Autopilot and "Hold Steering Wheel"

[bobbykansara]

Does anyone know how the steering wheel senses whether you are holding the wheel or not? I have received the "Hold Steering Wheel" warning a few times on autopilot WHILE I AM HOLDING THE WHEEL. What am I doing wrong to fool the wheel into thinking I'm not holding it?

On another note, is there a listing somewhere of planned supercharger locations and expected completion time? I tried to search on a few different websites (including Tesla's) without finding a comprehensive list with ETA.

 

[Earlian]

Touching doesn't work for me. Just add a tiny rotational move in either direction, does it. To do that, you can use only one finger and spin the wheel from anywhere - so touch sensors can't be there.

 

[LargeHamCollider]

It senses torque, also www.supercharge.info.

 

[dwebb66]

Here is what I wrote in another thread the other day.

While I was use the autopilot on the drive from Fremont to Orange County, I was trying to figure out how the 'sensor' worked. I noticed that on long straight sections I would not get the warning, but when the turn need to make steering adjustments it will give me the warning.

This leads me to believe that there is no sensor in the steering wheel, but it is looking for a bit of resistance when it turns the wheel for you. If you have your hand on the steering wheel you will not be moving your hand at the same time and it would sense a little bit is resistance to turn indicating that you are holding on the the steering wheel.

Just my two cents.

 

[loganintx]

i don't know the answer but I've seen a similar post suggesting that the wheel may need to sense some resistance and if you're on a long straight stretch of road then the car may not attempt to turn the wheel any and doesn't have a chance to sense resistance. Try it out again and when it comes up just nudge the wheel left or right a hair and see if it goes away. Please post your experience.

haha, yeah what he said above. Looks like I had my tab open so long that they posted above me while I was still typing.

 

[rickgt]

i don't know the answer but I've seen a similar post suggesting that the wheel may need to sense some resistance and if you're on a long straight stretch of road then the car may not attempt to turn the wheel any and doesn't have a chance to sense resistance. Try it out again and when it comes up just nudge the wheel left or right a hair and see if it goes away. Please post your experience.

haha, yeah what he said above. Looks like I had my tab open so long that they posted above me while I was still typing.

Yes, a little nudge lets it know you are there and "holding" the wheel.

 

[roser]

Yes, it senses torque or turning resistance. This was confirmed by my service advisor when I told him the "grip" sensor wasn't working. He also said the Model X requires slightly more torque than the Model S to make the warning go away.

 

[Aljohn]

I asked specifically when test driving a Model S - Auto Pilot test drive. The Tesla Rep said there are NO pressure sensors in the steering wheel. Instead, the system is looking for resistance to the auto pilot steering. He said the amount of resistance is light, but recognized by the autopilot system to verify the driver was aware and attentive. I also asked what happens if the driver continuously fails to "respond to" the prompt -- he said the Model S would slow in its lane, turn on the flashers and eventually come to a stop. This is a fail-safe system should the driver become incapacitated.

I will have to check the Model X Owners' Manual.

 

[mblakele]

The "hold steering wheel" message is, frankly, a terrible user experience. Before I realized that it really means "gently torque steering wheel", I had several frustrating moments gripping the wheel trying to get the car to stop beeping at me. Once I even got to the stage where it cut power from the wheels, and then I simply disabled autopilot. I was paying attention the whole time, but following the directions didn't help. In the end I felt punished for having a light touch on the wheel.

I'm not sure how the message should read: it's difficult to come up with something terse that conveys the right message. But the current message didn't work for me and I feel that there must be a better solution.

Word-smithing aside, the message also much too small. When "hold steering wheel" appears, it is by far the most important piece of information on the display. Therefore it should be prominent. I would make it about two or three times as large, and float it up to the center of the display. This would be easier to notice in my lower peripheral vision. I don't stare at the dashboard when I'm using autopilot, because I'm watching traffic for potential hazards that autopilot might not notice.

 

[ohmman]

Funny, I don't have any problem with this because on my X, Autopilot has a tendency to want to throw me into random lanes on any given curve. I'm constantly gripping the wheel in terror.

 

[K-MTG]

My Acura does this if I enable lane keeping assistance and go down a straight path

 

[mblakele]

Funny, I don't have any problem with this because on my X, Autopilot has a tendency to want to throw me into random lanes on any given curve. I'm constantly gripping the wheel in terror.

At least we can agree that autopilot is terrific?

 

[RDoc]

I've not noticed the immanent life threatening behavior ohmman describes more often than every 30 miles or so on the highway, so have had to develop another technique to keep AP quiet while it plots its next homicidal move.

A firm but comfortable grip on the bottom of the wheel with my elbow on my knee, without any attempt to torque it on my part works perfectly, I never get any nags. A light grip, or letting the wheel move through the hand won't silence it. For trips, I've programmed a slightly higher and more upright seating position to make this even more comfortable for long periods when, apart from the above mentioned panic stricken grabs, I'm not actively steering the car.

 

[loganintx]

For trips, I've programmed a slightly higher and more upright seating position to make this even more comfortable for long periods when, apart from the above mentioned panic stricken grabs, I'm not actively steering the car.

Being able to have multiple profiles for yourself including one for long trips is really nice. Especially since I might have more people in car and might need to pull my driver seat forward a bit and sit higher.

 

[ohmman]

I have a "Charging" profile, which gives me the maximum amount of room for a laptop or tablet while Supercharging.. but hadn't thought of Autopilot specific settings. Great idea.