US-20260125106-A1 - STEERING CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE

US20260125106A1US 20260125106 A1US20260125106 A1US 20260125106A1US-20260125106-A1

Abstract

An apparatus of a vehicle may comprise a steering angle sensor configured to output a sensing signal associated with an angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a first processor configured to determine, based on the sensing signal and at least two different logics, respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle, and based on the respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle being consistent with each other, output a first signal indicating a first steering wheel angle of the vehicle, and a control circuit configured to control, based on the first signal, operation of the vehicle.

Inventors

Byung Woo CHAE

Assignees

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250819
Priority Date: 20241101

Claims (20)

1 . An apparatus of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a steering angle sensor configured to output a sensing signal associated with an angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle; a first processor configured to: determine, based on the sensing signal and at least two different logics, respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle, and based on the respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle being consistent with each other, output a first signal indicating a first steering wheel angle of the vehicle; and a control circuit configured to control, based on the first signal, operation of the vehicle.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a second processor configured to: determine, based on the sensing signal and the at least two different logics, respective second steering wheel angles, and based on the respective second steering wheel angles being consistent with each other, output a second signal indicating a second steering wheel angle, wherein the control circuit is further configured to control, based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal, autonomous driving operation of the vehicle.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first processor is configured to output a first error signal based on the respective first steering wheel angles being inconsistent with each other, wherein the second processor is configured to output a second error signal based on the respective second steering wheel angles being inconsistent with each other, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to control operation of the vehicle based on a steering wheel angle output received from one processor of the first processor and the second processor that is not outputting a corresponding error signal.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the other processor of the first processor and the second processor is configured to perform a recovery process to recover from an error state using the steering wheel angle output from the one processor that is not outputting the corresponding error signal.
5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the steering angle sensor comprises: a main gear connected to a steering shaft; a first sub-gear having fewer teeth than the main gear and rotating in engagement with the main gear; a second sub-gear having fewer teeth than the first sub-gear and rotating in engagement with the main gear; a first sensor configured to output a first sensing signal according to a rotation of the first sub-gear; and a second sensor configured to output a second sensing signal according to a rotation of the second sub-gear.
6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first processor and the second processor are each configured to: determine, based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, a first rotation angle of the first sub-gear and a second rotation angle of the second sub-gear; and determine a plurality of rotation angles of the main gear, wherein the plurality of rotation angles of the main gear is determined based on the at least two different logics, the first rotation angle, and the second rotation angle.
7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the at least two different logics comprise: a first logic configured to output a first-logic steering wheel angle based on a rotation angle of the main gear associated with the first logic, wherein the rotation angle of the main gear associated with the first logic is determined based on the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle; and a second logic configured to output a second-logic steering wheel angle based on a rotation angle of the main gear associated with the second logic, wherein the rotation angle of the main gear associated with the second logic is determined based on an accumulated change in a rotation angle of the main gear over time.
8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first processor and the second processor are each configured to: determine an error state and output an error signal based on respective steering wheel angles determined using the at least two different logics being inconsistent with each other, based on a determination of the error state, receive a steering wheel angle output from the other processor in which a corresponding error state does not occur; initialize computation using one of the at least two different logics based on the received steering wheel angle output from the other processor; and recalculate a steering wheel angle.
9 . A method performed by an apparatus of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, by a first processor of the apparatus, a sensing signal associated with an angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle; based on a first logic and the sensing signal, determining, by the first processor, a steering wheel angle associated with the first logic; based on a second logic and the sensing signal, determining, by the first processor, a steering wheel angle associated with the second logic; based on the two steering wheel angles determined by the first processor being consistent with each other, outputting, by the first processor, a first signal indicating a first steering wheel angle; and controlling, based on the first signal, operation of the vehicle.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising: receiving, by a second processor of the apparatus, the sensing signal; based on the first logic and the sensing signal, determining, by the second processor, a second steering wheel angle associated with the first logic; based on the second logic and the sensing signal, determining, by the second processor, a second steering wheel angle associated with the second logic; based on the two second steering wheel angles determined by the second processor being consistent with each other, outputting, by the second processor, a second signal indicating a second steering wheel angle; and controlling, based on at least one of the first signal or the second signal, autonomous driving operation of the vehicle.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: determining, by at least one of the first processor or the second processor, an error state, wherein the error state determined by the first processor is based on the two steering wheel angles determined by the first processor being inconsistent with each other, and wherein the error state determined by the second processor is based on the two second steering wheel angles being inconsistent with each other; and outputting an error signal indicating the error state.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: performing, by one processor of the first processor or the second processor in which a corresponding error state occurs, a recovery process to recover from the corresponding error state by using a steering wheel angle received from the other processor of the first processor or the second processor in which a corresponding error state does not occur.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the performing of the recovery process comprises: comparing the steering wheel angle received from the other processor to the two steering wheel angles determined by the one processor in the corresponding error state; and recomputing a steering wheel angle by initializing one or more computational parameters of either the first logic or the second logic based on the received steering wheel angle.
14 . An apparatus of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a first processor; and a first memory storing at least one first instruction that, when executed by the first processor communicating with the first memory, is configured to cause the apparatus to: obtain, from a sensor of the apparatus, a sensing signal related to a steering operation of the vehicle; determine, based on the sensing signal and a first logic, a first steering angle of the vehicle; determine, based on the sensing signal and a second logic different from the first logic, a second steering angle of the vehicle; compare the first steering angle and the second steering angle; output a signal indicating a result of the comparison of the first steering angle and the second steering angle; and control, based on the signal, operation of the vehicle.
15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising: a second processor; and a second memory storing at least one second instruction that, when executed by the second processor communicating with the second memory, is configured to cause the apparatus to: obtain the sensing signal from the sensor, determine, based on the first logic and the second logic, a steering angle of the vehicle, and transmit the steering angle of the vehicle to the first processor, wherein the at least one first instruction, when executed by the first processor, is further configured to cause the apparatus to, based on determining an inconsistency between the first steering angle and the second steering angle, initialize steering angle computation based on the steering angle received from the second processor.
16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a steering angle sensor configured to output the sensing signal, wherein the first steering angle is further based on a combination of rotation angles of a first sub-gear and a second sub-gear that are engaged with a main gear connected to a steering shaft.
17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a steering angle sensor configured to output the sensing signal, wherein the second steering angle is further based on a change in rotation angle of the main gear accumulated over time from an initial reference angle.
18 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the at least one first instruction, when executed by the first processor, is further configured to cause the apparatus to compare the first steering angle and the second steering angle by determining whether a difference between the first steering angle and the second steering angle falls within a predefined consistency threshold.
19 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one second instruction, when executed by the second processor, is further configured to cause the apparatus to: determine a third steering angle and a fourth steering angle using the first logic and the second logic, respectively, and compare the third steering angle and the fourth steering angle to detect an inconsistency.
20 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first instruction, when executed by the first processor, is further configured to cause the apparatus to: compare the steering angle received from the second processor to each of the first steering angle and the second steering angle, and based on the comparison of the steering angle received from the second processor to each of the first steering angle and the second steering angle, cause initialization of one of the first logic or the second logic using the steering angle received from the second processor as an initial value.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0153639 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 1, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD Examples of the present disclosure relate to a steering control system and method for a vehicle. BACKGROUND The matters described in this Background section are only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and should not be taken as acknowledgment that they correspond to prior art already known to those skilled in the art. A steering system applied to a vehicle may include a steering angle sensor that is installed on a steering shaft to transmit a steering force in conjunction with a steering wheel operated by a driver and detects a rotation angle of the steering wheel, i.e., a steering angle. The steering angle, which is basic information for vehicle operation, may be used for providing various functions such as an autonomous driving system and a driver assistance system. Therefore, in the event of an error related to a function of calculating and transmitting a steering angle, some or all the functions, including an autonomous driving function, that use a steering angle signal of a steering wheel may be affected (e.g., disabled). SUMMARY Examples of the present disclosure aim to provide a vehicle steering control system and a control method thereof, which may reduce the probability of an error in a steering wheel angle value and recover itself in the event of such an error, thereby maintaining normal vehicle functions including an autonomous driving function without an emergency stop. The technical challenges to be solved by the examples of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical challenges described above, and other technical challenges not described above will also be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the following description. According to the present disclosure, an apparatus of a vehicle, the apparatus may comprise a steering angle sensor configured to output a sensing signal associated with an angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a first processor configured to, determine, based on the sensing signal and at least two different logics, respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle, and based on the respective first steering wheel angles of the vehicle being consistent with each other, output a first signal indicating a first steering wheel angle of the vehicle, and a control circuit configured to control, based on the first signal, operation of the vehicle. The apparatus may further comprise a second processor configured to, determine, based on the sensing signal and the at least two different logics, respective second steering wheel angles, and based on the respective second steering wheel angles being consistent with each other, output a second signal indicating a second steering wheel angle, wherein the control circuit is further configured to control, based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal, autonomous driving operation of the vehicle. The apparatus, wherein the first processor is configured to output a first error signal based on the respective first steering wheel angles being inconsistent with each other, wherein the second processor is configured to output a second error signal based on the respective second steering wheel angles being inconsistent with each other, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to control operation of the vehicle based on a steering wheel angle output received from one processor that is not outputting a corresponding error signal. The apparatus, wherein the other processor is configured to perform a recovery process to recover from an error state using the steering wheel angle output from the one processor that is not outputting the corresponding error signal. The apparatus, wherein the steering angle sensor may comprise a main gear connected to a steering shaft, a first sub-gear having fewer teeth than the main gear and rotating in engagement with the main gear, a second sub-gear having fewer teeth than the first sub-gear and rotating in engagement with the main gear, a first sensor configured to output a first sensing signal according to a rotation of the first sub-gear, and a second sensor configured to output a second sensing signal according to a rotation of the second sub-gear. The apparatus, wherein the first processor and the second processor are each configured to, determine, based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, a first rotation angle of the first sub-gear and a second rotation angle of the second sub-gear, and determine a plurality of rotation angles of the main gear, wherein the plurality of rotation angles of the main gear is determined based on the at least two different logics, the