KR20160095747A - Apparatuses and Methods for steering torque - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technique for steering torque control. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for controlling a steering torque based on a situation of another vehicle existing in a blind spot of a vehicle. In the steering torque control apparatus of the present invention, a radar or a lidar, and a relative speed calculation unit for calculating a relative speed between the other vehicle detection unit and the other vehicle. Based on the relative speed, An apparatus and a method including a controller for increasing an assist amount of the steering apparatus and decreasing an assist amount of the steering apparatus when it is determined that there is no possibility of collision based on the collision determining section and the possibility of collision to provide.

Description

[0001] Apparatuses and Methods for Steering Torque [0002]

The present invention relates to a technique for controlling a steering torque. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for controlling a steering torque based on a situation of a vehicle in a side lane.

Generally, the vehicle is provided with a steering torque control device for the driver to easily operate the vehicle.

This steering torque control apparatus performs an operation by a steering wheel operated by a driver. However, there may be a risk of a car accident if a driver who does not recognize the vehicle in the blind zone changes the lane.

Also, even if the vehicle does not exist in a blind spot, there is a risk that a vehicle accident may occur if the driver is difficult to recognize the vehicle in the next lane due to the surrounding environment.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide, in one aspect, a steering torque control apparatus and method for controlling a steering torque so that a driver of a vehicle can safely change a lane.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in one aspect, the present invention provides a steering torque control apparatus for detecting a vehicle in a blind spot by using a camera, a radar or a lidar provided in the vehicle, A relative speed calculation unit for calculating a relative speed between the vehicle detection unit and the other vehicle, and a collision determination unit for determining a possibility of collision at the time of lane change based on the relative speed and the collision possibility, And a controller for increasing the assist amount and decreasing the assist amount of the steering apparatus if it is determined that there is a possibility of collision.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a steering torque, the method comprising: detecting an other vehicle in a blind spot by using a camera, a radar or a ladder provided in the vehicle; Determining a possibility of collision at the time of lane change based on the relative speed calculation step and the relative speed, and increasing the assist amount of the steering apparatus based on the possibility of collision, And a control step of decreasing an assist amount of the steering apparatus, if judged.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect other vehicles in a blind spot by using a video device provided in the vehicle, judge the possibility of collision when changing lanes, and control the amount of assist of the steering device, So that it can be changed.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of a relative speed calculation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of a conflict determination unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of the controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
5 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a steering torque control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In describing the components of the present invention, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like can be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, It should be understood that an element may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected."

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a steering torque control apparatus that uses a camera, a radar or a lidar provided in a subject vehicle to calculate a relative speed of another vehicle detection unit and another vehicle, A collision determination unit for determining a possibility of collision at the time of lane change based on the relative speed calculation unit for calculating the relative speed and the relative speed and a control unit for increasing the assist amount of the steering apparatus based on the possibility of collision, The controller may include a controller for decreasing the assist amount of the steering apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, a steering torque control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a vehicle in a blind spot by using a camera, a radar, or a lidar provided in the vehicle. And a vehicle detection unit 110.

Vehicles can detect blind spots using cameras, radar and rider devices. Briefly, an object recognition method using a camera device measures color information of an object using a camera device, and discriminates and recognizes the measured color information. The object recognition method using a radar device emits a microwave having a short wavelength and recognizes the existence of an object by using a microwave reflected back from the object. In addition, the object recognizing method using a rider emits a laser beam having properties close to radio waves, and recognizes the existence of an object by using a laser beam reflected back from the object.

The steering torque control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a relative speed calculation unit 120 for calculating a relative speed of another vehicle.

In more detail, the relative speed calculation unit 120 may calculate the relative speed using a distance from the other vehicle recognized by time using a camera, a radar, or a rider. Since the camera, the radar or the rider provided in the vehicle is used to measure the distance, the measured distance has a relative relationship. Therefore, in the method of calculating the relative speed, the relative speed can be calculated by calculating the difference of the measured distance D2 after a predetermined time dt has elapsed from the measured distance D1 and then dividing by dt .

The steering torque control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a collision determination unit 130 that determines the possibility of collision upon lane change based on the relative speed.

For example, if the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculator 120 is less than or equal to the threshold value, the collision determining unit 130 determines that there is no possibility of collision. If the calculated relative speed exceeds the threshold value, . If the threshold value is set to 0, the distance between the subject vehicle and the other vehicle may be maintained or increased when the relative speed is 0 or less, which means that the subject vehicle and the other vehicle can not collide with each other. The above-described threshold value can be calculated experimentally.

In contrast, if the relative speed exceeds 0, the distance between the subject vehicle and the other vehicle may be reduced, which means that the subject vehicle and the other vehicle may collide with each other.

The distance calculation unit calculates the relative distance between the other vehicle and the subject vehicle, and the collision determination unit 130 calculates the relative distance calculated by the distance calculation unit and the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculation unit 120 And calculates the collision time required for collision with another vehicle. The collision time can be calculated by dividing the relative distance by the relative speed. The collision judging unit 130 judges that there is no possibility of collision when the calculated collision time exceeds a specific time, and can determine that there is a possibility of collision if the collision time is not more than a specific time. The above-mentioned specific time can be calculated by an experiment.

In another example, after the distance calculation unit calculates the relative distance between the other vehicle and the subject vehicle and the speed measurement unit measures the speed of the subject vehicle, the collision determination unit 130 compares the relative distance calculated by the distance calculation unit The collision time required to collide with the other vehicle is calculated using the relative speed calculated by the speed calculation unit 120. [ The collision time can be calculated by dividing the relative distance by the relative speed. The collision judging unit 130 judges that there is no possibility of collision when the calculated collision time exceeds a specific time. If the collision time is less than or equal to a specific time, the collision determination unit 130 estimates the lane change time using the velocity of the vehicle measured by the velocity measurement unit. If the estimated lane change time is less than the calculated collision time, It can be judged to be absent. If the estimated lane change time is equal to or greater than the calculated collision time, it can be determined that there is a possibility of collision.

The steering torque control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention increases the assist current amount of the steering apparatus when the collision determination unit 130 determines that there is no possibility of collision, The control unit 140 may reduce the assist current amount of the steering apparatus.

For example, when the collision determining unit 130 determines that there is no possibility of collision, the control unit 140 may increase the assist amount of the steering apparatus by increasing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller. If the collision determining unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of collision, the control unit 140 may decrease the assist amount of the steering apparatus by reducing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller.

Alternatively, if the collision determining unit 130 determines that there is no possibility of collision, the control unit 140 may increase the assist amount of the steering apparatus by increasing the input value of the steering sensor. If the collision determining unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of collision, the control unit 140 may decrease the assist amount of the steering apparatus by reducing the input value of the steering sensor.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of a relative speed calculation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a situation in which the vehicle 210 and another vehicle 220 in a blind spot are traveling on the road. The vehicle A has a distance difference D1 between the vehicle 210a and the other vehicle 220a in the blind spot. The vehicle 210a and the other vehicle 220b in the blind spot have a distance difference D2 between 230b after a predetermined time dt has elapsed.

Referring to FIG. 2, as shown in Equation (1), the relative speed calculator can calculate the relative speed by calculating the difference between D 1 and D 2 and calculating the division by dt.

This is a relative speed, not an absolute speed, since D1 and D2 are relative distances because they are distance differences calculated by a device provided in the vehicle.

The steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a distance calculating section for calculating a relative distance between the other vehicle and the child vehicle, and the collision determining section may calculate the relative distance calculated by the relative distance calculating section Use the speed to calculate the impact time to collide with other vehicles. If the calculated collision time exceeds a preset specific time, the collision determination unit determines that there is no possibility of collision, and if the collision time is less than or equal to the specific time, the collision determination unit may determine that there is collision possibility.

The collision time required to collide with the other vehicle can be calculated by dividing the relative distance calculated by the distance calculation unit by the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculation unit. The specific time is a value that can be calculated by the experimental data and can be calculated by applying the average time taken by the vehicle to change the lane and the variance of the experimental data.

That is, when the collision time exceeds a specific time, the own vehicle and the other vehicle can meet after a specific time, and the vehicle can complete the lane change before the collision.

On the other hand, when the collision time is less than a specific time, the host vehicle and the other vehicle may meet within a predetermined time, and the host vehicle may collide with another vehicle during lane change.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of a conflict determination unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

The steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a distance calculation section for calculating a relative distance between the other vehicle and the child vehicle and a velocity measurement section for measuring the velocity of the child vehicle, And calculates the collision time required to collide with the other vehicle using the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculating unit. If the calculated collision time exceeds a preset specific time, the collision judging unit judges that there is no possibility of collision. If the collision time is less than the specific time, the collision determination unit estimates the lane change time using the velocity measured by the velocity measurement unit. If the estimated lane change time is less than the calculated collision time, the collision determination unit determines that there is no possibility of collision. If the estimated lane change time is greater than the calculated collision time, the collision determination unit determines that there is a possibility of collision.

Referring to FIG. 3, the collision determination unit according to another embodiment of the present invention calculates the collision time by dividing the relative distance between the other vehicle and the subject vehicle by the relative speed of another vehicle (S300). The conflict determination unit compares the calculated collision time with a specific time (S310). The specific time is a value that can be calculated by the experimental data and can be calculated by applying the average time taken by the vehicle to change the lane and the variance of the experimental data.

If the collision time exceeds a specific time in step S310, the collision determination unit may determine that there is no possibility of collision when the vehicle changes lanes (S320). This means that the lane change of the subject vehicle is completed before the collision time calculated at the time of lane change, so that it can be judged that there is no possibility of collision.

 If the collision time is less than a specific time in step S310, the collision determination unit estimates the lane change time using the vehicle speed (S330). A method of estimating a lane change time is a method of estimating a lane change time by estimating a lane change distance by applying an average value and variance of experimental data on a lane change distance when the vehicle is changing lanes and dividing the estimated travel distance by the lane marker speed The lane change time can be estimated.

The collision determination unit compares the lane change time with the collision time calculated in step S300 (S340). If the lane change time is less than the collision time, the collision determination unit determines that there is no possibility of collision when the vehicle changes lanes (S320). This means that a collision is expected after the lane vehicle completes the lane change, so it can be judged that there is no possibility of collision. If it is determined in step S340 that the lane change time is equal to or greater than the collision time, the collision determining unit determines that there is a possibility of collision when the vehicle changes lanes (S350). This means that a collision is expected during the lane change of the own vehicle, so it can be judged that there is a possibility of collision.

3, the collision determination unit compares the time taken for collision with another vehicle in the blind spot to a preset specific time and a time required for the vehicle to change the lane (S310, S340). If the lane change time is shorter than the time required for the collision, the collision determination unit determines that there is no possibility of collision of the vehicle (S320). If the lane change time is longer than the collision time, It is determined that there is a possibility of collision of the vehicle (S350).

On the other hand, the collision determination unit according to another embodiment compares only the time required for collision with the other vehicle in the blind zone to a preset specific time. The specific time can be calculated by applying the average and variance of the experimental data, which can be calculated by the experimental data on the time it takes for the vehicle to change lanes. The collision determination unit according to another embodiment determines the possibility of collision of the vehicle without performing the steps of S330 and S340.

Alternatively, the collision determination unit may compare only the relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle existing in the blind zone with a preset threshold value. The threshold value is the relative speed required for the vehicle to change the lane without collision with the other vehicle in the blind spot, and this threshold value can be calculated by the experimental data.

The collision determination unit according to the embodiment may calculate the relative speed instead of the step S300 in which the collision time is calculated without performing the steps of S330 and S340 and the step of comparing the collision time with the specific time, And performs a step of comparing the speed and the threshold value.

In the step S300 of calculating the collision time, since the relative velocity is calculated and the collision time is calculated using the calculated relative velocity and the relative distance, the calculation step is larger than the step of calculating the relative velocity. Due to the increased number of calculations, the calculation speed may be slowed down in step S300, and the probability of errors in calculation may increase. On the other hand, since it largely depends on the calculated threshold value, it is possible to make an error in determining the possibility of collision of the collision judgment unit.

For example, the possibility of collision is determined in a state where the threshold value of the collision determination unit according to the embodiment is set to zero. At this time, if the collision judging unit judges that there is no possibility of collision, the lane changing vehicle does not collide with the other lane. However, even if the collision judging unit judges that there is a possibility of collision, the lane changing vehicle may not collide with the other lane. This is because the distance between the subject vehicle and the other vehicle and the lane change time of the subject vehicle are not considered.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of the controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

4 shows the relationship between the steering angle operated by the driver and the motor of the electronic steering device (EPS).

Referring to FIG. 4, the steering sensor recognizes the steering angle operated by the driver. However, due to the limitation of the detection range of the steering sensor or the structural reason, the steering sensor receives the gain value passing the gain value without directly receiving the steering angle. For example, if the steering sensor has a recognition range of -180 degrees to 180 degrees, if the user manipulates the steering angle by -200 degrees, the steering sensor may recognize -180 degrees or the steering sensor may fail. If the user manipulates the steering angle by 200 degrees, it may be recognized that the steering angle is 180 degrees or the steering sensor may fail.

Such an error can be prevented by using a gain. If the same steering sensor as above has a recognition range of -180 degrees to 180 degrees, if the gain value is set to 0.5, the steering sensor can recognize the steering angle from -360 degrees to 360 degrees. However, in this case, the output value of the steering sensor can be doubled, or the input value of the controller that recognizes the output value of the steering sensor can be doubly applied to the control.

For example, when the user manipulates the steering wheel at 360 degrees, the steering sensor is recognized at 180 degrees by the gain of 0.5. Therefore, when the output value of the steering sensor is doubled or the input value of the controller is doubled, 360 degrees operated by the user can be recognized.

By applying the above-described method, a signal for operating the power stage at the controller (MCU) is generated by using the output value of the steering sensor according to the steering angle operated by the user. As a result, the power stage generates the assist current corresponding to the controller, and the EPS motor operates as much as the assist current so that the user can easily operate the steering wheel.

In the above-described system, if the gain value is maintained but the output value of the steering sensor is doubled or the input value of the controller is doubled, the amount of assist current of the steering apparatus is doubled, and the lane change can be performed quickly . Alternatively, if the gain value is maintained but the output value of the steering sensor is increased 0.5 times or 0.5 times the input value of the controller, the amount of assist current of the steering apparatus is 0.5 times, so that the lane change can be performed slowly.

Therefore, if it is determined that there is no possibility of collision in the collision determination unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may increase the assist amount of the steering apparatus by increasing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller. Alternatively, when it is determined that there is a possibility of collision in the collision determination unit, the control unit may reduce the assist amount of the steering apparatus by reducing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller.

In the above-described system, when the gain value is doubled, and the output value of the steering sensor and the input value of the controller are maintained, the amount of assist current of the steering apparatus is doubled, and the lane change can be performed quickly. In contrast, if the gain value is set to 0.5, and the output value of the steering sensor and the input value of the controller are maintained, the amount of assist current of the steering apparatus is increased to 0.5 and the lane change can be performed slowly.

Therefore, if it is determined that there is no possibility of collision in the collision determination unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit increases the assist amount of the steering apparatus by increasing the input value of the steering sensor, By reducing the input value of the steering sensor, the assist amount of the steering apparatus can be reduced.

In the above description, since the input value of the steering sensor is controlled by adjusting the gain value, the input value control and the gain value control of the steering sensor can be said to be equivalent in terms of efficiency.

5 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The other vehicle detection unit detects another vehicle in the blind spot by using a camera, a radar or a lidar provided in the vehicle (S500). A camera, a radar or a lidar can be installed to detect a blind spot that is not visible to the driver, so that an object including a vehicle existing in a blind spot can be detected.

The object including the other vehicle detected by the other vehicle detection unit is detected at a predetermined time interval, and the relative speed between the object including the other vehicle and the subject vehicle is calculated (S510). When the other vehicle detected by the other vehicle detection unit is located at a distance of D1 with respect to the subject vehicle and the other vehicle detected by the other vehicle detection unit is located at a distance of D2 with respect to the subject vehicle after a predetermined time (dt) Can be applied to calculate the relative speed.

The calculated relative speed is compared with a preset threshold value to determine the possibility of collision (S520). The threshold value is a value that can be calculated by the experimental data. If the threshold value is calculated as 0, if it is determined in step S520 that there is no possibility of collision, the host vehicle and the other vehicle do not collide with each other.

However, if it is determined in step S520 that there is a possibility of collision, the vehicle may not collide with the other vehicle depending on the situation. This can happen because the distance relation between the vehicle and the other vehicle and the time relation due to the relative speed are not applied.

The threshold value may be set to a negative value other than 0 in order to reduce the error that the other vehicle does not collide with the subject vehicle but it is determined that there is a possibility of collision in step S520. This can be set by data analysis.

If it is determined in step S520 that there is a possibility of collision, the controller decreases the assist amount (S530). The method of reducing the amount of assist may be such that the control unit decreases the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller. Alternatively, the control unit may reduce the input value of the steering sensor. The amount of assist can be reduced to slow the lane change of the own vehicle.

If it is determined in step S520 that there is no possibility of collision, the controller increases the assist amount (S540). The method of increasing the assist amount may be such that the control unit increases the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller. Alternatively, the control unit may increase the input value of the steering sensor. It is possible to increase the lane change of the host vehicle by increasing the assist amount.

6 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, steps S600 and S610 are the same as steps S500 and S510 of FIG. The relative distance calculation unit calculates the relative distance between the target vehicle and the target vehicle detected in step S600 (S620). In the case where the radar is used in step S600, the relative distance calculation unit can calculate the relative distance using the information of the wavelength of the emitted microwave and the time taken until the reflection is received. If the rider is used in step S600, the relative distance calculation unit may calculate the relative distance using the movement information of the emitted laser beam and the time taken until the reflection is received. On the other hand, when the camera is used in step S600, the relative distance calculation unit can measure the distance using the photographed image. The relative distance calculation unit can know the distance by using the proportional relation of distances based on the point in advance which is known in the image. The relative speed calculated in step S610 and the relative distance information calculated in step S620 are collected, and the collision determination unit may calculate the collision time required for collision between the vehicle and the other vehicle at step S630. The collision determination unit can calculate the collision time by dividing the relative distance by the relative speed. The collision determiner compares the collision time calculated in step S630 with the previously input specific time, and determines the possibility of collision (S640). For example, the specific time input in advance may be calculated by applying an average and variance based on time data that the vehicle takes to change lanes. More specifically, when A, which is five time data, is {10, 11, 9, 8, 12}, the average value is 10 and the variance is 2. If B, which is another five time data, is {10, 8, 12, 14, 6}, the average value is 10 and the variance is 8. In the case of A, the specific time is 11, and in case of B, the specific time can be 14. The specific time calculated above is calculated by adding 0.5 times the variance to the mean time. The rules for calculating a specific time can be determined by research. However, the specific time must be proportional to the mean value and variance, respectively.

Steps S650 and S660 operate in the same manner as steps S530 and S540 of FIG. 5, so that the controller can reduce or increase the assist amount.

7 is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of the steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, operation of steps S700 to S740 of the steering torque control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention operates in the same manner as steps S600 to S640 of FIG. However, if it is determined in step S740 that there is no possibility of collision, the speed measuring unit measures the speed of the subject vehicle (S760). The speed of the subject vehicle can be measured by using a speed sensor present in the vehicle or by detecting a fixed object at predetermined time intervals using a camera, a radar, or a rider provided in the subject vehicle, The speed can be measured using the relation with the object and the fixed time. Briefly, the distance between the vehicle and the tree (D0) is measured by a side camera of the vehicle at time t0, and the same tree is measured with the same lateral camera at time t1, The distance value D1 is obtained. The speed measuring unit D0-D1 can be divided by dt to calculate the vehicle speed. Of course, since D0 and D1 are distances from the tree on the side of the vehicle, the speed measuring unit can calculate the correct speed by calculating the angle formed by the D0 distance line and the D1 distance line. The collision judging unit estimates the lane change time using the vehicle speed calculated in step S760 and the estimated lane change distance (S770). The method of estimating the lane change distance can be estimated by the experimental data on the lane change time. For example, a method of calculating the specific time described above can be applied. In step S780, the lane change time estimated in step S770 is compared with the collision time to determine whether there is a possibility of collision. If the lane change time is less than the collision time, it is determined that there is no possibility of collision. If the lane change time is longer than the collision time, it can be determined that there is a possibility of collision.

Even if it is determined in step S780 that there is no possibility of collision in step S740, there is a possibility of collision depending on the specific time referenced in step S740. The step S780 may be a step for filtering a case where there is a possibility of collision but it is determined that there is no possibility of collision in the step S740.

However, steps S760 to S780 may be performed between steps S740 and S750 according to the specific time referenced in step S740.

More specifically, if the specific time is set to 11 using the experimental data of {10, 11, 9, 8, 12}, if the collision time is calculated as 12 in step S730, do. However, when the lane change time is 13 due to the low vehicle speed, it will collide with other vehicles when the lane change occurs. That is, steps S760 to S780 should be performed when it is determined NO in step S740.

On the other hand, if the collision time is calculated as 10 in step S730, it is determined that there is a possibility of collision in step S740. However, if the lane change time is 9 due to the speed of the vehicle, the lane changing vehicle will not collide with other vehicles in the blind spot. That is, steps S760 to S780 should be performed when it is determined YES in step S740.

The steering torque control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can turn on / off the operation of the other vehicle detection unit, the relative speed calculation unit, the collision determination unit, and the control unit by a signal input by the driver.

When the lane change is made, the driver of the vehicle can feel the steering feeling different from usual by the steering torque control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Depending on the driver, the other steering sensations described above may cause discomfort. A driver who wants to feel the same steering feel under any circumstances can turn off the steering torque control device of the present invention by inputting a signal using the button switch. Alternatively, a driver who wishes to safely change lanes even if he or she feels a different steering feeling can turn on the steering torque control device of the present invention by inputting a signal using a button switch.

Hereinafter, a steering torque control method, which is an operation performed by the steering torque control apparatus described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, will be briefly described.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a steering torque control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of controlling the steering torque according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform the step of detecting the other vehicle using the camera, the radar or the ladder provided in the vehicle (S800).

For example, when the camera is used in the other vehicle detection step, the other vehicle can be detected using the color information of the image captured by the camera. If the image taken by the camera device has black and red colors, the camera device can detect the red color as the vehicle. This is only a simple example, and additional color information can be used to enhance the accuracy of vehicle detection.

When the radar is used in the other vehicle detection step, the beam with a wavelength of 3 [m / wave] of 2 [s / wave] is fired. If the fired beam is received after 6 seconds, it is detected that there is another vehicle at a distance of 4.5 m can do. This is only a simple example, and a large number of received beam information can be used to improve the accuracy of vehicle detection. When a rider is used, it can be detected similarly to the case where a radar is used. However, since the rider uses the laser beam, not the microwave, there is a difference according to the wavelength and the cycle.

The steering torque control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a relative speed calculation step of calculating the relative speed of another vehicle (S810).

For example, if a camera is used at the detection stage of another vehicle, it is detected that the red vehicle is located at a distance of 3 meters behind the vehicle at time t0, and the same red vehicle is detected at time t1 after 1 second If it is detected that the vehicle 1 is located at a distance of 1 m behind, the relative speed of the other vehicle can be calculated as 2 [m / s] by using Equation (1).

As a method of measuring the distance by using the camera device, the distance can be measured by using the positional relation with a point of the image which knows the distance value in advance.

When a radar or a rider is used in the other vehicle detection step, the relative speed can be calculated in the same manner as the calculation step of calculating the relative speed using the camera.

The steering torque control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a collision determination step of determining a possibility of collision upon lane change based on the relative speed calculated in step S810 (S820). When the calculated relative speed is compared with a predetermined threshold value and the relative speed is equal to or less than the threshold value, the collision determination step determines that there is no possibility of collision. If the relative speed exceeds the threshold value, the collision determination step determines that there is a possibility of collision. If the threshold value is preset to 0, if the relative speed is less than 0, the other vehicle and the subject vehicle can not collide. Also, if the relative speed exceeds 0, the other vehicle and the vehicle may collide with each other.

The steering torque control method according to an embodiment of the present invention increases the assist amount of the steering apparatus when it is determined that there is no possibility of collision based on the possibility of collision, and decreases the assist amount of the steering apparatus A control step of performing a control operation for performing a control operation.

If it is determined in step S820 that there is no possibility of collision, it is possible to increase the assist amount of the steering apparatus in the control step S830 to speed up the lane change of the vehicle. Alternatively, if it is determined in step S820 that there is a possibility of a collision, the assist amount of the steering apparatus may be decreased in step S830 to slow down the lane change of the vehicle.

A specific method of increasing the assist amount in the control step S830 is to increase the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller. Or the amount of assist can be increased by increasing the input value of the steering sensor. Alternatively, when the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller is decreased or the input value of the steering sensor is decreased in the control step, the amount of assist can be reduced.

In addition, the steering torque control method of the present invention can perform all the operations performed by the steering torque control apparatus of the present invention described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively coupled to one or more of them. The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A vehicle detection unit detecting a vehicle in a blind spot by using a camera, a radar or a lidar provided in the vehicle;
A relative speed calculation unit for calculating a relative speed of the other vehicle;
A collision determination unit for determining a collision possibility at the time of lane change based on the relative speed; And
If it is determined that there is no possibility of collision based on the possibility of collision, the assist amount of the steering apparatus is increased,
And a controller for decreasing an assist amount of the steering apparatus if it is determined that there is a possibility of the collision. The method according to claim 1,
And the on-vehicle detecting unit, the relative speed calculating unit, the collision determining unit, and the control unit are turned on or off according to a signal inputted by the driver. The method according to claim 1,
The collision determination unit may determine,
Determines that there is no possibility of collision when the relative speed is equal to or less than a preset threshold value, and determines that there is a possibility of collision if the relative speed exceeds the threshold value. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a distance calculation unit for calculating a relative distance between the other vehicle and the child vehicle,
The collision determination unit may determine,
Calculating a collision time required to collide with the other vehicle using the relative distance and the relative speed,
Determines that there is no possibility of collision if the collision time exceeds a preset specific time, and determines that there is a possibility of collision if the collision time is less than or equal to the specific time. 5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a speed measuring section for measuring the speed of the subject vehicle,
The collision determination unit may determine,
If the collision time is less than or equal to the predetermined time,
Estimates the lane change time using the speed,
And determines that there is no possibility of collision if the lane change time is less than the collision time, and determines that there is a possibility of collision if the lane change time is longer than the collision time. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
If it is determined that there is no possibility of the collision, the assist amount of the steering apparatus is increased by increasing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller
Wherein the control unit decreases the assist amount of the steering apparatus by decreasing the output value of the steering sensor or the input value of the controller when it is determined that there is a possibility of the collision. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
If it is determined that there is no possibility of collision, the amount of assist of the steering apparatus is increased by increasing the input value of the steering sensor
Wherein the control unit decreases the assist amount of the steering apparatus by decreasing the input value of the steering sensor when it is determined that there is a possibility of the collision. 7. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
The steering sensor comprises:
Wherein the steering angle sensor is a steering angle sensor or a torque sensor. A vehicle detecting step of detecting another vehicle in a blind spot by using a camera, a radar or a lidar provided in the vehicle;
A relative speed calculation step of calculating a relative speed of the other vehicle;
A collision determination step of determining, based on the relative speed, a possibility of collision at the time of lane change; And
If it is determined that there is no possibility of collision based on the possibility of collision, the assist amount of the steering apparatus is increased,
And decreasing an assist amount of the steering device if it is determined that there is a possibility of the collision.

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