Importance

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Abstract

A system for controlling steering of a vehicle, including a steering device such as a steering wheel with an electric motor which assists steering of driven wheels of the vehicle, first steering control unit for controlling the motor, a CCD camera for detecting a lane condition of a road on which the vehicle travels, a yaw rate sensor for detecting motion of the vehicle, steering assist torque calculating unit for calculating a steering assist torque necessary for holding the lane, a torque sensor for detecting an actual steering torque manually applied to the steering device by the driver, and second steering control unit for calculating a torque command to be output to the first steering control unit based on the steering assist torque calculated by the steering assist torque calculating unit and the detected steering torque to control the actuator such that the torque command decreases. In the system, a switching device is provided for switching between modes of control by the first steering control unit and the second steering control unit gradually with respect to time, thereby ensuring to switch the mode of control smoothly and preventing the occurrence of disadvantages including that the vehicle driver experiences annoyance upon sensing a change in steering assist.

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First Claim