A nonlinear virtual rider for motorcycles

This work presents a virtual rider for the guidance of a nonlinear motorcycle model. The target motion is defined in terms of roll angle and speed. The virtual rider inputs are the steering torque, the rear-wheel driving/braking torque and front-wheel braking torque. The virtual rider capability is assessed by guiding the nonlinear motorcycle model in demanding manoeuvres with roll angles of 50° and longitudinal accelerations up to 0.8 g. Considerations on the effective preview distance used by the virtual rider are included.     

A review on motorcycle and rider modelling for steering control

The paper is a review of the state of knowledge and understanding of steering control in motorcycles and of the existing rider models. Motorcycles are well known to have specific instability characteristics, which can detrimentally affect the rider's control, and as such a suitable review of these characteristics is covered in the first instance. Next, early models which mostly treat riding as a regulatory task are considered. A rider applies control based on sensory information available to him/her, predominantly from visual perception of a target path. The review therefore extends to cover also the knowledge and research findings into aspects of road preview control. Here, some more emphasis is placed on recent applications of optimal control and model predictive control to the riding task and the motorcycle–rider interaction. The review concludes with some open questions which naturally present a scope for further study.     

单轨车辆驾驶员单点预瞄模型的参数优化

使用ADAMS软件建立摩托车的模型,并利用MATLAB软件建立驾驶员模型,构成驾驶员-车辆模型。采用MATLAB和ADAMS协同仿真,得出单移线和双移线工况实际行驶轨迹和手把力矩、侧倾力矩、转向角、侧倾角、横向加速度等。建立了摩托车移线工况的性能综合评价指标,并用此指标对摩托车在不同运动状况下的性能进行评价。以驾驶员模型反馈系数为设计变量,采用正交设计方法优选出一组参数。     

摩托车及驾驶员气动特性的数值模拟研究

基于计算流体力学(CFD)的数值模拟技术,研究摩托车部件及驾驶员对整车气动特性的影响.对通过数值模拟获得的摩托车周围的流场、气动阻力系数和速度分布进行了深入分析;就风挡导流罩、驾驶员和摩托车本身的不同组合对整车气动阻力的影响进行了归纳;最后提出了一些减小摩托车气动阻力的具体建议.     

Optimization and Performance Enhancement of Active Suspensions for Automobiles under Preview of the Road

The problem of deriving control laws which minimize specified performance indices for a vehicle moving on a rough surface with preview of the surface elevation is considered. The approach is based on linear optimal tracking theory and consequently the system elements are taken to be linear and the performance index is constrained to be of quadratic form.

The ideas of overtaking optimality are applied to the problem in order to achieve a closed form solution for the control. Then, using the control laws derived, computer simulations of performance are conducted and time histories are shown. In the absence of limitations on either processing or actuator speeds, and for cases in which the preview is sufficient to give good control laws, the value of the preview in enhancing vehicle suspension performance is assessed. Comparisons are made with results in the literature.     

The influence of frame compliance and rider mobility on the scooter stability

This article investigates the effect of frame compliance and rider mobility on the scooter stability. Particular attention is given to the wobble mode, because it may easily become unstable in the vehicle speed range. This article includes a synthetic discussion of previous works, presents a new mathematical model, and discusses the results of both numerical and experimental analyses of the vehicle stability by varying the vehicle characteristics and motion conditions.

The mathematical model describes the out-of-plane dynamics of the scooter and consists of a twelve-degree-freedom linear model. It describes the main scooter features and, in particular, includes the frame compliance, rider mobility, and an advanced tire model. The torsion and bending compliance of both the front fork and swingarm are modelled using lumped rotational springs; similarly, the rider mobility is described by means of two soft springs which connect the rider body to the chassis. The tire model describes in detail the carcass geometry and its compliance. The full scooter model is available on the website www.dinamoto.it and has been derived using ‘MBSymba’, which is a package for the symbolic modelling of multibody systems.

The scooter stability has been investigated at both low and high speeds; in particular, the effect of vehicle compliance and rider mobility on the weave and wobble modes have been examined. Numerical simulations show that the bending flexibility of the front fork stabilizes wobble mode at high speed and has a contrary effect at low speed, whereas the torsion flexibility of the fork does not appear to have a remarkable influence; the bending flexibility of the swingarm slightly stabilizes the weave mode at very high speeds whereas the torsion flexibility of the swingarm has a contrary effect. The effect of rider mobility is to stabilize the weave mode at high speed and the wobble mode at low speed. Several experimental tests have been carried out in the same speed range and a good correlation between simulations and tests has been found. The variation of some important vehicle parameters has been investigated; in particular, tests were repeated for different values of the rear-frame inertia, the rear-chassis stiffness, the front-tire characteristics, the normal trail, and the steer inertia.     

Real-time estimation of road–tyre adherence for motorcycles

Improving braking skills of a rider supported by a real-time training device embedded in the motorcycle represents a possible strategy to deal with safety issues associated with the use of powered two wheelers. A challenging aspect of the braking trainer system is the evaluation of the adherence between tyre and road surface on each wheel. This paper presents a possible method to evaluate the current and maximum adherence during a braking manoeuvre. The proposed approach was positively validated through multi-body simulations and experimental data acquired in naturalistic riding conditions.     

Steering control of motorcycles using steer-by-wire system

This study proposes a steering control method to improve motorcycle handling and stability. Steer-by-wire (SBW) technology is applied to the motorcycle's steering system to remove characteristic difficulties of vehicle maneuvers. By examining computer simulation using a simplified motorcycle model, the actual rolling angle of the SBW motorcycle is controlled to follow the desired rolling angle intended by the rider. A state feedback control such as linear quadratic control gives the SBW vehicle a good follow-through performance compared with proportional-derivative control because it can decouple rolling motion from the other motions, which affect the rolling motion in the strongly coupled motorcycle system.     

Experimental approach to developing human driver models considering driver’s human factors

A new approach to develop human driver models (HDMs) is proposed in accordance with the drivers’ generic human factors, i.e., gender, age, and experience, to develop more realistic vehicle simulations. The HDMs consist of three independent and stepwise models with functioning driver’s information processing stages based on the human factors: constructing drivers’ preview distance (PVD) models as a ‘cognition process’, implementing a finite preview optimal control algorithm as a ‘decision process’, and differentiating an ‘operation process’ according to neuromuscular efficiency. Eight different groups of 65 drivers with a 2 × 2 × 2 within-subject design participated in both the PVD estimates and neuromuscular efficiency tests to develop a set of statistically different HDMs. Regarding the preview distance models, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) procedure was adopted with two covariates (i.e., vehicle velocity and road curvature), while analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were performed on the neuromuscular efficiency parameters. The ANCOVA procedure produced eight significantly different cognition processes, whereas the ANOVAs revealed gender differences for the drivers’ neuromuscular systems. Moreover, an integrated vehicle simulation was configured with the HDMs using Carsim and Simulink software to observe the differential effects of both the cognition and operation processes on a double-lane-change (DLC) maneuver. During the simulations, gender differences in real-world DLC tests were also identified, especially between the male-oldexpert and the female-young-novice HDMs. The results presented in this study suggest that differentiating HDMs according to human factors is an essential process when utilizing vehicle simulations in the early stage of developing an intelligent vehicle system.     

改进的有限时间最优预瞄横向控制器设计

提出了有限时间最优预瞄横向控制算法,根据高速公路车道保持系统实际控制要求,使用了同时考虑车辆当前偏差、预瞄点偏差和控制变量的有限时间二次型性能指标函数。运用最优跟踪算法并进行预瞄距离内曲率恒定的假设,使得控制器参数可以离线求解,保证了车辆控制的实时性。通过仿真及实车试验验证,该控制算法具有较好的跟踪效果。     

Study on the effects of motorcycle anti-lock-braking-system for skilled and less-skilled riders: regarding braking in a turn

The effectiveness of ABS for the motorcycle has been evaluated by comparison with deal braking. However, it is almost impossible for the typical rider to perform ideal braking in an emergency. We conducted braking in a turn test by skilled and less-skilled riders, for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of ABS for the typical rider and obtaining data for a method of evaluating motorcycle ABS performance. It was shown that ABS for the motorcycle is effective for both skilled and less-skilled riders in terms of braking distance and vehicle stability.     

Limit braking of a high-performance motorcycle

A mathematical-model-based study of the limit braking of a high-performance motorcycle and rider is described. Front and rear brakes are operable independently. A dry road and high friction are presumed, such that full braking of the front wheel would lead to an overturn or ‘stoppie’ in colloquial parlance. Effective braking needs to maintain some loading on the rear wheel. A planar but otherwise detailed system model is set up and braking strategies for front and rear are devised. Parameters of the braking control schemes are derived with the help of an optimisation process, minimising the final speed in braking from high speed over a fixed time interval. Simulation results are examined critically and the strategy is developed until efficient use of the friction available is made. The nature of optimal braking events is demonstrated. The influences of slipper-clutch torque setting and the rear-tyre target load chosen are shown.     

A Motorcycle Multi-Body Model for Real Time Simulations Based on the Natural Coordinates Approach

This paper presents an eleven degrees of freedom, non-linear, multi-body dynamics model of a motorcycle. Front and rear chassis, steering system, suspensions and tires are the main features of the model. An original tire model was developed, which takes into account the geometric shape of tires and the elastic deformation of tire carcasses. This model also describes the dynamic behavior of tires in a way similar to relaxation models. Equations of motion stem from the natural coordinates approach. First, each rigid body is described with a set of fully cartesian coordinates. Then, links between the bodies are obtained by means of algebraic equations. This makes it possible to obtain simple equations of motion, even though the coordinates are redundant. The model was implemented in a Fortran code, named FastBike . In order to test the code, both simulated and real slalom and lane change maneuvers were carried out. A very good agreement between the numerical simulations and experimental test was found. The comparison of FastBike 's performance with those of some commercial software shows that first is much faster than others. In particular, real time simulations can be carried out using FastBike and it can be employed on a motorcycle simulator.     

Modelling and model predictive control for a bicycle-rider system

This study proposes a bicycle-rider control model based on model predictive control (MPC). First, a bicycle-rider model with leaning motion of the rider’s upper body is developed. The initial simulation data of the bicycle rider are then used to identify the linear model of the system in state-space form for MPC design. Control characteristics of the proposed controller are assessed by simulating the roll-angle tracking control. In this riding task, the MPC uses steering and leaning torques as the control inputs to control the bicycle along a reference roll angle. The simulation results in different cases have demonstrated the applicability and performance of the MPC for bicycle-rider modelling.     

Modelling minimum-time manoeuvering with global optimisation of local receding horizon control

In this paper, we explore the notion that a human driver uses a receding horizon model predictive control (MPC) scheme for minimum-time manoeuvering. However, MPC is an inherently sub-optimal control scheme because not all future information is incorporated into its finite preview horizon. In many practical applications, this sub-optimality is tolerated as the solution is sufficiently close to optimal. However, it is known that professional drivers have the ability to learn driving circuits and exploit its features to minimise their global manoeuvering time. In this paper, we will model their process with a cascaded optimisation structure. Therein, the inner-loop features a local MPC scheme tasked with finding the control inputs that achieve a blended objective of minimising time and maximising velocity in each preview horizon/distance. The outer loop of this cascaded structure computes the best set of weights for the two components of the local objectives in order to minimise the global manoeuvering time. The proposed cascaded optimisation and control approach is compared against a straight-forward fixed-cost time optimal MPC applied to minimum-time manoeuvering over two well-known race courses. The paper also includes an extended literature review and details of the computational formulation of the model approach.     

Control Behaviour of Motorcycle Riders

The control behaviour of motorcycle riders is studied by means of a simulation model for the ridermotorcycle system, which stresses the control actions of the riders. The rider model describes the major steering torque control as well as the rider's own body control actions. This simulation model is applied to a single lane change maneuver and the results of this simulation are compared with the experiments in order to examine its validity.