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A study was conducted to investigate the subjective responses to steering wheel vibration caused by the electric power steering. The objective was to correlate the subjective responses to a measurable parameter that can be used to assess various design alternatives. Evaluations of six steering wheel vibration levels were performed in a stationary vehicle. Two rating methods were used. Results showed a wide range of acceptability of steering wheel vibration over the conditions evaluated. RMS angular acceleration and peak to peak torque at the steering wheel shaft correlated best with subjective ratings.

The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system is a core device to decide how much assistance an electric motor applies on a steering wheel. The EPS ECU plays an important role in EPS systems. The effectiveness of an ECU needs to be thoroughly tested before mass production. Hardware-in-the-loop simulation provides an efficient way for the development and testing of embedded controllers. This paper focuses on the development of a HiL system for testing EPS controllers. The hardware of the HiL system employs a dSPACE HiL simulator. The EPS plant model is an integrated model consisting of a Vehicle Dynamics model of the dSPACE Automotive Simulation Model (ASM) and the Nexteer Steering model. The paper presents the design of an EPS HiL system, the simulation of sensors and actuators, the functions of the ASM Vehicle Dynamics model, and the integration method of the ASM Vehicle Dynamics model with a Steering model.