Vehicle steering can be synchronized by first, turning the steering rack from lock-to-lock to determine a steering rack midpoint, second, turning the steering wheel from lock-to-lock to determine a steering wheel midpoint, third, synchronizing the steering rack with the steering wheel based on the steering rack midpoint and the steering wheel midpoint, and fourth, piloting a vehicle based on the synchronized steering rack and steering wheel; wherein the steering rack is mechanically decoupled from a steering wheel of the vehicle before turning the steering rack from lock-to-lock and before turning the steering wheel from lock-to-lock.

A steering system and method are described for a vehicle having steerable wheels. A steering device may be coupled to one or more of the wheels. A parked state of the vehicle and a present orientation of the hydraulic steering device may be determined. The present orientation of the steering device may be compared with a neutral orientation of the steering device. Based upon a determined parked state of the vehicle and the comparing of the present and neutral orientations of the steering device, the steering device may be moved from the present orientation toward the neutral orientation.

A reference position in a power steering system is defined by acquiring a first edge position corresponding to a first edge of a first index pulse generated when a movable steering member passes an indexed position in a first movement direction; acquiring a second edge position corresponding to a second edge of a second index pulse generated when the movable steering member passes the same indexed position in a second movement position opposite the first movement direction; and calculating the reference position from the first edge position and the second edge position.

System and method enable the automatic activation of turn signals according to the turning of a steering wheel. The method begins by detecting a current angular position of a steering wheel with an angular positioning sensor. The current angular position is relayed from the angular positioning sensor to a computing system. The left-turning signal can be activated, if the current angular position crosses over a left-turning positioning threshold. The right-turning signal can be activated, if the current angular position crosses over a right-turning positioning threshold. The left-turning signal and the right-turning signal can be activated in a hazarding light pattern, if the current angular position crosses over the left-turning positioning threshold and then back over the right-turning positioning threshold within a reckless-driving time period, or if the current angular position crosses over the right-turning positioning threshold and then back over the left-turning positioning threshold within the reckless-driving time period.

The disclosure relates to a method for operating a steer-by-wire steering system which includes at least one steering input element, at least one steering actuating element operatively connected to the steering input element, at least one first end stop for mechanically limiting a movement of the steering actuating element in a first direction of movement and at least one second end stop for mechanically limiting a movement of the steering actuating element in a second direction of movement, wherein a steering ratio between the steering input element and the steering actuating element is adapted such that a maximum deflection of the steering input element in a first steering direction, in which the steering actuating element reaches the first end stop, and a maximum deflection of the steering input element in a second steering direction, in which the steering actuating element reaches the second end stop, are at least substantially identical.

An apparatus for diagnosing malfunction of a steering angle sensor. A steering angle sensor includes a main gear mounted on a steering shaft, first and second sub-gears meshed with the main gear at a specific gear ratio different from that of the main gear, and position sensors attached to the first and second sub-gears, respectively. A processor receives a signal output with rotation of the corresponding sub-gear from each of the position sensors of the steering angle sensor, detects at least one of the two position sensors which outputs different output signal values that are not designated in correspondence with a value of the same system angle, and determines the detected at least one position sensor as a cause of a malfunction.

A method for estimating the absolute angular position of a steering wheel equipping a power-steering device, referred to as relative steering wheel position, of the shaft of a power-steering motor is assessed, a first estimation (Angle1) of the absolute angular position of the steering wheel is assessed from at least one first model using the speed difference between the left and right rear wheels, a first dynamic offset equal to the difference between the first estimation (Angle1) of the absolute angular position of the steering wheel and the relative steering wheel position is estimated, and the absolute angular position of the steering wheel is calculated by adding to the relative steering wheel position a total compensation offset determined from the first dynamic offset, also when restarting the vehicle, a switching-off offset corresponds to the value of the total compensation offset at the time when the vehicle was previously switched off.

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.

A giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element is provided for use in a magnetic multi-turn sensor in which the free layer, that is, the layer that changes its magnetization direction in response to an external magnetic field so as to provide a resistance change, is thick enough to provide good shape anisotropy without exhibiting an AMR effect. To achieve this, at least a portion of the free layer comprises a plurality of layers of at least two different materials, specifically, a plurality of layers of at least a first material that is ferromagnetic and a plurality of layers of at least a second material that is known not to exhibit an AMR effect and that does not interfere with the GMR effect of the layers of ferromagnetic material.

An angular rotation sensor system constituted of: an input shaft target and an output shaft target each comprising a plurality of members parallel to a longitudinal axis of an input shaft or output shaft; a gear target with an angular velocity exhibiting a predetermined ratio with an angular velocity of the input shaft, the gear target comprising a plurality of members, each extending away from the input shaft and orthogonal to a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the input shaft; and a control circuitry arranged to: determine an angular position of the input shaft responsive to a sensed angular rotation of the input shaft target and a sensed angular rotation of the gear target; and determine the amount of torque applied to the input shaft responsive to the sensed angular rotation of the input shaft target and a sensed angular rotation of the output shaft target.