Tesla has filed for a patent on a brand new steer-by-wire system. Electrek beforehand reported that Tesla is constructing a staff to deliver steer-by-wire know-how to its electrical autos.
A steer-by-wire system eliminates the usage of mechanical linkages in a steering system, and as a substitute, it solely depends on electrical or electromechanical methods for steering.
It has the potential to be extra environment friendly, provide higher steering configurations, and open up the car’s cockpit to totally different designs.
Nonetheless, many markets nonetheless require mechanical linkages in steering methods to ensure that a car to be highway authorized.
Tesla, like many automakers, has already carried out motors and actuators for drive controls with the intention to implement its assisted driving options beneath Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, nevertheless it nonetheless has a mechanical hyperlink to its steering system.
In 2020, Electrek reported that Tesla is constructing a brand new staff in Austin with the aim of growing a brand new steer-by-wire system.
A yr later, CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla is certainly engaged on steer-by-wire progressive steering, nevertheless it’s nonetheless years away.
Now we study that Tesla has filed for a patent for a brand new steer-by-wire system.
The automaker wrote within the summary of the patent software:
A car steering system by wire to manage the lateral movement of the car is supplied. The system features a steering wheel torque suggestions actuator meeting with two controllers, a entrance highway wheel steering actuator meeting with two zonally remoted motors and controllers, two separate energy assemblies, two separate car communication networks in separate wiring bundle assemblies, and three non-public system communication networks between every node within the steering system. The redundant elements are zonally remoted such that widespread reason behind faults don’t endanger the system when a number of of the elements fails. The system can embrace differential gearbox highway wheel actuator to permit absolute place of the highway wheels. The system can additional embrace a set of place sensor assemblies together with two magnetic and one inductive sensor assemblies.
Right here’s a drawing of Tesla’s system:
Within the disclosure, Tesla claims that its design permits for redundancy with out having a mechanical steering system as a backup.
Electrek’s Take
Sure! I like that Tesla is transferring ahead with this. It looks as if a pure development for autos.
I do know that some persons are fearful about hacking autos, however I don’t suppose steer-by-wire accentuates these considerations contemplating in the event you can hack a car that has actuators to manage steering, you might have simply as a lot harm as with a car with steer-by-wire.
Due to this fact, sure, we ought to be involved about hacking autos, nevertheless it ought to be a blanket concern for nearly all new autos apart from possibly a brand new Lada.
As for Tesla’s used of the know-how, I’m positive they’re pondering of some benefits with self-driving, nevertheless it can be helpful for human driving, particularly relating to tuning the steering for its yoke steering wheel.
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