IP Library Granted Patent US 12,357,879
Granted Patent B2
US 12,357,879 · App. 17/715,950 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Steering control device and method for vehicle

Inventor: Tae Sik Kim (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Assignee: HL MANDO CORPORATION
A63B24/0087A63B21/0054A63B21/0058A63B21/22A63B21/4035A63B21/4049A63B23/12A63B23/1209A63B24/0062B60W10/20B60W10/26B60W40/08B60W50/082B62D5/005B62D5/0457B62D5/046H02J7/1415A63B2024/0093A63B2208/0233A63B2220/16A63B2220/34A63B2220/40A63B2220/54A63B2220/62A63B2220/805A63B2220/806A63B2230/75B60W2040/0827B60Y2400/307
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,357,879
App. No.
17/715,950
Granted
Jul 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosure relates to a steering control device and method for a vehicle and may provide a vehicle steering control device and method capable of doing exercise using the steering wheel of the vehicle to easily do exercise inside the vehicle while driving and preventing drowsy driving.

Claims (20)

1. A steering control device of a vehicle, comprising:

an exercise mode determining unit determining to execute an exercise mode of a reaction force motor based on exercise request information input by a user if at least one of vehicle driving information about the vehicle or user information meets a preset condition;

a load generation unit generating a load by the reaction force motor by controlling upper switching elements or lower switching elements for each phase of an inverter to simultaneously perform a switching operation depending on whether the exercise mode is executed; and

a state output unit calculating and outputting exercise state information from a start time of the exercise mode execution.

2. The steering control device of claim 1 , wherein the exercise mode determining unit determines that the condition is met if it is determined that a state of the vehicle obtained from the vehicle driving information is a parked state or a stopped state or the user's state obtained from the user information is a drowsy driving state or a long-term driving state.

3. The steering control device of claim 1 , wherein the exercise mode determining unit determines to change at least one of an exercise part, an exercise direction, or an exercise angle based on a step of executing the exercise mode selected by the user and to execute the exercise mode.

4. The steering control device of claim 1 , wherein the load generation unit adjusts a magnitude of the load by changing a duty ratio of determining the switching operation and adjusts a strength of exercise depending on the magnitude of the load.

5. The steering control device of claim 1 , wherein the load generation unit generates the load by controlling the switching operation based on a torque sensor signal of the reaction force motor, and wherein the switching operation includes turning on all of either the upper switching elements or the lower switching elements for each phase of the inverter to short a motor coil of each phase of the reaction force motor.

6. The steering control device of claim 1 , further comprising a battery charging unit charging a battery using a restricting force of the reaction force motor generated as a steering wheel of the vehicle is rotated when the exercise mode is executed.

7. The steering control device of claim 6 , wherein the state output unit calculates, in real-time, and outputs an exercise time, calorie consumption, and an amount of charge of the battery from the start time of executing the exercise mode.

8. A steering control method of a vehicle, comprising:

an exercise mode determination step determining to execute an exercise mode of a reaction force motor based on exercise request information input by a user if at least one of vehicle driving information about the vehicle or user information meets a preset condition;

a load generation step generating a load by the reaction force motor by controlling upper switching elements or lower switching elements for each phase of an inverter to simultaneously perform a switching operation depending on whether the exercise mode is executed; and

a state output step calculating and outputting exercise state information from a start time of the exercise mode execution.

9. The steering control method of claim 8 , wherein the exercise mode determination step determines that the condition is met if it is determined that a state of the vehicle obtained from the vehicle driving information is a parked state or a stopped state or the user's state obtained from the user information is a drowsy driving state or a long-term driving state.

10. The steering control method of claim 8 , wherein the exercise mode determination step determines to change at least one of an exercise part, an exercise direction, or an exercise angle based on a step of executing the exercise mode selected by the user and to execute the exercise mode.

11. The steering control method of claim 8 , wherein the load generation step adjusts a magnitude of the load by changing a duty ratio of determining the switching operation and adjusts a strength of exercise depending on the magnitude of the load.

12. The steering control method of claim 8 , wherein the load generation step generates the load by controlling the switching operation based on a torque sensor signal of the reaction force motor, and wherein the switching operation includes turning on all of either the upper switching elements or the lower switching elements for each phase of the inverter to short a motor coil of each phase of the reaction force motor.

13. The steering control method of claim 8 , further comprising a battery charging step charging a battery using a restricting force of the reaction force motor generated as a steering wheel of the vehicle is rotated when the exercise mode is executed.

14. The steering control method of claim 13 , wherein the state output step calculates, in real-time, and outputs an exercise time, calorie consumption, and an amount of charge of the battery from the start time of executing the exercise mode.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 23, 2024
From: KIM, TAE SIK
To: MANDO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 067510/0037 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 18, 2022
From: MANDO CORPORATION
To: HL MANDO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062152/0127 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0052629 · Apr 22, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220339503A1 · Oct 27, 2022
References Cited (8)
US 20130190986A1 · Nishimori · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20150191200A1 · Tsubaki · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20190233004A1 · Kodera · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200269913A1 · Fujimoto · 2020 [cited by examiner]
DE 102009025150 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
DE 102010030308 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
DE 102013203115 · 2014 [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Dec. 7, 2022 for German Patent Application No. 10 2022 203 887.8 and its English machine translation by Google Translate. [cited by applicant]