Simulation of curving at low speed under high traction for passive steering hauling locomotives

The traction control in modern electric and diesel electric locomotives has allowed rail operators to utilise high traction adhesion levels without undue risk of damage from uncontrolled wheel spin. At the same time, some locomotive manufacturers have developed passive steering locomotive bogies to reduce wheel rail wear and further improve locomotive adhesion performance on curves. High locomotive traction loads in curving are known to cause the loss of steering performance in passive steering bogies. At present there are few publications on the curving performance of locomotive steering with linkage bogies. The most extreme traction curving cases of low speed and high adhesion for hauling locomotives have not been fully investigated, with effects of coupler forces and cant excess being generally ignored. This paper presents a simulation study for three axle bogie locomotives in pusher and pulling train positions on tight curves. The simulation study uses moderate and high traction adhesion levels of 16.6% and 37% for various rail friction conditions. Curving performance is assessed, showing forced steering bogies to have considerable advantages over self steering bogies. Likewise it is shown that self steering bogies are significantly better than yaw relaxation bogies at improving steering under traction. As the required traction adhesion approaches the rail friction coefficient, steering performance of all bogies degrades and yaw of the bogie frame relative to the track increases. Operation with excess cant and tensile coupler forces are both found to be detrimental to the wear performance of all locomotive bogies, increasing the bogie frame yaw angles. Bogie frame pitching is also found to have significant effect on steering, causing increased performance differences between bogie designs.     

Vehicle dynamics integrated control for four-wheel-distributed steering and four-wheel-distributed traction/braking systems

In this article, vehicle dynamics integrated control algorithm using an on-line non-linear optimization method is proposed for 4-wheel-distributed steering and 4-wheel-distributed traction/braking systems. The proposed distribution algorithm minimizes work load of each tire, which is controlled to become the same value. The global optimality of the convergent solution of the recursive algorithm can be proved by extension to convex problems. This implies that theoretical limited performance of vehicle dynamics integrated control is clarified. Furthermore, the effect of this vehicle dynamics control for the 4-wheel-distributed steering and 4-wheel-distributed traction/braking systems is demonstrated by simulation to compare with the combination of the various actuators.     

Comparing rear wheel steering and rear active differential approaches to vehicle yaw control

A comparison between two different approaches to vehicle stability control is carried out, employing a robust non-parametric technique in the controller design. In particular, an enhanced internal model control strategy, together with a feedforward action and a suitably generated reference map, is employed for the control of a vehicle equipped either with a rear wheel steering (RWS) system or with a rear active differential (RAD) device. The uncertainty arising from the wide range of operating conditions is described by an additive model set employed in the controller design. Extensive steady state and transient tests simulated with an accurate 14 degrees of freedom nonlinear model of the considered vehicle show that both systems are able to improve handling and safety in normal driving conditions. RAD devices can make the vehicle reach higher lateral acceleration values but they achieve only slight stability improvements against oversteer. On the other hand, 4WS systems can greatly improve both vehicle safety and manoeuvrability in all driving situations, making this device an interesting and powerful stability system.     

Chassis integrated control for active suspension,active front steering and direct yaw moment systems using hierarchical strategy

This paper proposes a novel integrated controller with three-layer hierarchical structure to coordinate the interactions among active suspension system (ASS), active front steering (AFS) and direct yaw moment control (DYC). First of all, a 14-degree-of-freedom nonlinear vehicle dynamic model is constructed. Then, an upper layer is designed to calculate the total corrected moment for ASS and intermediate layer based on linear moment distribution. By considering the working regions of the AFS and DYC, the intermediate layer is functionalised to determine the trigger signal for the lower layer with corresponding weights. The lower layer is utilised to separately trace the desired value of each local controller and achieve the local control objectives of each subsystem. Simulation results show that the proposed three-layer hierarchical structure is effective in handling the working region of the AFS and DYC, while the quasi-experimental result shows that the proposed integrated controller is able to improve the lateral and vertical dynamics of the vehicle effectively as compared with a conventional electronic stability controller.     

Modelling and control of a new differential steering concept

This paper presents a new steer-by-wire concept using an all-wheel drive vehicle layout with in-wheel motors while completely omitting the application of any dedicated steering device. Steering is based on the so-called differential steering principle which generates the necessary steering moment about the kingpins by a traction force difference between left and right sides of the vehicle. In order to investigate the behaviour of the vehicle and to design the underlying control algorithms, a planar vehicle model is presented, where the vehicle is described as constrained non-holonomic system requiring a special treatment. A state feedback linear controller for controlling of the lateral dynamics of the vehicle at higher speeds and a simple PI angle controller for low-speed manoeuvring are developed. The resulting behaviour of the system is investigated by various simulation experiments demonstrating a comparable steering performance of the new steering concept as that of conventional passenger cars.     

An adaptive integrated algorithm for active front steering and direct yaw moment control based on direct Lyapunov method

In this article, an adaptive integrated control algorithm based on active front steering and direct yaw moment control using direct Lyapunov method is proposed. Variation of cornering stiffness is considered through adaptation laws in the algorithm to ensure robustness of the integrated controller. A simple two degrees of freedom (DOF) vehicle model is used to develop the control algorithm. To evaluate the control algorithm developed here, a nonlinear eight-DOF vehicle model along with a combined-slip tyre model and a single-point preview driver model are used. Control commands are executed through correction steering angle on front wheels and braking torque applied on one of the four wheels. Simulation of a double lane change manoeuvre using Matlab^®/Simulink is used for evaluation of the control algorithm. Simulation results show that the integrated control algorithm can significantly enhance vehicle stability during emergency evasive manoeuvres on various road conditions ranging from dry asphalt to very slippery packed snow road surfaces.     

Simplified and advanced modelling of traction control systems of heavy-haul locomotives

Improving tractive effort is a very complex task in locomotive design. It requires the development of not only mechanical systems but also power systems, traction machines and traction algorithms. At the initial design stage, traction algorithms can be verified by means of a simulation approach. A simple single wheelset simulation approach is not sufficient because all locomotive dynamics are not fully taken into consideration. Given that many traction control strategies exist, the best solution is to use more advanced approaches for such studies. This paper describes the modelling of a locomotive with a bogie traction control strategy based on a co-simulation approach in order to deliver more accurate results. The simplified and advanced modelling approaches of a locomotive electric power system are compared in this paper in order to answer a fundamental question. What level of modelling complexity is necessary for the investigation of the dynamic behaviours of a heavy-haul locomotive running under traction? The simulation results obtained provide some recommendations on simulation processes and the further implementation of advanced and simplified modelling approaches.     

Pivot point-based control for active rear-wheel steering in passenger vehicles

This paper presents a new application of active rear-wheel steering control to improve the lateral vehicle behaviour. In the state of the art, yaw or lateral velocity is used as control variable that means one degree of freedom being not directly controlled. A worse subjective impressions due to movements in the rear end of the vehicle during strong counter-steering are a consequence. To avoid this effect in urban surroundings, an innovative structure to control the pivot point distance of the vehicle is proposed. In this case the coupled elementary states yaw and lateral velocity can be influenced based on a higher level criteria. Analysis show that pivot point fixing provides a comprehensible reference behaviour. Solving the issue of singularity during disappearing yaw movement is the basis to design a performant modified feedforward input–output linearisation. An analytic stability analysis of the internal dynamics shows system immanent limitations which do not influence the target of improving the lateral vehicle dynamics in urban manoeuvres. Finally, the advantages of pivot-based control are highlighted by a comparison with state of the art rear axle control.     

Handling stability improvement through robust active front steering and active differential control

The design of the integrated active front steering and active differential control for handling improvement of road vehicles is undertaken. The controller design algorithm is based on the solution of a set of linear matrix inequalities that guarantee robustness against a number of vehicle parameters such as speed, cornering and braking stiffnesses. Vehicle plane dynamics are first expressed in the generic linear parameter-varying form, where the above-stated parameters are treated as interval uncertainties. Then, static-state feedback controllers ensuring robust performance against changing road conditions are designed. In a first series of simulations, the performance of the integrated controller is evaluated for a fishhook manoeuvre for different values of road adhesion coefficient. Then, the controller is tested for an emergency braking manoeuvre executed on a split-μ road. In all cases, it is shown that static-state feedback controllers designed by the proposed method can achieve remarkable road handling performance compared with uncontrolled vehicles.     

Robust gain-scheduling automatic steering control of unmanned ground vehicles under velocity-varying motion

Owing to the fact that unmanned ground vehicles have the features of time-varying, parametric uncertainties and external disturbances, this paper mainly studies robust automatic steering control of unmanned ground vehicles. Firstly, a linear parameter varying lateral model for unmanned ground vehicle is constructed, in which the longitudinal velocity is represented by a polytope with finite vertices. Secondly, a robust gain scheduling automatic steering control scheme based on the linear matrix inequality technique is proposed to deal with the characteristics of time-varying and external disturbances. Finally, Simulation results based on Adams–Matlab joint platform using a nonlinear full vehicle model have demonstrated that the proposed control approach can simultaneously ensure the control accuracy and strong robustness of system.     

Coordinated control strategies for active steering,differential braking and active suspension for vehicle stability,handling and safety improvement

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a coordinated control strategy is proposed to provide an effective improvement in handling stability of the vehicle, safety, and comfortable ride for passengers. This control strategy is based on the coordination among active steering, differential braking, and active suspension systems. Two families of controllers are used for this purpose, which are the high order sliding mode and the backstepping controllers. The control strategy was tested on a full nonlinear vehicle model in the environment of MATLAB/Simulink. Rollover avoidance and yaw stability control constraints have been considered. The control system mainly focuses on yaw stability control. When rollover risk is detected, the proposed strategy controls the roll dynamics to decrease rollover propensity. Simulation results for two different critical driving scenarios, the first one is a double lane change and the other one is a J-turn manoeuvre, show the effectiveness of the coordination strategy in stabilising the vehicle, enhancing handling and reducing rollover propensity.     

汽车转向与悬架系统的集成控制研究

在建立了汽车转向与悬架系统的综合模型的基础上,运用一种具有扩展的调节器结构LQG控制方法,设计了 主动悬架控制器,实现对车身横摆角速度、车身垂直加速度、车身侧倾角和俯仰角的集成控制,从而显著提高汽车的 平顺性、操纵稳定性和安全性。     

汽车线控转向系统的初步研究

线控转向是汽车未来转向技术的发展方向。简单介绍了汽车线控转向系统的结构和工作原理：重点分析汽车线控转向系统的安全性,阐述线控转向系统的失效原因及失效模式,提出一种安全结构,并对该结构硬件和软件设置进行分析;最后指出当前发展汽车线控转向系统的关键技术。     

Coordinated vehicle traction control based on engine torque and brake pressure under complicated road conditions

Vehicle traction control system has been developed to enhance the traction capability and the direction stability of the driving wheels through the tyre slip ratio regulation. Under normal situations, if the tyre slip ratio exceeds a certain threshold, the slip ratio of the driving wheel is regulated by the coupled interaction of the engine torque and the active brake pressure. In order to obtain the best driving performance on a road under complicated friction conditions, the driving torque and the active brake pressure, need to be decoupled and adjusted to avoid penalisation of each other. In this paper, a coordinated cascade control method with two sliding-mode variable structure controllers is presented. In this control method, the driving wheel slip ratio is regulated by adjusting the engine torque and the wheel brake pressure. Through the sliding-mode controller, the engine torque is tuned to achieve the maximum driving acceleration and then the active brake pressure is applied to the slipped wheel for further modification of the wheel slip ratio. The advantage of this control method is that through proper regulation, the conflict between the two control inputs could be avoided. Finally, the simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Implementation of active steering on longer combination vehicles for enhanced lateral performance

A steering-based controller for improving lateral performance of longer combination vehicles (LCVs) is proposed. The controller steers the axles of the towed units to regulate the time span between the driver steering and generation of tyre lateral forces at the towed units and consequently reduces the yaw rate rearward amplification (RWA) and offtracking. The open-loop effectiveness of the controller is evaluated with simulations and its closed loop or driver in the loop effectiveness is verified on a test track with a truck–dolly–semitrailer test vehicle in a series of single- and double-lane change manoeuvres. The developed controller reduces the yaw rate RWA and offtracking considerably without diminishing the manoeuvrability. Furthermore, as a byproduct, it decreases the lateral acceleration RWA moderately. The obtained safety improvements by the proposed controller can promote the use of LCVs in traffic which will result in the reduction of congestion problem as well as environmental and economic benefits.     

Integrated chassis control for a three-axle electric bus with distributed driving motors and active rear steering system

This paper describes an integrated chassis control framework for a novel three-axle electric bus with active rear steering (ARS) axle and four motors at the middle and rear wheels. The proposed integrated framework consists of four parts: (1) an active speed limiting controller is designed for anti-body slip control and rollover prevention; (2) an ARS controller is designed for coordinating the tyre wear between the driving wheels; (3) an inter-axle torque distribution controller is designed for optimal torque distribution between the axles, considering anti-wheel slip and battery power limitations and (4) a data acquisition and estimation module for collecting the measured and estimated vehicle states. To verify the performances, a simulation platform is established in Trucksim software combined with Simulink. Three test cases are particularly designed to show the performances. The proposed algorithm is compared with a simple even control algorithm. The test results show satisfactory lateral stability and rollover prevention performances under severe steering conditions. The desired tyre wear coordinating performance is also realised, and the wheel slip ratios are restricted within stable region during intensive driving and emergency braking with complicated road conditions.     

Asymptotic sideslip angle and yaw rate decoupling control in four-wheel steering vehicles

This paper shows that, for a four-wheel steering vehicle, a proportional-integral (PI) active front steering control and a PI active rear steering control from the yaw rate error together with an additive feedforward reference signal for the vehicle sideslip angle can asymptotically decouple the lateral velocity and the yaw rate dynamics; that is the control can set arbitrary steady state values for lateral speed and yaw rate at any longitudinal speed. Moreover, the PI controls can suppress oscillatory behaviours by assigning real stable eigenvalues to a widely used linearised model of the vehicle steering dynamics for any value of longitudinal speed in understeering vehicles. In particular, the four PI control parameters are explicitly expressed in terms of the three real eigenvalues to be assigned. No lateral acceleration and no lateral speed measurements are required. The controlled system maintains the well-known advantages of both front and rear active steering controls: higher controllability, enlarged bandwidth for the yaw rate dynamics, suppressed resonances, new stable cornering manoeuvres and improved manoeuvrability. In particular, zero lateral speed may be asymptotically achieved while controlling the yaw rate: in this case comfort is improved since the phase lag between lateral acceleration and yaw rate is reduced. Also zero yaw rate can be asymptotically achieved: in this case additional stable manoeuvres are obtained in obstacle avoidance. Several simulations, including step references and moose tests, are carried out on a standard small SUV CarSim model to explore the robustness with respect to unmodelled effects such as combined lateral and longitudinal tyre forces, pitch, roll and driver dynamics. The simulations confirm the decoupling between the lateral velocity and the yaw rate and show the advantages obtained by the proposed control: reduced lateral speed or reduced yaw rate, suppressed oscillations and new stable manoeuvres.     

Development of an active front steering (AFS) system with QFT control

This paper investigates an active front steering control strategy based on quantitative feedback theory (QFT). By incorporating feedback from a yaw rate sensor into the active steering system, the control system improves the dynamic response of the vehicle. The steering response of a vehicle generally depends upon uncertain quantities like mass, velocity, and road conditions. Thus, QFT is used to design a controller with robust performance. A multi-degree-of-freedom nonlinear model is co-simulated here by MATLAB Simulink and ADAMS/CAR. The performance of the control system is evaluated under various emergency maneuvers and road conditions. The result shows that the designed robust control system has good control performance and can efficiently improve handing qualities and stability characteristics.