# US 12,594,992 B2 · Vehicle steering control device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,594,992 B2
- Document ID: US12594992B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/833,166
- Filed: 2022-06-06
- Published: 2022-12-15
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2021-06-09
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Takeshi Hamaguchi; Shusaku Sugamoto; Satoshi Handa; Satoshi Inoue; Shintaro Saigo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594992B2

## CPC

- B62D 6/008: {Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications}
- B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)}
- 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)

## Abstract

A vehicle steering control device includes a control device. The control device is configured to control a steering reaction force to be applied to a steering operation performed by a driver of a driver's vehicle, acquire information on a curved road ahead of the driver's vehicle in a traveling direction, set a guide steering operation amount based on the information on the curved road, predict a time at which the driver starts an actual steering operation for driving the driver's vehicle along the curved road as a steering operation start time, and set, based on a difference between the guide steering operation amount and an actual amount of the steering operation, the steering reaction force at a time earlier by a predetermined period than the steering operation start time.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle steering control device comprising:
a control device configured to:
acquire information on a curved road ahead of a driver's vehicle in a traveling direction, wherein the information on the curved road includes a curve radius;
set a predetermined guide steering angle based on the information on the curved road;
after the predetermined guide steering angle has been set, control a power steering device of the driver's vehicle to start to increase a guide steering angle from zero to the predetermined guide steering angle earlier in time as the curve radius of the curved road becomes smaller;
after the guide steering angle starts to increase to the predetermined guide steering angle, acquire an actual steering angle being performed by a driver of the driver's vehicle; and
apply a steering reaction force based on a difference between the guide steering angle and the actual steering angle being performed by the driver.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to, as a traveling speed of the driver's vehicle becomes higher, control the guide steering angle to start to increase from zero earlier in time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle steering control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to:
set a target for a change in the actual steering angle while the driver's vehicle travels along the curved road; and
limit a maximum value of the predetermined guide steering angle to a value smaller by a predetermined value than a maximum value of the actual steering angle that changes in accordance with the target.

### Claim 4

A vehicle steering control device comprising:
acquire information on a curved road ahead of a driver's vehicle in a traveling direction;
set a predetermined guide steering angle based on the information on the curved road;
set the steering reaction force based on a difference between the guide steering operation amount and an actual amount of the steering operation performed by the driver; and
after the predetermined guide steering angle has been set, control a power steering device of the driver's vehicle to start to increase a guide steering angle from zero to the predetermined guide steering angle earlier in time as a speed of the driver's vehicle becomes higher;
after the guide steering angle starts to increase to the predetermined guide steering angle, acquire an actual steering angle being performed by a driver of the driver's vehicle; and
apply a steering reaction force based on a difference between the guide steering angle and the actual steering angle being performed by the driver.