Intuitive drive-by-wire steering with redundant mechanical control

A method for controlling a vehicle:

• receiving user input from a steering mechanism, via a first sensor;
• receiving vehicle state data via a second sensor;
• receiving external data via a third sensor;
• receiving and analyzing at a control processor coupled to the first, second and third sensor, the user input, vehicle state data, and external data;
• and
• generating command signals to a steering actuator to actuate a road wheel direction of the vehicle in accordance with the user input.

A control system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory module;
• a control algorithm stored in the memory module and executed via the processor to:
• receive data from a plurality of sensors indicating driver input, orientation of a frame of a vehicle, orientation of a front wheel of the vehicle with respect to the frame, orientations and rotational speeds of a plurality of flywheels included in a gyroscope unit coupled to the frame, and a speed of the vehicle;
• determine a current vehicle state based, at least in part, on the received data;
• adjust an output torque of the gyroscope unit by adjusting a rotational velocity of a tilt of at least one of the flywheels from an axis of rotation normal to an axis of rotation of the front wheel of the vehicle based, at least in part, on the current vehicle state, wherein adjusting the rotational velocity of the tilt of at least one of the flywheels comprises increasing the rotational velocity of the tilt of the at least one of the flywheels to increase the output torque of the gyroscope unit, and wherein adjusting the rotational velocity of the tilt of at least one of the flywheels comprises minimizing the rotational velocity of the tilt of the at least one of the flywheels to use the output torque of the gyroscope unit for a prolonged period of time;
• and
• adjust a direction of a wheel of the vehicle via electric command based, at least in part, on the current vehicle state.