Vehicle adaptive steering control apparatus

A vehicle adaptive steering control apparatus, comprising:

• a steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly;
• a front wheel steering mechanism in electronic communication with the steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly, the front wheel steering mechanism having a right wheel steering portion and a left wheel steering portion, the right wheel steering portion and the left wheel steering portion being independently operable relative to one another;
• a left front wheel rotatably supported by a left front steering knuckle having a wheel bearing assembly coupled to the left wheel steering portion;
• a right front wheel rotatably supported by a left front steering knuckle having a wheel bearing assembly coupled to the right wheel steering portion;
• a left front suspension structure coupled to the left front wheel;
• a right front suspension structure coupled to the right front wheel;
• a load detection device configured to measure a condition indicative of vehicle loads, the load detection device being spaced apart from and separate from the left and right front steering knuckles;
• and
• a controller in electronic communication with the steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly, the front wheel steering mechanism and the load detection device, the controller calculating toe angle adjustments for each of the right wheel steering portion and the left wheel steering portion in response to determining loads on each of the left front wheel and the right front wheel based on signals from the load detection device.

A method for vehicle adaptive steering control comprising:

• rotatably supporting left and right front wheels on left and right steering knuckles of a vehicle body structure;
• manually operating a steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly to steer and turn the vehicle body structure;
• employing a front wheel steering mechanism in electronic communication with the steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly to independently control movement of each of a right wheel steering portion connected to the right steering knuckle and a left wheel steering portion connected to the left steering knuckle in response to manual operation of the steer-by-wire steering wheel assembly;
• detecting vehicle loads of the vehicle body structure at a location spaced apart from and separate from the left and right front steering knuckles;
• calculating a load for each of the left front wheel and the right front wheel based the detecting of the vehicle loads;
• electronically determining a toe angle adjustment for each of the right wheel steering portion and the left wheel steering portion in response to calculating the load for each of the left front wheel and the right front wheel;
• and
• effecting the toe angle adjustment for each of the right wheel steering portion and the left wheel steering portion during steering and turning movements of the right and left front wheels.