autonomous vehicle steering system
During autonomous driving, if the steering system has any problem, the driver cannot intervene immediately and the risk of an accident increases. Credit: Jesse Collins / Unsplash.

South Korea-based Hyundai Mobis has developed a customised steering system that is optimised for autonomous vehicles.

This technology comes more than a decade after the production of the electric power steering system in 2006.

Hyundai Mobis chassis division R&D centre head Kim Se-il said: “Autonomous driving will be realised only when the state-of-the-art technologies in safety control such as steering and braking, as well as sensor and positioning technology, come to fruition.

“As Hyundai Mobis is capable of providing various packaged systems necessary for autonomous driving, it will lead the market in the future.”

In an autonomous vehicle, appropriate steering system operation is a requirement directly related to passenger safety.

“The system software has been developed in a way that the two systems continuously watch over each other so that the autonomous vehicle steering system remains stable under any circumstances.”

Even when the steering system faces an unexpected problem while the vehicle is being driven, the system must be capable of detecting the issue on its own and controlling the steering wheel before stable autonomous driving becomes feasible.

Hyundai Mobis designed all core electronic components of the autonomous vehicle steering system such as sensors, ECUs, and motors to ensure that normal steering is feasible in any circumstance.

Given that two independent electronic circuits are applied to one steering system, even when one circuit breaks down, the other circuit will work normally and maintain stable driving.

Hyundai Mobis reduced the size of the electronic control unit (ECU), which plays a central role in the electric power steering system. It made use of small electronic devices to cut down its size in half while ensuring that it carries out the standard functions.

The system software has been developed in a way that the two systems, with one in the redundant control mode, continuously watch over each other so that the autonomous vehicle steering system remains stable under any circumstances.

In order to advance the technology, Hyundai Mobis is carrying out reliability evaluations, including road tests.

It is intending to complete verification tests in general driving conditions such as highways, city centres, and parking manoeuvres by the end of this year, and commence mass-production in 2020.