# US 11,993,307 B2 · Methods and apparatus to control a torque threshold for hands on/off detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,993,307 B2 - Document ID: US11993307B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/320,542 - Filed: 2023-05-19 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2021-01-15 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies - Inventors: Quazi Farooqi; Darrel Alan Recker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993307B2 ## CPC - B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)} - G01L 3/00: Measuring torque, work, mechanical power, or mechanical efficiency, in general - G01P 3/00: Measuring linear or angular speed; Measuring differences of linear or angular speeds (G01P5/00 - G01P11/00 take precedence; {direction and speed indication G01P13/045}; counting mechanisms G06M) - G07C 5/02: Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only (apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00) - G01P 21/02: of speedometers - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G) - G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G}) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract Methods and apparatus to control a torque threshold for hands on/off detection are disclosed. An example steering system includes a steering wheel, a steering shaft operatively coupled to the steering wheel, a rack operatively coupled to the steering shaft, a translational movement of the rack to pivot wheels of a vehicle, a torque sensor operatively coupled to the steering shaft, the torque sensor to measure a torque associated with the steering shaft, an autonomous steering control system to adjust a torque threshold in response to a velocity of the rack satisfying a velocity threshold, and detect a hands off condition in response to the torque satisfying the torque threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A steering system comprising: a steering wheel; a steering shaft operatively coupled to the steering wheel; a rack operatively coupled to the steering shaft, a translational movement of the rack to pivot wheels of a vehicle; a torque sensor operatively coupled to the steering shaft, the torque sensor to measure a torque associated with the steering shaft; and an autonomous steering control system to: adjust a torque threshold in response to a velocity of the rack satisfying a velocity threshold; and detect a hands off condition in response to the torque not satisfying the torque threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The steering system of claim 1, further including a motor operatively coupled to the rack, the autonomous steering control system to determine the velocity of the rack based on an electrical current associated with the motor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The steering system of claim 2, wherein the autonomous steering control system is to: determine the velocity of the rack has a first direction when the electrical current is positive; and determine the velocity of the rack has a second direction opposite the first direction when the electrical current is negative. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The steering system of claim 1, wherein the torque threshold is a first torque threshold associated with a first direction, and wherein the autonomous steering control system is to detect the hands off condition in response to the torque not satisfying a second torque threshold associated with a second direction opposite the first direction, the second torque threshold greater than the first torque threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The steering system of claim 1, further including a user interface and an active driver assistance system, wherein the autonomous steering control system is to: identify a period of time for which the hands off condition persists; cause a notification to be delivered to the user interface when the period of time exceeds a first predetermined period of time; and cause a signal to be delivered to the active driver assistance system when the period of time exceeds a second predetermined period of time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The steering system of claim 5, wherein the active driver assistance system is to at least one of pull over or stop the vehicle after receiving the signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The steering system of claim 1, wherein the torque threshold is associated with a first rotational direction of the steering shaft, wherein the velocity of the rack is associated with a first linear direction, and wherein a rotation of the steering shaft in the first rotational direction causes movement of the rack in a second linear direction opposite the first linear direction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The steering system of claim 7, wherein the adjustment to the torque threshold is a reduction of the torque threshold relative to when the velocity of the rack does not satisfy the velocity threshold. ### Claim 9 A steering system comprising: a steering wheel; a steering shaft operatively coupled to the steering wheel; a motor; a rack operatively coupled to the motor, the motor to drive a translational movement of the rack to pivot wheels of a vehicle; and an autonomous steering control system to: cause a first torque threshold associated with a first rotational direction of the steering shaft to be different from a second torque threshold associated with a second rotational direction of the steering shaft when a velocity of the rack satisfies a velocity threshold; and detect a hands off condition when a steering torque is between the first torque threshold and the second torque threshold for at least a predetermined period of time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The steering system of claim 9, wherein the velocity threshold is a first velocity threshold associated with the translational movement of the rack in a first direction, wherein the first torque threshold is associated with a first rotational movement of the steering shaft that results in the translational movement of the rack in a second direction opposite the first direction, and wherein the autonomous steering control system is to cause the first torque threshold to be less than the second torque threshold when the velocity of the rack satisfies the first velocity threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The steering system of claim 10, further including a second velocity threshold associated with the translational movement of the rack in the second direction, wherein the second torque threshold is associated with a second rotational movement of the steering shaft that results in the translational movement of the rack in the first direction, and wherein the autonomous steering control system is to cause the second torque threshold to be less than the first torque threshold when the velocity of the rack satisfies the second velocity threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The steering system of claim 11, wherein the autonomous steering control system causes the first torque threshold to be equivalent to the second torque threshold when the velocity of the rack does not satisfy the first velocity threshold nor the second velocity threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The steering system of claim 12, wherein the autonomous steering control system determines the velocity of the rack based on an electrical current associated with the motor and a predetermined relationship between the electrical current and the velocity of the rack. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The steering system of claim 9, further including a user interface and an active driver assistance system, wherein the predetermined period of time is a first predetermined period, and wherein the autonomous steering control system is to: cause a notification to be delivered to the user interface when a duration for which the steering torque remains between the first torque threshold and the second torque threshold exceeds the first predetermined period of time; and cause a signal to be delivered to the active driver assistance system when the duration exceeds a second predetermined period of time greater than the first predetermined period of time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The steering system of claim 14, wherein the active driver assistance system is to at least one of pull over or stop the vehicle after receiving the signal. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a steering wheel of a vehicle; a steering column coupled to the steering wheel; a steering shaft coupled to the steering column, the steering column to rotate the steering shaft as the steering wheel rotates; a rack operatively coupled to wheels of the vehicle, movement of the rack to steer the vehicle based on a determined path of travel; a motor operatively coupled to the rack; an autonomous steering control system to: adjust a first torque threshold associated with a first rotational direction of the steering shaft when a velocity of the rack satisfies a velocity threshold; and detect a hands off condition when a torque associated with the steering shaft does not satisfy the first torque threshold nor a second torque threshold associated with a second rotational direction of the steering shaft opposite the first rotational direction for at least a predetermined period of time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the velocity threshold is a first velocity threshold associated with a first direction of the movement of the rack, wherein the autonomous steering control system is to adjust the second torque threshold when the velocity of the rack satisfies a second a second velocity threshold associated with a second direction of the movement of the rack. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the autonomous steering control system determines the velocity of the rack based on an electrical current associated with the motor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, further including a user interface and an active driver assistance system, wherein the predetermined period of time is a first predetermined period, and wherein the autonomous steering control system is to: cause a notification to be delivered to the user interface when a duration for which the torque does not satisfy the first torque threshold nor the second torque threshold exceeds the first predetermined period of time; and cause a signal to be delivered to the active driver assistance system when the duration exceeds a second predetermined period of time greater than the first predetermined period of time. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the active driver assistance system is to cause the vehicle to stop the vehicle after receiving the signal.