprises: a steer-by-wire type steering apparatus (6) having a steering wheel-side mechanism and a road wheel-side mechanism which are mechanically separated from each other; and a controller (8) performs a driving force reduction control when a steering speed in the steering apparatus (6) becomes equal to or greater than a given threshold. The steering apparatus (6) comprises a first steering angle sensor (14) provided in the steering wheel-side mechanism and a second steering angle sensor (19) provided in the road wheel-side mechanism. The controller (8) performs the driving force reduction control using the first steering angle sensor (14) when a yaw rate or a steering speed is equal to or greater than a given value, and performs the driving force reduction control using the second steering angle sensor (19) when the yaw rate or the steering speed is less than the given value.