System and method for automatically adjusting a steering tilt position

摘要

A system and method for detecting the position of the head and/or eye of a driver of an automobile and automatically adjusting the position of the steering wheel based on the head and/or eye position in order to provide the driver with an optimized view of the instrumentation panel and road. The system and method utilizes the vehicle parameters, driver parameters, and various settings to determine the proper position of the steering wheel including the height, proximity to driver, and tilt angle of the steering wheel. The system may also adjust the height and/or length of the steering column in order to adjust and provide the proper position of the steering wheel.

主权项

1. An automatically-adjusting steering wheel system comprising:
a steering wheel assembly; a head position sensor configured and arranged to detect a position of a head of a driver of a vehicle; and a master controller in communication with the head position sensor and the adjustable steering wheel assembly, wherein the master controller is configured to:
receive input from the steering wheel assembly;receive input from the head position sensor;determine an optimal line of sight of the driver defined by an interception point based on an intersection of:
(a) an arc defined by a plurality of top points of the steering wheel assembly, and(b) a straight line defined by a position of at least one eye of the driver and a top point of an instrumentation panel;adjust the steering wheel assembly based on the input from the steering wheel assembly and the input from the head position sensor; andadjust the steering wheel assembly based on the optimal line of sight to provide the driver with unobstructed views of the instrumentation panel and a road.