Pacific Automotive Network’s autonomous driving has a steering wheel. There is a special notch on the dashboard that can be connected to the steering wheel pedals, and there are locking points on it to fix the position of the components. The car interior will cover up the notch and the dashboard won't look ugly when the car is running like a regular car. When encountering some emergencies such as rapid lane changes, the driver can also take over the steering wheel at any time.
According to foreign media reports, should self-driving cars rely entirely on automation? Do they still need to operate the steering wheel and pedals? Will these cars still retain traces of their past? A new patent released by Ford last Thursday suggests that a steering wheel and pedals may no longer be needed.
The patent shows a self-driving concept car with a movable steering wheel and pedals. According to the patent, titled "Detachable steering wheel and pedals for autonomous vehicles," the steering will be used only for development purposes and will be available for customer selection.
Autonomous driving mode has not yet eliminated human interference in driving, so the idea behind the patent is to keep these options removable without completely eliminating them.
There is a special notch on the dashboard to which the steering wheel pedals can be connected, and there are locking points on them to fix the position of the components. The car interior will cover up the notch and the dashboard won't look ugly when the car is running like a regular car. When encountering some emergencies such as rapid lane changes, the driver can also take over the steering wheel at any time.
Concerning airbags, Ford recommends placing two airbags together, one in the dashboard and one in the steering wheel. The car system will automatically determine whether a steering wheel is installed and activate the corresponding airbag.
The steering wheel can be controlled by a human or automatically, while the pedals can be controlled by gas and spring dampers. What's more, the brake pedal can be controlled using software to ensure precision.
Ford will also build two types of cars, one that is semi-autonomous and that a human can temporarily take over. One is fully autonomous, which has no steering wheel or pedals.
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