Detecting driver grip on steering wheel

摘要

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to determining by what degree a driver is gripping a steering wheel. In one example, a computer may send an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor an excitation command to move. The EPS motor may respond by moving a flexible coupling between the steering wheel and the EPS motor. This may cause a corresponding movement at the steering wheel. A torque sensor may generate pattern data by monitoring the flexible coupling during the movement. The EPS motor may generate system position data for the entire steering system, for example, from the tires to the steering wheel. The pattern data and the system position data may be compared by the computer to determine the degree of grip. In this regard, the computer may determine the degree of a driver's grip without the need for additional sensors.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
sending an excitation instruction to move a steering wheel of a vehicle to an electrically assisted power steering system (EPS) motor; in response to receiving the excitation instruction, moving, by the EPS motor, the steering wheel; monitoring the movement of the steering wheel by a torque sensor; generating, by the torque sensor, pattern data based on the monitoring; generating, by the EPS motor, system position data for a steering system of the vehicle; and determining, by a processor, whether a driver is gripping the steering wheel based on the pattern data and the system position data.