Statistics show that unstable articulated vehicles pose a serious threat to the occupants driving them as well as the occupants of the vehicles around them. An articulated vehicle typically experiences three types of instability: snaking, jack-knifing and rollover. An articulated vehicle subjected to any of these instabilities can result in major accidents. It is also known that many individuals are unaware of how to properly tow or pack a loaded articulated vehicle. These individuals are, therefore, at a high risk of causing the vehicle system to become unstable. It can hence be confidently said that a method in which an articulated vehicle can stabilise itself is a worthy research question. The method that is implemented in this study is to create a control system, using Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), that has the capability of stabilising an articulated vehicle by applying torque vectoring to the trailer. In order for this control system to be applied, a nonlinear articulated vehicle MSC ADAMS model was constructed. The NMPC controller works by using a nonlinear explicit model to predict the future states of the vehicle and then finding the optimal left and right braking forces of the trailer by minimising the cost function using least squares minimisation. The cost function includes the towing vehicle yaw rate, trailer yaw rate and hitch angle and is minimised by minimising the error between the desired vehicle states and the actual states. It was found that the NMPC is capable of not only preventing instability but also causes the vehicle system to behave as if the trailer is unloaded. This conclusion means that this type of control system can be used on all types of articulated vehicles and shall ensure the safety of not only the vehicle occupants but other road users as well. Unfortunately, due to the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the experimental validation of the model had to be delayed significantly. It is for this reason that the experimental validation for the controller could not be done. / Dissertation (MEng (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / SATC VDG UP / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng (Mechanical Engineering) / Unrestricted

This thesis is concerned with electronic stability of an all-wheel drive electric vehicle with independent motors mounted in each wheel. The additional controllability and speed permitted using independent motors can be exploited to improve the handling and stability of electric vehicles. In this thesis, these improvements arise from employing a direct yaw moment control (DYC) system that seeks to adapt the understeer gradient of the vehicle and achieve neutral steer by employing a supervisory controller and simultaneously tracking an ideal yaw rate and ideal sideslip angle. DYC enhances vehicle stability by generating a corrective yaw moment realized by a torque vectoring controller which generates an optimal torque distribution among the four wheels. The torque allocation at each instant is computed by finding a solution to an optimization problem using gradient descent, a well-known algorithm that seeks the minimum cost employing the gradient of the cost function. A cost function seeking to minimize excessive wheel slip is proposed as the basis of the optimization problem, while the constraints come from the physical limitations of the motors and friction limits between the tires and road. The DYC system requires information about the tire forces in real-time, so this study presents a framework for estimating the tire force in all three coordinate directions. The sideslip angle is also a crucial quantity that must be measured or estimated but is outside the scope of this study. A comparative analysis of three different formulations of sliding mode control used for computation of the corrective yaw moment and an evaluation of how successfully they achieve neutral steer is presented. IPG Automotive’s CarMaker software, a high-fidelity vehicle simulator, was used as the plant model. A custom electric powertrain model was developed to enable any CarMaker vehicle to be reconfigured for independent control of the motors. This custom powertrain, called TVC_OpenXWD uses the torque/speed map of a Protean Pd18 implemented with lookup tables for each of the four motors. The TVC_OpenXWD powertrain model and controller were designed in MATLAB and Simulink and exported as C code to run them as plug-ins in CarMaker. Simulations of some common maneuvers, including the J-turn, sinusoidal steer, skid pad, and mu-split, indicate that employing DYC can achieve neutral steer. Additionally, it simultaneously tracks the ideal yaw rate and sideslip angle, while maximizing the traction on each tire[CB1] . The control system performance is evaluated based on its ability to achieve neutral steer by means of tracking the reference yaw rate, stabilizing the vehicle by means of reducing the sideslip angle, and to reduce chattering. A comparative analysis of sliding mode control employing a conventional switching function (CSMC), modified switching function (MSMC), and PID control (HSMC) demonstrates that the MSMC outperforms the other two methods in addition to the open loop system.

Moderne Kraftfahrzeuge werden mit einer Vielzahl von Fahrerassistenzsystemen ausgestattet um die Sicherheit, die Traktion, die Energieeffzienz, die Agilität und den Komfort noch weiter zu verbessern. Diese Ziele können zu einem Großteil mit einer aktiven Drehmomentverteilung, auch Torque Vectoring genannt, erreicht werden. Dafür sind jedoch Getriebesysteme erforderlich, welche unabhängig vom Fahrzustand und vom Antriebsmoment eine nahezu beliebige Drehmomentverteilung ermöglichen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden zunächst Grundlagen zu Getriebesystemen, insbesondere zu Planetengetrieben, und zur Fahrzeugdynamik erläutert. Anschließend wird der Stand der Technik anhand einer Systematik zur Einteilung von aktiven Differenzialgetrieben dargelegt sowie einige Vor- und Nachteile aufgezeigt. Das folgende Kapitel stellt ein Verfahren zur Ermittlung der mechanischen Belastung des aktiven Differenzialgetriebes für beliebige Fahrzeuge und Strecken vor. Damit erfolgt eine Bewertung der bisher bekannten Systeme hinsichtlich Gesamtwirkungsgrad, konstruktiver Aufwand und regelungstechnische Eigenschaften. Im Anschluss wird ein Verfahren zur rechnergestützten Synthese neuer Getriebesysteme beschrieben. Abschließend werden die positiven Auswirkungen der aktiven Drehmomentverteilung auf die Fahrdynamik herausgestellt. Das Ergebnis der Arbeit zeigt drei neue Getriebestrukturen, welche anhand der deffinierten Vergleichskriterien besser sind als alle bekannten Systeme. / Actual passenger cars are equipped with a lot of driver assistant systems to increase safety, traction, efficiency, agility and comfort. These aims can be achieved by a controlled transmission of the engine torque to each driven wheel (active torque distribution, Torque Vectoring). Therefore special gear systems are necessary. In this document firstly the basics on gear systems (planetary gears) and vehicle dynamics are explained. Furthermore the state of the art is shown based on a classification of active differentials and the advantages and disadvantages are envinced. The next chapter describes a method for determining the mechanic load of the active differential for any car and road track. This is used for an evaluation of every differential gear system in view of efficiency, mechanic effort and control properties. The result reveals significant differences between the gear structures. Subsequent a method for a computer synthesis of new gear systems is developped and applied to the demands of a front driven vehicle application. The last chapter points out the positive effects of an active torque distribution on the driving dynamics. As a result of this work three new gear structures are shown which are much better than all existing gear systems in terms of the evaluation properties.

Moderne Kraftfahrzeuge werden mit einer Vielzahl von Fahrerassistenzsystemen ausgestattet um die Sicherheit, die Traktion, die Energieeffzienz, die Agilität und den Komfort noch weiter zu verbessern. Diese Ziele können zu einem Großteil mit einer aktiven Drehmomentverteilung, auch Torque Vectoring genannt, erreicht werden. Dafür sind jedoch Getriebesysteme erforderlich, welche unabhängig vom Fahrzustand und vom Antriebsmoment eine nahezu beliebige Drehmomentverteilung ermöglichen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden zunächst Grundlagen zu Getriebesystemen, insbesondere zu Planetengetrieben, und zur Fahrzeugdynamik erläutert. Anschließend wird der Stand der Technik anhand einer Systematik zur Einteilung von aktiven Differenzialgetrieben dargelegt sowie einige Vor- und Nachteile aufgezeigt. Das folgende Kapitel stellt ein Verfahren zur Ermittlung der mechanischen Belastung des aktiven Differenzialgetriebes für beliebige Fahrzeuge und Strecken vor. Damit erfolgt eine Bewertung der bisher bekannten Systeme hinsichtlich Gesamtwirkungsgrad, konstruktiver Aufwand und regelungstechnische Eigenschaften. Im Anschluss wird ein Verfahren zur rechnergestützten Synthese neuer Getriebesysteme beschrieben. Abschließend werden die positiven Auswirkungen der aktiven Drehmomentverteilung auf die Fahrdynamik herausgestellt. Das Ergebnis der Arbeit zeigt drei neue Getriebestrukturen, welche anhand der deffinierten Vergleichskriterien besser sind als alle bekannten Systeme.:1 Einleitung 2 Grundlagen 2.1 Getriebesysteme 2.2 Fahrdynamik 3 Stand der Technik 3.1 Getriebesysteme 3.2 Fahrdynamikregelung 4 Analyse bekannter Getriebesysteme 4.1 Zeitlicher Verlauf fahrdynamischer Größen 4.2 Systematische Analyse von Planetengetrieben 4.3 Deffinition der Vergleichskriterien 4.4 Differenziallose Systeme 4.5 Differenzialsysteme 4.6 Elektromotorische Systeme 4.7 Sonderbauformen 4.8 Vergleich bekannter Systeme 5 Synthese neuer Getriebestrukturen 5.1 Anforderungen an aktive Differenzialgetriebe 5.2 Manuelle Struktursynthese 5.3 Rechnergestützte Struktursynthese 5.4 Ergebnisse der Struktursynthese 6 Auswirkung von aktiver Drehmomentverteilung auf die Fahrdynamik 6.1 Komplexe Fahrdynamiksimulation 6.2 Steigerung der Traktion 6.3 Steigerung der Agilität 6.4 Steigerung der Fahrstabilität 6.5 Steigerung des Fahrkomforts 6.6 Verringerung des Kraftstoffverbrauches Zusammenfassung und Ausblick Literaturverzeichnis / Actual passenger cars are equipped with a lot of driver assistant systems to increase safety, traction, efficiency, agility and comfort. These aims can be achieved by a controlled transmission of the engine torque to each driven wheel (active torque distribution, Torque Vectoring). Therefore special gear systems are necessary. In this document firstly the basics on gear systems (planetary gears) and vehicle dynamics are explained. Furthermore the state of the art is shown based on a classification of active differentials and the advantages and disadvantages are envinced. The next chapter describes a method for determining the mechanic load of the active differential for any car and road track. This is used for an evaluation of every differential gear system in view of efficiency, mechanic effort and control properties. The result reveals significant differences between the gear structures. Subsequent a method for a computer synthesis of new gear systems is developped and applied to the demands of a front driven vehicle application. The last chapter points out the positive effects of an active torque distribution on the driving dynamics. As a result of this work three new gear structures are shown which are much better than all existing gear systems in terms of the evaluation properties.:1 Einleitung 2 Grundlagen 2.1 Getriebesysteme 2.2 Fahrdynamik 3 Stand der Technik 3.1 Getriebesysteme 3.2 Fahrdynamikregelung 4 Analyse bekannter Getriebesysteme 4.1 Zeitlicher Verlauf fahrdynamischer Größen 4.2 Systematische Analyse von Planetengetrieben 4.3 Deffinition der Vergleichskriterien 4.4 Differenziallose Systeme 4.5 Differenzialsysteme 4.6 Elektromotorische Systeme 4.7 Sonderbauformen 4.8 Vergleich bekannter Systeme 5 Synthese neuer Getriebestrukturen 5.1 Anforderungen an aktive Differenzialgetriebe 5.2 Manuelle Struktursynthese 5.3 Rechnergestützte Struktursynthese 5.4 Ergebnisse der Struktursynthese 6 Auswirkung von aktiver Drehmomentverteilung auf die Fahrdynamik 6.1 Komplexe Fahrdynamiksimulation 6.2 Steigerung der Traktion 6.3 Steigerung der Agilität 6.4 Steigerung der Fahrstabilität 6.5 Steigerung des Fahrkomforts 6.6 Verringerung des Kraftstoffverbrauches Zusammenfassung und Ausblick Literaturverzeichnis

Recently, mostly due to global warming concerns and high oil prices, electric vehicles have attracted a great deal of interest as an elegant solution to environmental and energy problems. In addition to the fact that electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions and are more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles, they represent more versatile platforms on which to apply advanced motion control techniques, since motor torque and speed can be generated and controlled quickly and precisely. The chassis control systems developed today are distinguished by the way the individual subsystems work in order to provide vehicle stability and control. However, the optimum driving dynamics can only be achieved when the tire forces on all wheels and in all three directions can be influenced and controlled precisely. This level of control requires that the vehicle is equipped with various chassis control systems that are integrated and networked together. Drive-by-wire electric vehicles with in-wheel motors provide the ideal platform for developing the required control system in such a situation. The focus of this thesis is to develop effective control strategies to improve driving dynamics and safety based on the philosophy of individually monitoring and controlling the tire forces on each wheel. A two-passenger electric all-wheel-drive urban vehicle (AUTO21EV) with four direct-drive in-wheel motors and an active steering system is designed and developed in this work. Based on this platform, an advanced fuzzy slip control system, a genetic fuzzy yaw moment controller, an advanced torque vectoring controller, and a genetic fuzzy active steering controller are developed, and the performance and effectiveness of each is evaluated using some standard test maneuvers. Finally, these control systems are integrated with each other by taking advantage of the strengths of each chassis control system and by distributing the required control effort between the in-wheel motors and the active steering system. The performance and effectiveness of the integrated control approach is evaluated and compared to the individual stability control systems, again based on some predefined standard test maneuvers.

Recently, mostly due to global warming concerns and high oil prices, electric vehicles have attracted a great deal of interest as an elegant solution to environmental and energy problems. In addition to the fact that electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions and are more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles, they represent more versatile platforms on which to apply advanced motion control techniques, since motor torque and speed can be generated and controlled quickly and precisely. The chassis control systems developed today are distinguished by the way the individual subsystems work in order to provide vehicle stability and control. However, the optimum driving dynamics can only be achieved when the tire forces on all wheels and in all three directions can be influenced and controlled precisely. This level of control requires that the vehicle is equipped with various chassis control systems that are integrated and networked together. Drive-by-wire electric vehicles with in-wheel motors provide the ideal platform for developing the required control system in such a situation. The focus of this thesis is to develop effective control strategies to improve driving dynamics and safety based on the philosophy of individually monitoring and controlling the tire forces on each wheel. A two-passenger electric all-wheel-drive urban vehicle (AUTO21EV) with four direct-drive in-wheel motors and an active steering system is designed and developed in this work. Based on this platform, an advanced fuzzy slip control system, a genetic fuzzy yaw moment controller, an advanced torque vectoring controller, and a genetic fuzzy active steering controller are developed, and the performance and effectiveness of each is evaluated using some standard test maneuvers. Finally, these control systems are integrated with each other by taking advantage of the strengths of each chassis control system and by distributing the required control effort between the in-wheel motors and the active steering system. The performance and effectiveness of the integrated control approach is evaluated and compared to the individual stability control systems, again based on some predefined standard test maneuvers.

This work deals with the design of right-and-left torque vectoring systems used in heavy commercial vehicle powertrains. It is a new device for a commonly used vehicle differential. This study recommends design, kinematic and load parameters. Also the overall effect of the mechanism on vehicle dynamics and design of the experimental vehicle chassis is described. The study further describes how the mechatronic system works with necessary control systems. Purpose of this thesis is to summarize available information on a right-and-left torque vectoring and possible practical applications for further development of torque vectoring systems.

This work deals with the design of right and left torque vectoring control used in heavy commercial vehicle powertrains. The beginning of the work is focused on the description of the active differential system and on the clutches used in the automotive industry. Then the basic parameters of the experimental vehicle are defined and the choice of the clutch conception is made. Subsequently, calculations of geometric parameters of clutches and verification of their heat capacity is made. Conceptual design of the control mechanism is discussed in the last chapter. The aim of the work is the draft of the possible type of control mechanism for the given system with the possibility to use the information obtained for the further development of this system.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV) have the potential to increase road transportation safety, environmental gains, and passenger comfort. The advent of Electric Vehicles has also facilitated greater flexibility in powertrain architectures and control capabilities. Path Tracking controllers that provide steering input are used to execute lateral maneuvers or model the response of a vehicle during cornering. Direct Yaw Control using Torque Vectoring has the potential to improve vehicle's transient cornering stability and modify its steady state handling characteristics during lateral maneuvers. In the first part of this thesis, the transient dynamics of an existing baseline Path Tracking controller is improved using a transient Torque Vectoring algorithm. The existing baseline Path Tracking controller is evaluated, using a linearized system, for a range of vehicle and controller parameters. The effect of implementing transient Torque Vectoring along with the baseline Path Tracking controller is then studied for the same parameter range. The linear analysis shows, in both time and frequency domain, that the transient Torque Vectoring improves vehicle response and stability during cornering. A Torque Vectoring controller is developed in Linear Adaptive Model Predictive Control framework and it's performance is verified in simulation using Simulink and CarSim. The second part of the thesis analyzes the tradeoff enabled by steady state Torque Vectoring between improved limit handling capability through optimal tire force allocation and drivability demonstrated by understeer gradient. Optimal tire force allocation prescribes equal usage in all four tires during maneuvers. This is enabled using steering and Torque Vectoring. An analytical proof is presented which demonstrates that implementation of this optimal tire force allocation results in neutralsteering handling characteristics for the vehicle. The optimal tire force allocation strategy is formulated as a minimax optimization problem. A two-track vehicle model is simulated for this strategy, and it verified the analytical proof by displaying neutralsteering behavior. / Master of Science / Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) have the potential to increase road transportation safety, environmental gains, passenger comfort and passenger productivity. The advent of Electric Vehicles (EVs) has also facilitated greater flexibility in powertrain configurations and capabilities that facilitate the implementation of Torque Vectoring (TV), which is a method of applying differential torques to laterally opposite wheels to enhance the cornering performance of ground vehicles. Path Tracking (PT) controllers that provide steering input to the vehicles are traditionally used for lateral control in AGVs and ADAS features. The goal of this thesis is to develop Torque Vectoring algorithms to improve a vehicle's stability and shape its steady state behaviour through a corner during low lateral acceleration maneuvers. An existing baseline Path Tracking controller is selected and evaluated. The effect of implementing Torque Vectoring along with this Path Tracking controller is studied and it is found to improve the stability of the vehicle during cornering. This is verified in simulation by designing and implementing the Torque Vectoring algorithm. Finally, a Torque Vectoring strategy is proposed to manage the handling of the vehicle during low acceleration cornering.

In this study, various stability control systems are developed to remove the lateral instability of a conventional articulated steer vehicle (ASV) during the oscillatory yaw motion or “snaking mode”. First, to identify the nature of the instability, some analyses are performed using several simplified models. These investigations are mainly focused on analyzing the effects of forward speed and of two main subsystems of the vehicle, the steering system and tires, on the stability. The basic insights into the stability behavior of the vehicle obtained from the stability analyses of the simplified models are verified by conducting some simulations with a virtual prototype of the vehicle in ADAMS. To determine the most critical operating condition with regard to the lateral stability and to identify the effects of vehicle parameters on the stability, various studies are performed by introducing some modifications to the simplified models. Based on these studies, the disturbed straight-line on-highway motion with constant forward speed is recognized as the most critical driving condition. Also, the examinations show that when the vehicle is traveling with differentials locked, the vehicle is less prone to the instability. The examinations show that when the vehicle is carrying a rear-mounted load having interaction with ground, the instability may happen if the vehicle moves on a relatively good off-road surface. Again, the results gained from the analyses related to the effects of the vehicle parameters and operating conditions on the stability are verified using simulations in ADAMS by making some changes in the virtual prototype for any case. To stabilize the vehicle during its most critical driving condition, some studies are directed to indicate the shortcomings of passive methods. Alternative solutions, including design of different types of stability control systems, are proposed to generate a stabilizing yaw moment. The proposed solutions include an active steering system with a classical controller, an active torque vectoring device with a robust full state feedback controller, and a differential braking system with a robust variable structure controller. The robust controllers are designed by using simplified models, which are also used to evaluate the ability to deal with the uncertainties of the vehicle parameters and its variable operating conditions. These controllers are also incorporated into the virtual prototype, and their capabilities to stabilize the vehicle in different operating conditions and while traveling on different surfaces during the snaking mode are shown.