Autotronics

Active Steering
Fady Ibrahim, Ph.D.
Steering System
The purpose of the steering system is to turn the front wheels.
In some cases, it also turns the rear wheels.
The wheels constantly change direction while switching lanes,
rounding sharp turns, and when avoiding roadway obstacles.
MANUAL-STEERING SYSTEMS
The steering system is composed of three major subsystems:
1. Steering linkage
2. Steering gear
3. Steering column and wheel
As the steering wheel is turned by the driver, the steering gear
transfers this motion to the steering linkage.
The steering linkage turns the wheels to control the vehicle’s
direction.
Power Steering Systems
The power-steering unit is designed to reduce the amount of effort required to turn the steering wheel. It also
reduces driver fatigue on long drives and makes it easier to steer the vehicle at slow road speeds, particularly
during parking.

Hydraulic Assisted Power steering: hydraulic power is

used to assist the driver. The pump is driven by the
engine.
Power Steering Systems
Electro-hydraulic Assisted Power steering: The pump
is driven by an electric motor when necessary.
Electric Assisted Power steering: an electric motor
and electronic controls provide power assistance in
steering.
Power Steering Systems
All of these developments have the goal of making vehicle handling as easy as possible and to limit steering
forces to a logical amount. The best possible feedback about the contact of the tires to the road is to be
ensured.
This has a great impact on the driver’s ability to manage his or her task in the control loop between driver,
vehicle and environment.
Stability control systems
Vehicle stability control systems that prevent vehicles from spinning
and drifting out.

The lower curve shows the trajectory that the vehicle would follow in
response to a steering input from the driver if the road were dry and
had a high tire-road adhesion coefficient. In this case the high
adhesion coefficient is able to provide the lateral force required by the
vehicle to negotiate the curved road.
If the coefficient of adhesion were small or if the vehicle speed were
too high, then the vehicle would not follow the nominal motion
expected by the driver – it would instead travel on a trajectory of
larger radius (smaller curvature), as shown in the upper curve
The function of the yaw control system is to restore the yaw velocity of
the vehicle as much as possible to the nominal motion expected by the
driver.
Steer-by-Wire systems which modify the driver’s steering angle input and add a correction steering angle to
the wheels
Stability control systems
In the use of a steer-by-wire system for yaw stability
control, the front wheel steering angle is determined as a
sum of two components.
One component is determined directly by the driver from
his/her steering wheel angle input.
The other component is decided by the steer-by-wire
controller.
In other words, the steer-by-wire controller modifies the
driver’s steering command so as to ensure “skid
prevention” or “skid control”. This must be done in such a
way that it does not interfere with the vehicle’s response
in following the path desired by the driver.
Active Steering Systems
Active steering improves vehicle stability by turning the wheels more or less sharply than commanded by the
turn of the steering wheel during some situations.
Through inputs and computer programming, this system can adjust the steering to respond quickly to the
threat of skidding. The system also allows for a variable steering ratio dependent on vehicle speed.
Active Steering Systems
Active Steering Systems
The newly developed active steering can affect the steering
forces and the steering angle set by the driver. It fulfills the wish
for a direct steering ratio to improve handling at low speeds. It
also meets requirements for ensuring comfort, drivability and
straight running stability at high speeds. Active steering is an
initial step towards a “steer-by-wire” function. Although it does
not let the car drive itself, it provides correction functions and
added comfort and convenience.
Current active steering systems are not true steer by-wire
systems. There is still a mechanical connection between the
steering wheel and vehicle’s wheels. The systems have an The primary difference between
overriding drive built into the steering column. This drive is active steering and a “steer-by-wire”
controlled by an electric motor, which is controlled by the system is the fact that the steering
system’s computer. The computer determines whether the train, and thus the driver’s
steering angle needs to be changed and by how much. If the mechanical control of the steered
system fails, the planetary gear unit will rotate directly with the front wheels, is maintained during
steering wheel. active steering.
 Active Steering Systems
• Planetary Gear Sets

A simple planetary gear set consists of three primary components.

1. Sun gear
2. Planet carrier (including planet pinion gears)
3. Ring (annulus) gear

The sun gear gets its name from its position at the center of the gear set. The planet carrier holds the
pinion gears, also known as planet gears, which revolve around the sun gear. The planet carrier assembly
is commonly referred to simply as “the carrier.” The outermost member of the gear set is the ring gear,
the internal type with teeth inside. The ring gear is sometimes called an annulus or internal gear.
The pinion gears are in simultaneous mesh with both the sun gear and the ring gear. The pinion gears are
free to rotate on pins that are part of the carrier, and the entire assembly rotates to direct torque flow.
The pinions are fully meshed with both the sun gear and internal ring gear at all times.
Active Steering Systems
• Planetary Gear Sets

The planetary gears never disengage to change gear ratios; torque is simply redirected. The torque flow through
a planetary gear set, both input and output, occurs along a single axis.
In a planetary gear set, the following is done to achieve the various gear ratios and reverse.
• One of the members is being driven (input).
• One of the members is being held (reaction member).
• One of the members is the output.
 Active Steering Systems
• Planetary Gear Sets
Therefore, driving one gear will cause all
of the other gears to rotate as well. This
allows the gear set to provide different
gear ratios, depending upon how
torque is distributed through the
assembly. To transmit torque through a
planetary gear set, a drive member
rotates while a second member is held,
which causes a third member to be
driven. Each member of a planetary
gear set can play any one of these three
roles to transmit torque. The various
combinations of drive, held, and driven
members result in the number of gear
ratios available and change the
direction of rotation as well for reverse.
Active Steering Systems
Mechanical system
The steering train consists, as usual, of the steering wheel, steering
column, steering gear and tie rods. The special feature of the new
active steering is a differential gearbox. For this purpose, a planetary
gear (6) is integrated with two input shafts and one output shaft in
the steering gear. One input shaft is connected to the steering wheel,
and the other drives an electric motor (4) via a worm gear pair (3) as
a reduction stage. The connected ECU processes the necessary
sensor signals, controls the electric motor and monitors the entire
steering system.
The electric motor and differential gearbox allow steering
intervention at the front axle to take place independently of the
driver. At low speeds, the effective steering angle at the wheels is
greater than the angle set on the steering wheel, as the system adds
a part that is proportional to the steering angle. At high speeds, it
subtracts a corresponding amount so that the wheel angle is smaller
than that set by the driver. When the electric motor is inactive, the
steering wheel controls the vehicle’s wheels directly, as with
conventional steering systems.
Active Steering Systems
Activation concept
The actuator adjustment at the front axle, which takes place independently of the driver, requires a
complex activation concept
that is implemented in an ECU with two processors that communicate with each other.
One processor is responsible for activating the servomotor, the other for calculating the correct control
angle.
Both processors monitor each other to ensure that they are functioning properly. The movement status
of the steering gear is detected using one angle sensor each on the steering pinion and servomotor. The
steering wheel angle signal is also used as the setpoint specification from the driver.
Sensors for yaw velocity, lateral acceleration and wheel speed, which are already in place for the driving
stability systems (ESP), provide additional input signals for the active steering.
The ECU is networked to the system using powertrain CAN and the new chassis CAN at the required
high data rate, approximately 100 times a second.
Active Steering Systems
Driving stabilization
To calculate the stabilizing
steering intervention, the vehicle
movement variables of yaw
angular acceleration and lateral
acceleration are returned and
compared in the stabilization
controller with the setpoint
specified by the driver, which is
made up of the steering wheel
angle and driving speed.
Active Steering Systems
Cooperation with driving stability systems
Compared to conventional driving stability systems based on wheel slip control, driving stabilization
via steering intervention at the front axle has different characteristics:
1. The steering intervention is considerably less noticeable to the driver than the clearly audible
braking intervention.
2. The steering intervention is faster than a radial braking intervention, which requires a certain
pressure build-up time.
3. The braking intervention provides superior stabilization performance than the steering.
By combining active steering (steering intervention) and wheel slip control (braking intervention),
optimum driving stabilization is attained.
Active Steering Systems
Benefits of active steering for the driver
1. Driving errors are corrected or compensated for in such a way that the driver is not surprised by the
vehicle’s reaction.
2. The steering ratio, which depends on the driving situation, makes it easier to maneuver the car at
very low speeds, as fewer complete turns of the steering wheel are required with the same amount
of effort.
3. Greater convenience and comfort at high speeds, as the driver no longer needs to fear losing control
of the car by accidentally applying too much steering force.
4. The steering lead is another comfort and convenience feature. It allows more smart activation in
response to the steering command.
Active Steering Systems
Safety concept
1. If the servomotor has to be switched off due to a fault, this path is mechanically blocked. The planetary
gear then rolls off internally while the worm gear is blocked, and the vehicle remains steerable with no
restrictions and at a constant gear ratio. Thus active steering is possible even if the mechanical connection
fails. This is a great advantage over pure “steer-by-wire” systems.
2. In active steering, all relevant input signals are safeguarded by redundant sensors or measurements. Two
different processors calculate the setpoint signal in the ECU.
3. Active steering requires no additional control elements because all of its subfunctions are activated
automatically when the engine is started. If the internal combustion engine is not working (while the
vehicle is being towed), the active steering, like conventional power steering, is disabled.