Design of a new steering system to solve the problem of steering operation during low speed driving

Abstract

This study aims to develop a new steering system that can help increase the ease of driving and reduce the driver's mental workload during low-speed driving. First, the problems associated with low-speed driving were investigated. It was found that the act of changing the steering grip is one of the major factors that increase the workload. Therefore, it a new steering system, which eliminates the need of changing the steering grip, should be developed. A preliminary lab experiment was conducted to determine the specifications for the new steering system. Resultantly, it was found that hassle-free low-speed driving can be performed by changing the directions of the driver's arm motions and form of the steering grip, which are the characteristics of a conventional steering system. Therefore, we decided the bar type steering as a proposal system which changed them. A driving simulator experiment was conducted to compare the differences between conventional steering system and the proposed steering system. It was also found that the proposed steering system has a lower driver gain and higher time constant in comparison with a conventional steering system. The proposed steering system enables a hassle-free driving experience, even with a low steering ratio. Finally, an experiment with test subject drivers in a real car was conducted to evaluate the compatibility between the proposed steering system and real car. Furthermore, it was found that the proposed steering system was easy to drive with, even for drivers with no previous driving experience.