Validity and limitations of the kinematic roll center concept from the viewpoint of spatial kinematics using screw theory

In this research, the concept of the kinematic roll center is reviewed from the viewpoint of three-dimensional spatial kinematics. The theory of screws, which is widely used in spatial kinematics and robotics, is used to prove the validity of the conventional planar methods for finding the roll center in an initial symmetric vehicle position. The kinematic roll axis, which is referred to as the roll twist axis in this paper, is defined as the instantaneous screw axis of the vehicle body in roll motion with respect to the ground, and a three-dimensional method to determine the roll twist axis of a full-vehicle model in an initial symmetric position is introduced. The proposed method is based on screw theory, which relates the kinematics of a full-vehicle model to the statics of the full-vehicle model using the concepts of screws, twists, wrenches, the rate of working, and the reciprocity of screws. The results of the proposed three-dimensional method are compared with those of the conventional planar methods, and it is found that the conventional methods are valid under the assumption that the vehicle is in a symmetric situation.     

Design and evaluation of sideslip angle observer for vehicle stability control

This paper presents a method for estimating the vehicle side slip angle, which is considered as a significant signal in determining the vehicle stability region in vehicle stability control systems. The proposed method combines the model-based method and kinematics-based method. Side forces of the front and rear axles are provided as a weighted sum of directly calculated values from a lateral acceleration sensor and a yaw rate sensor and from a tire model according to the nonlinear factor, which is defined to identify the degree of nonlinearity of the vehicle state. Then, the side forces are fed to the extended Kalman filter, which is designed based on the single-track vehicle model associated with a tire model. The cornering stiffness identifier is introduced to compensate for tire force nonlinearities. A fuzzy-logic procedure is implemented to determine the nonlinear factor from the input variables: yaw rate deviation from the reference value and lateral acceleration. The proposed observer is compared with a model-based method and kinematics-based method. An 8 DOF vehicle model and Dugoff tire model are employed to simulate the vehicle state in MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulation results shows that the proposed method is more accurate than the model-based method and kinematics-based method when the vehicle is subjected to severe maneuvers under different road conditions.     

Requirement-based testing of an automotive ECU considering the behavior of the vehicle

HILS (Hardware In the Loop Simulation) and RBT (Requirement-Based Testing) are widely used to evaluate the performance and reliability of automotive ECUs (Electronic Control Units). The HILS method is used to predict the behavior of ECU-installed vehicles and to evaluate the performance of ECU controllers. RBT evaluates whether the embedded system satisfies the pre-defined requirements. In this study, the behavior of a vehicle is regarded as a system requirement, and an embedded system test procedure that evaluates the system requirement is proposed. In particular, a new method is introduced, which integrates HILS with RBT. Using the proposed method, the behavior of an articulated vehicle equipped with an AWS (All Wheel Steering) ECU is evaluated with RBT software.     

Application study on a control strategy for a hybrid electric public bus

This paper first describes the control strategy used in a hybrid electric public bus and then proposes a torque-balancing control strategy. Simulations were performed using the designed control strategies, and the results were analyzed under different conditions. The torque-balancing control strategy was improved on the basis of the efficiency-first ideas of the hybrid system. Finally, experiments were performed to verify that the efficiency-first and torque-balancing control strategy (EFCS) is both feasible and reliable. The simulation results showed that, compared with a conventional public bus, the hybrid electric bus could save approximately 27.3 percent on fuel consumption using the EFCS control strategy in a public bus in China, while under the Wuhan urban driving cycle.     

Drive control system design for stability and maneuverability of a 6WD/6WS vehicle

This paper describes a drive controller designed to improve the lateral vehicle stability and maneuverability of a 6-wheel drive / 6-wheel steering (6WD/6WS) vehicle. The drive controller consists of upper and lower level controllers. The upper level controller is based on sliding control theory and determines both front and middle steering angle, additional net yaw moment, and longitudinal net force according to the reference velocity and steering angle of a manual drive, remotely controlled, autonomous controller. The lower level controller takes the desired longitudinal net force, yaw moment, and tire force information as inputs and determines the additional front steering angle and distributed longitudinal tire force on each wheel. This controller is based on optimal distribution control and takes into consideration the friction circle related to the vertical tire force and friction coefficient acting on the road and tire. Distributed longitudinal/lateral tire forces are determined as proportion to the size of the friction circle according to changes in driving conditions. The response of the 6WD/6WS vehicle implemented with this drive controller has been evaluated via computer simulations conducted using the Matlab/Simulink dynamic model. Computer simulations of an open loop under turning conditions and a closed-loop driver model subjected to double lane change have been conducted to demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed drive controller over that of a conventional DYC.     

Torque control of engine clutch to improve the driving quality of hybrid electric vehicles

As a powertrain for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the automatic transmission (AT) is not only convenient for the driver but also reduces hybridization costs because the existing production line is used to produce the AT. However, it has low fuel economy due to the torque converter. To overcome this disadvantage, this paper studies HEVs equipped an AT without a torque converter. In this case, additional torque control is needed to prevent the driving quality from deteriorating. This paper suggests three different torque control methods and develops a simulator for an HEV that can simulate the dynamic behaviors of the HEV when the engine clutch is engaged. The HEV drive train is modeled with AMESim, and a controller model is developed with MATLAB/Simulink. A co-simulation environment is established. By using the developed HEV simulator, simulations are conducted to analyze the dynamic behaviors of the HEV according to the control methods.     

Model development and experimental research on an air spring with auxiliary reservoir

This paper focuses on the dynamic stiffness and overall equivalent damping of an air spring connected to an orifice and an auxiliary reservoir, with respect to the displacement excitation frequency, orifice area, and auxiliary reservoir volume. A theoretical model of this air spring with its auxiliary reservoir is derived by utilizing the energy conservation equation, gas state equation, and orifice flow rate equation. Simulation results from the presented model reveal that, when the air spring is subject to harmonic displacement excitation, its dynamic stiffness increases with an increase in excitation frequency and decrease in orifice area. Smaller orifice areas and lower excitation frequencies result in higher overall equivalent damping. A validation experiment is also implemented. When compared with experimental results, simulations show consistent varying trends of the dynamic stiffness and overall equivalent damping. The model developed here can correctly describe the behavior of the air spring with auxiliary reservoir, indicating that it is reasonable and feasible.     

Development of an idle speed engine model using in-cylinder pressure data and an idle speed controller for a small capacity port fuel injected SI engine

An idle speed engine model has been proposed and applied for the development of an idle speed controller for a 125 cc two wheeler spark ignition engine. The procedure uses the measured Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP) at different speeds at a constant fuel rate and throttle position obtained by varying the spark timing. At idling conditions, IMEP corresponds to the friction mean effective pressure. A retardation test was conducted to determine the moment of inertia of the engine. Using these data, a model for simulating the idle speed fluctuations, when there are unknown torque disturbances, was developed. This model was successfully applied to the development of a closed loop idle speed controller based on spark timing. The controller was then implemented on a dSPACE Micro Autobox on the actual engine. The Proportional Derivative Integral (PID) controller parameters obtained from the model were found to match fairly well with the experimental values, indicating the usefulness of the developed idle speed model. Finally, the optimized idle speed control algorithm was embedded in and successfully demonstrated with an in-house built, low cost engine management system (EMS) specifically designed for two-wheeler applications.     

Torque-based optimal vehicle speed control

This paper describes an optimal vehicle speed controller that uses torque-based control concepts. The controller design was divided into two steps: first, for a given vehicle speed trajectory, the engine torque demand was determined; in the second stage, a torque controller was implemented to track this torque demand. The torque demand was determined by a primary component and a correction component. The primary component was determined by solving an off-line optimization problem, and the correction component was added to compensate for the error caused by the off-line optimization. A modelbased proportional-integral (PI) feedback torque controller was employed to realize the engine torque tracking. Simulation results generated by a benchmark simulator were given to demonstrate performance of the optimal vehicle speed controller and a conventional PI speed controller that was included for comparison.     

Computational study of charge stratification in early-injection SCCI engines under light-load conditions

Under light-load conditions in early-injection stratified-charge compression-ignition (SCCI) engines, excessive premixing can lead to undesirable levels of unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Optimal stratification can reduce these emissions. In this work, the effects of changes in swirl, injection pressure, injector hole-size and number of holes, injection timing, and piston geometry on stratification are computationally investigated. It is shown that these parameters affect the stratification through their influence on the rate of spray penetration, drop vaporization, and fuel/air mixing. The outcome is characterized by examining the evolution of the spatial distribution of the fuel vapor in the chamber and its mass-based distribution function. All other parameters remaining the same, decreasing drop size leads to faster vaporization and richer mixtures. Increasing penetration leads to greater spreading and leaner mixtures. Increasing spray included-angle leads to greater spreading and leaner mixtures. Increasing injection pressure leads to increased mixing and leaner mixtures. Increasing injector hole-size leads to richer mixtures at lighter loads because the duration of injection is reduced and the fuel is confined closer to the axis. Increasing swirl leads to faster breakup of the head-vortex and confinement of the fuel closer to the axis, and hence richer mixture.