Mercedes-Benz has filed a patent with the German Patent and Trademark Office that may hold the key to genuine feedback through the steering wheel. This is true even when that steering wheel is not directly connected to the front axle in any way, such as in a steer-by-wire system. To do this, Mercedes-Benz proposes the use of a state observer using control theory to essentially predict what sorts of vibrations a traditional mechanical steering system may transmit to the driver via the steering column.
How It Works
Control theory is a field where the objective is to use automation engineering and applied mathematics to develop either a model or an algorithm that controls how inputs to the system are managed with maximum precision and minimal delay. More specifically, a state observer, perhaps better defined as a state estimator, uses the inputs and outputs of a broad system – which, in this case, includes things like a wheel assembly and a steer-by-wire steering wheel, respectively – to determine the state of the system. This is just a fancy way of saying that Mercedes believes that, with the right mathematical approach, it can create the sensation of realistic steering feel by the process of calculation and torque output.
Why It Matters
Turning the data into real feedback is not fully explored in this patent, but the concept appears to have solid foundations. Naturally, it will take thousands and thousands of development miles and myriad lines of software coding to prove these concepts and to produce the required components and calculations. But if a state observer and a steer-by-wire system are proven to be the key to realistically feelsome electric steering systems, Mercedes will have an edge that rivals will scramble to replicate.
