Patents by Inventor Pascal Moulaire

Pascal Moulaire has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12060119
    Abstract: A method for estimating a value of a friction force exerted on a part of a power steering system of a vehicle, the part of the power steering system including at least one motor exerting a motor torque, the value of the friction force making it possible to modify the motor torque, by means of a mathematical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Serge Gaudin, Nicolas Baudouin, Pascal Moulaire
  • Patent number: 11656137
    Abstract: A method in which a continuous estimation of the intermediate friction rate is carried out, allowing the integration of the method into a general friction compensation method so as to continuously improve the feel on the steering wheel, particularly for speeds below a determined threshold. Also, a method for friction compensation in an electrical power steering system, characterised in that the compensation method takes into account a continuous estimation of the intermediate friction rate obtained by the estimation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Alain Guilemond, Sébastien Bourdrez, Tahar Slama, Pascal Moulaire, Nicolas Baudouin
  • Patent number: 11597433
    Abstract: A method for determining a setpoint torque for a steering wheel of a power-assisted steering system of a vehicle, the setpoint torque making it possible to determine a motor torque applied directly or indirectly by a control motor to the steering wheel, and the setpoint torque being at least determined by a reversibility function designed to bring a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel toward the steering wheel angle at which the vehicle will follow a trajectory in a straight line, the reversibility function comprising a first step in which a target speed of the steering wheel is determined depending on the steering wheel angle, wherein the target speed is also a function of a yaw rate of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pierre Larminy, André Michelis, Pascal Moulaire, Christophe Ravier
  • Patent number: 11597432
    Abstract: A power-steering system for a motor vehicle includes a steering wheel and an assistance motor controlled by a closed-loop regulation system, the regulation system determining a motor torque of the assistance motor as a function of a measured steering-wheel torque, using at least one “setpoint monitoring” arm calculating a component of the motor torque, referred to as “variant motor torque”, by subtracting a set steering-wheel torque from the RFe corresponding to the sum of the measured steering-wheel torque and the motor torque, wherein the variant motor torque is multiplied by a gain determined by a three-dimensional map as a function of a vehicle speed and the measured steering-wheel torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Quentin Fraison, Pascal Moulaire, André Michelis
  • Patent number: 11572097
    Abstract: A steering controller includes processing circuitry configured to execute a first operation process that, when an angle command value is not input from outside of the processing circuitry, calculates a first torque command value corresponding to a steering-side operation amount and operating a drive circuit of an electric motor to adjust torque of the electric motor to the first torque command value. The processing circuitry is further configured to execute a second operation process that, when the angle command value is input from the outside of the processing circuitry, calculates a second torque command value corresponding to at least an angle-side operation amount of the steering-side operation amount and the angle-side operation amount and operating the drive circuit of the electric motor to adjust the torque of the electric motor to the second torque command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, JTEKT EUROPE S.A.S.
    Inventors: Terutaka Tamaizumi, Tahar Slama, Pascal Moulaire, Pierre Larminy
  • Patent number: 11565743
    Abstract: A method for managing a power steering system assist motor, includes defining, over the functional length of the actuator member, at least one reduced assist area separate from a normal assist area by an end-of-travel virtual threshold, a step of assessing an instantaneous position and a direction of the movement of the actuator member on the functional length, a step of applying an input resistance set point value to the assist motor when the actuator member crosses the end-of-travel virtual threshold in such a way as to move from the normal assist area into the reduced assist area. After the step of applying an input resistance set point value, an output resistance set point value is applied when the actuator member is in the reduced assist area and the direction of the movement of the actuator member is directed from the reduced assist area towards the normal assist area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, Arnaud Thiery, Dimitri Barthes, Nicolas Baudouin
  • Patent number: 11453433
    Abstract: A power-steering device includes a steering wheel and an assistance motor controlled by a controller which uses at least one closed-loop control law ensuring an adjustment of the steering wheel torque, the controller including at least one feedback arm which calculates a drift component by measuring or assessing an actual force parameter corresponding to the actual steering wheel torque, by next calculating a time drift value of the actual force parameter, and then multiplying the time drift value by a drift gain, wherein the controller uses three-dimensional cartography to adjust the drift gain according to a portion of the actual force parameter and the longitudinal velocity of the vehicle, according to a first domain, referred to as “parking domain”, which extends from a longitudinal vehicle velocity of zero to a predetermined longitudinal velocity threshold, and a second domain, referred to as “driving domain”, which extends beyond the longitudinal velocity threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, André Michelis, Serge Gaudin
  • Patent number: 11414125
    Abstract: A steering controller includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to execute an operation process for calculating a torque command value corresponding to a sum of an amount by which the steering-side operation amount is converted into the torque required for the electric motor and an amount by which the steerable wheel-side operation amount is converted into the torque required for the electric motor and operate a drive circuit of the electric motor to adjust the torque of the electric motor to the torque command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, JTEKT EUROPE S.A.S.
    Inventors: Terutaka Tamaizumi, Tahar Slama, Pascal Moulaire, Pierre Larminy
  • Patent number: 11383761
    Abstract: A power steering system including a steering wheel, a return function to automatically return the steering wheel to a given reference position, and includes a function for calculating a return-speed setpoint which calculates a steering wheel speed setpoint from the steering wheel position error differentiating between the effective instantaneous position of the steering wheel and the reference position, then a function for calculating the return assistance, defining from the steering wheel speed error which is the difference between the effective speed of the steering wheel and the steering wheel speed setpoint, a return assistance setpoint, the system including a dynamic saturation function defining at least one saturation threshold, that the dynamic saturation function sets according to the value of the steering wheel speed setpoint, and the dynamic saturation function applies to clip the peaks of the return assistance setpoint calculation to confine the return assistance setpoint to an authorized domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Dimitri Barthes, Pascal Moulaire, Julien Ponte
  • Patent number: 11345394
    Abstract: A steer-by-wire power steering system including a lower-level mechanism that includes a servo motor and a steered wheel, and an upper-level mechanism that includes a steering wheel and an auxiliary motor, the lower-level mechanism being closed-loop controlled, at zero force, by a lower local loop including a feedback branch that measures or estimates an actual downstream force downstream of the servo motor and upstream of the point of contact between the wheel and the ground, so as to make the servo motor transparent, while the upper-level mechanism is closed-loop controlled, at zero torque, by an upper local loop including a feedback branch which measures or estimates an actual driver torque between the auxiliary motor and the steering wheel so as to make the auxiliary motor transparent, the lower and upper local loops being controlled by a single overall controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, André Michelis
  • Patent number: 11318987
    Abstract: A steering controller includes processing circuitry configured to execute a torque control process that calculates a steering-side operation amount, an angle feedback control process that calculates an angle-side operation amount, and an operation process that operates a drive circuit of an electric motor to adjust torque of the electric motor to a torque command value. The processing circuitry is further configured to execute a switch process that switches, when determining that a controllability of the electric motor is less than or equal to a predetermined efficiency, the torque command value from a value based on the angle-side operation amount to a value based on the steering-side operation amount instead of the angle-side operation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, JTEKT EUROPE S.A.S.
    Inventors: Terutaka Tamaizumi, Tahar Slama, Pascal Moulaire, Pierre Larminy
  • Patent number: 11299198
    Abstract: A method estimates a track rod force which is exerted, in a power steering system with which a vehicle is equipped, on a track rod belonging to a steering mechanism which connects an actuator to a steered wheel which is orientable in the yaw direction and which bears a tyre of which the tread is in contact with the ground, the value of the estimated track rod force being corrected as a function of the longitudinal speed of the vehicle by a force component that models the release of the elastic torsion of the tyre so as to reduce, the estimated track rod force according to the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, when the vehicle transitions from a park situation in which the longitudinal speed of the vehicle is zero to a drive situation in which the longitudinal speed of the vehicle is non-zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pierre Dupraz, Serge Gaudin, Pascal Moulaire, Kazusa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10889319
    Abstract: A method for controlling a power steering device including a steering assist motor and a steering wheel. In the method, a steering wheel torque setpoint is generated, the actual steering wheel torque actually exerted by the driver on the steering wheel is measured, the difference, the so-called “steering wheel torque error”, between the steering wheel torque setpoint and the actual steering wheel torque is determined, then a motor torque setpoint for the steering assist motor is generated from a first filtered proportional component on one hand, obtained by filtering via a phase-lead filter the steering wheel torque error weighted by a first assist gain, and from a second derivative return component on the other hand, obtained by calculating the time derivative of the actual steering wheel torque and weighting the derivative by means of a second derivative gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, Hervé Peltier, Arnaud Thiery, Tahar Slama
  • Patent number: 10549775
    Abstract: A method for estimating the ageing of a steering mechanism during which the ageing of the steering mechanism is assessed by calculating a value called «ageing value» according to an ageing function (old, old2, ene) which corresponds to the integral, over time, of an expression which is weighted by a stress indicator (Tm(u), Ts(u)) the value of which at each considered instant (u) is representative of the intensity of a stress force (Tm, Ts), such as the operating force exerted by the assist motor, which is undergone by the steering mechanism at the considered instant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pascal Moulaire, Romaric Pregniard, Christophe Ravier
  • Patent number: 10486738
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for managing an assisted steering device (1) for a vehicle (2) comprising a steering wheel (3) on which the driver exerts a manoeuvring effort, termed the “steering wheel torque” (T3), as well as an assistance motor (12) intended to provide an assistance effort (T12), said method comprising a steering wheel torque reconstruction step (a) in the course of which the steering wheel torque (T3) is evaluated, such as is actually exerted by the driver on the steering wheel (3), without calling upon a steering wheel torque sensor (14) specifically dedicated to the measurement of said steering wheel torque, but by reconstructing an information item representative of said steering wheel torque (T3), termed the “estimated steering wheel torque” (T3_estim), on the basis of data termed “external data” (83, 812, 8?3, 8?12) that is gathered outside a specific steering wheel torque sensor (14) such as this and which include the angular position of the steering wheel (83), the angular positi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, Yoann Baudin, Serge Gaudin, Ofaina Taofifenua, Kazusa Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10293852
    Abstract: A method for detecting a situation of loss of grip of a vehicle provided with a steering system operated by a steering wheel, the method including a step (a) of evaluating a first indicator of loss of grip (P1) by calculating, as the first indicator of loss of grip (P1), the partial derivative ( P ? ? 1 = ? ? . ? ? ) , relative to a variable (?) representative of the angular position of the steering wheel, of a driving parameter which is representative of the yaw rate ({dot over (?)}) of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: André Michelis, Christophe Ravier, Pascal Moulaire
  • Patent number: 10286947
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for detecting a transition (4?) in a noisy signal, which involves submitting a noisy signal (?Signal) carrying an item of information used for managing the power steering, said method comprising a derivation sub-step (a1), which involves evaluating the time derivative of the noisy signal (?Signal/?t), following by a selective filtering sub-step (a2) which involves comparing said time derivative of the noisy signal (?Signal/?t) with a predefined variation threshold (Spic) in order to detect the appearance of a derivative peak (7), greater than said variation threshold (Spic), evaluating the holding time (dpic) of said derivative peak, during which the time derivative of the noisy signal (?Signal/?t) is held above said variation threshold (Spic), and checking if said peak holding time (Spic) reaches or exceeds a predefined minimum time threshold (d0).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pascal Moulaire, Christophe Ravier
  • Patent number: 10227088
    Abstract: A method for managing a power steering system, including a step (a) of detecting a reversal in the steering direction which involves acquiring a signal, referred to as a “motor torque signal” (CMot), representative of the assistance force (Cassist) delivered by the power steering motor, then evaluating the time derivative (?CMot/?t) of the motor torque signal, then comparing the time derivative of the motor torque signal to a predefined variation threshold (Spic) in order to detect a derivative peak, greater than the variation threshold (Spic), that indicates a reversal in the steering direction. The method next includes a friction evaluation step (b) which involves evaluating the friction from the drop, during the reversal in the steering direction, in a so-called “actuation force signal” (Caction), which is representative of the total actuation force exerted together on the power steering by the driver and by the power steering motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pascal Moulaire, Christophe Ravier
  • Patent number: 10180378
    Abstract: A method for evaluating the frictions in a power steering mechanism, the method including a step of acquiring a series of characterization points, during which are measured, for several different values taken successively by the assistance force during the operation of the steering mechanism, the corresponding friction values, so as to empirically obtain a series of distinct characterization points each associating a measured friction value to a measured value representative of the assistance force, then a step of constructing an empirical friction model, during which a correlation law is established between the characterization points constitutive of the series of characterization points, from the scatter chart formed by the series of the characterization points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pascal Moulaire, Christophe Ravier
  • Patent number: 10139297
    Abstract: A method determines a link force within a power-steering mechanism of a vehicle, the method including a step (a) of determining an actuation force, which involves determining the actuation force that results from the assistance force exerted by the assistance motor and the driver force exerted by the driver of the vehicle on the steering mechanism; a step (b) of assessing dry friction; and a step (c) of calculating the link force, which has a summation sub-step which involves calculating an expression representing the link force, which uses the algebraic sum of the actuation force and the dry friction force, and a filtering sub-step which involves applying a low-pass filter in order to smooth the result of the expression when the expression is calculated upon a steering reversal of the steering mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Sébastien Bourdrez, Pascal Moulaire, Christophe Ravier