Robust estimation of maximum tire-road friction coefficient considering road surface irregularity

An accurate estimation of the maximum tire-road friction coefficient may provide higher performance in a vehicle active safety control system. Unfortunately, real-time tire-road friction coefficient estimation is costly and necessitates additional sensors that must be installed and maintained at all times. This paper proposes an advanced longitudinal tire-road friction coefficient estimation method that is capable of considering irregular road surfaces. The proposed algorithm uses a stiffness based estimation method, however, unlike previous studies, improvements were made by suggesting a third order model to solve problems related to nonlinear mu-slip curve. To attain the tire-road friction coefficient, real-time normalized force is obtained from the force estimator as exerted from the tire in the low slip region using the recursive least squares method. The decisive aspect of using the suggested algorithm lies in its low cost and versatility. It can be used under irregular road conditions due to its capability of easily obtaining wheel speed and acceleration values from production cars. The newly improved algorithm has been verified to computer simulations as well as compact size cars on dry asphalt conditions.     

Estimation of vehicle sideslip angle and tire-road friction coefficient based on magnetometer with GPS

This paper presents a method that estimates the vehicle sideslip angle and a tire-road friction coefficient by combining measurements of a magnetometer, a global positioning system (GPS), and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The estimation algorithm is based on a cascade structure consisting of a sensor fusing framework based on Kalman filters. Several signal conditioning techniques are used to mitigate issues related to different signal characteristics, such as latency and disturbances. The estimated sideslip angle information and a brush tire model are fused in a Kalman filter framework to estimate the tire-road friction coefficient. The performance and practical feasibility of the proposed approach were evaluated through several tests.     

Cooperative control of the motor and the electric booster brake to improve the stability of an in-wheel electric vehicle

A cooperative control algorithm for an in-wheel motor and an electric booster brake is proposed to improve the stability of an in-wheel electric vehicle. The in-wheel system was modeled by dividing it into motor and mechanical parts, and the electric booster brake was modeled through tests. In addition, the response characteristics of the in-wheel system and the electric booster brake were compared through a frequency response analysis. In the cooperative control, the road friction coefficient was estimated using the wheel speed, motor torque, and braking torque of each wheel, and the torque limit of the wheel to the road was determined using the estimated road friction coefficient. Based on the estimated road friction coefficient and torque limit, a cooperative algorithm to control the motor and the electric booster brake was proposed to improve the stability of the in-wheel electric vehicle. The performance of the proposed cooperative control algorithm was evaluated through a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS). Furthermore, to verify the performance of the proposed cooperative control algorithm, a test environment was constructed for the anti-lock braking system (ABS) hydraulic module hardware, and the performance of the cooperative control algorithm was compared with that of the ABS by means of a HILS test.     

Emission-robust operation of diesel HEV considering transient emissions

In this paper, we consider a method to create an engine emission simulation model for cycle and customer driving of a vehicle. The emission model results from an empiric approach, also taking into account the effects of engine dynamics on emissions. We analysed transient engine emissions in driving cycles and during representative customer driving profiles and created emission meta models. The analysis showed a significantly higher correlation in emissions when simulating realistic customer driving profiles using the created verified meta models (< 1 % model error) compared to static approaches, which are commonly used for vehicle simulation. Therefore, a transient modelling approach is conducted, which shows a great increase in accuracy in customer driving operation.     

Model based burnt gas fraction controller design of diesel engine with VGT/Dual loop EGR system

-Recently, regulation of NOx and PM emission in diesel engines has become stricter and the EGR system has been expanded into a dual loop EGR system to increase EGR rate as well as to utilize exhaust gas strategically. In terms of engine combustion characteristics, burnt gas fraction is becoming an important factor of solving the NOx and PM emission reduction problem more efficiently but conventional controller focused only pressure and air flow rate targets. Unlike the previous studies, this paper describes a model based burnt gas fraction control structure for a diesel engine with a dual loop EGR and a turbocharger. Feedforward control inputs based on burnt gas fraction states aids in the precise control of diesel engines, especially in transient states by considering coupled behavior within the system. For the controller validation, a control oriented reduced order model of a diesel engine air management system is established to simplify the control input computation and its stability is proved by analysing the internal dynamics stability. Then, a sliding mode controller is designed and controller robustness at certain operating points is validated using an HiLS bench.     

Novel stability control strategy for distributed drive electric vehicle based on driver operation intention

In this paper, a novel direct yaw control method based on driver operation intention for stability control of a distributed drive electric vehicle is proposed. It was discovered that the vehicle loses its stability easily under an emergency steering alignment (EA) problem. An emergent control algorithm is proposed to improve vehicle stability under such a condition. A driver operation intention recognition module is developed to identify the driving conditions. When the vehicle enters into an EA condition, the module can quickly identify it and transfer the control method from normal direct yaw control to emergency control. Two control algorithms are designed. The emergency control algorithm is applied to an EA condition while the adaptive control algorithm is applied to other conditions except the EA condition. Both simulation results and real vehicle results show that: The driver module can accurately identify driving conditions based on driver operation intention. When the vehicle enters into EA condition, the emergent control algorithm can intervene quickly, and it has proven to outperform normal direct yaw control for better stabilization of vehicles.     

Air flow trajectory and surge avoidance of centrifugal compressor under variable pressure operation of automotive fuel cells

The compressor of an automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cell requires severe dynamic performance under normal driving patterns. Because the air flow demand of the automotive fuel cell requires steep increase/decrease, it is very important to understand the air flow trajectory of the centrifugal compressor to avoid the compressor surge. In this study, a simulation model of an automotive fuel cell system with a dynamic compressor was developed to investigate the proper trajectory of air flow rate on a performance map of an air compressor. The dynamic response of the compressor shows that the cathode inlet and exit valves have a significant effect on surge evolution. In particular, the results showed that a proper combination of valve opening areas is required to avoid compressor surge. In this study, the original two valve approach was reduced to a single cathode exit valve control with fixed cathode inlet orifice. A surge rejection algorithm was also developed, based on the comparison of surge protection envelope pressure with actual measured pressure. The results show that surge evolution is effectively avoided by controlling the cathode exit valve.     

Hull-form optimization using parametric modification functions and particle swarm optimization

The focus of this paper is on devising designer-friendly hull-form variations coupled with optimization algorithms. Hull-form variations are carried out through parametric modification functions. Two kinds of representative optimization algorithms are considered here. One is the well-known sequential quadratic programming which is the derivative based. The other is particle swarm optimization which is the derivative free. The results applying these two algorithms to typical hull-form optimization problems are discussed in the paper. The technique using the parametric modification functions has been developed for modifying the ship’s geometry according to the widely recognized naval architect’s design practice. An original geometry can be easily deformed through the change of the variables of the modification functions; and useful information about the effect of the parameters is immediately obtained. Moreover, the variables of the modification functions can be considered as the design variables in the formulation of the optimization problem. For the performance prediction of the hull form, WAVIS version 1.3 is used for the potential-flow and RANS solver. Computational results for both single- and multi-objective problems are presented.     

Finite element damage analysis of an underwater glider–ship collision

Underwater gliders, which are profiling autonomous underwater vehicles designed to make oceanographic measurements, are increasingly used in the coastal ocean. As they regularly surface for data transmission, gliders increasingly pose a risk for fast ships. In order to estimate the extent of damage due to collision, 3D finite element simulations of collisions between a glider and a high-speed craft with a glass-fiber reinforced plastic hull are performed. Different collision scenarios such as impact locations, angles of attack and speeds are examined. The results are compared to an analytical solution based on simplifying assumptions. Although both methods reveal consistent results, it is shown that finite element simulations are required to account for the 3D shape of the ship. The results indicate that at ship velocities exceeding 7.5 m/s (14.6 kt) the glider penetrates the ship’s hull causing severe damage to its structure.