ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE CONTROL USING STEERING WHEEL TORQUE TO DETERMINE DRIVER PRESENCE

摘要

An automotive vehicle has an electric parking brake (EPB) and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control the EPB. The ECU is configured to control the EPB to apply it upon determining that a driver is not present in the vehicle. The ECU is configured to determine whether the driver is present in the vehicle or not based at least upon there having been or not having been a steering input. The ECU is configured to determine that there has been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time based and determine that there has not been a steering input when the steering torque signal has not changed by at least the threshold amount during the set period of time.

主权项

1. A method of controlling an electric parking brake of an automotive vehicle with an electronic control unit of the vehicle configured to control the electric parking brake, comprising:
determining with the electronic control unit if a driver is not present in the vehicle and controlling the electric parking brake with the electronic control unit to apply the electric parking brake when the driver is not present in the vehicle; determining with the electronic control unit that the driver is present in the vehicle based at least upon there having been a steering input wherein the steering input is whether a steering wheel of the vehicle has been turned by a driver and determining that the driver is not present based at least upon there not having been a steering input; and determining with the electronic control unit that there has been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time based and determining with the electronic control unit that there has not been a steering input when the steering torque signal from the electric power steering of the vehicle has not changed by at least the threshold amount during the set period of time.