Dynamic steering response (DSR) is a vehicle safety and advanced power steering system that can counteract unstable or difficult steering that may be caused by external forces such as strong crosswinds or uneven roads by giving proper steering assistance from the steering gear. DSR assists the driver by determining the correct steering ratio in a vehicle's power steering system to provide steering corrections to stabilize vehicles and increase safety. The system determines the steering ratio (the amount of turning of the steering wheel to the amount of turning of the vehicle’s wheels) based on factors such as current road conditions and vehicle speed. This system works by having an electric motor attached to the steering gear of a vehicle reducing or increasing the torque needed to steer based on the situation.
DSR was first implemented in SEAT’s 2002 León Cupra R. But according to Acumen Research and Consulting, as of February 04, 2020, among the companies that have manufactured DSR systems, “the leading competitors are BMW, Ford Motor, Volvo, ZF-TRW, AUDI, Bosch, Denso Corporation, Danfoss, and Knorr-Bremse”. But DSR’s implementation is not limited to commercial cars as buses and industrial vehicles have taken advantage of the technology as well.
Components
The main components of Dynamic Steering Response systems in automobiles are the control unit, sensors, and the electric motor. The control unit acts as the computer of the DSR unit and gives instructions to the electric motor. Instructions are determined by evaluating data from sensors to compute appropriate steering corrections. The electric motor is a device powered by electricity that adds torque in the form of mechanical energy to a steering gear(the gear responsible for translating the rotation of the steering wheel to the actual turning of a vehicle). After calculating necessary steering corrections, the control unit instructs the electric motor to apply the torque needed to the vehicle's hydraulic steering gear. Dynamic steering makes driving a more comfortable experience as pain and risk of injury from muscle activity is greatly reduced.