Research Overview

While the automotive sector strives toward automated driving, certain segments within the industry are expected to witness a drastic shift in demand, technological development, and deployment. One such segment is steering. While the pace of innovation in automated driving has slowed due to COVID-19, the gradual transition toward the development of a vehicle with driver out of the loop is imminent. Adaptive steering, which has gained traction primarily among premium end vehicles, is expected to be affected by such developments. While the short term focuses on semi-automated vehicles, this offers a window of opportunity for steering technologies, especially for adaptive front steering (AFS), which will have to compete with developments in other technologies such as steer-by-wire.

The basic adaptive steering mechanism comprises obtaining the vehicle speed data from the sensors and through its actuators enhance or reduce the front steering ratio or provide rear wheel angular movement, depending on the availability of the technology in the vehicle. This not only improves the comfort and maneuverability in urban conditions, but also offers directional stability while making lateral displacements at high speeds.

AFS varies the steering ratio in only the front wheels, while rear wheel steering (RWS) offers rear wheel angular movements that either turn in the opposite or same direction of the front wheels, depending on the vehicle's speed. All wheel steering (AWS), on the other hand, is a combination of AFS and RWS, offering the functionalities of both systems.