Search Results

The interactions between automatic controls, physics, and driver is an important step towards highly automated driving. This study investigates the dynamical interactions between human-selected driving modes, vehicle controller and physical plant parameters, to determine how to optimally adapt powertrain control to different human-like driving requirements. A cyber-physical system (CPS) based framework is proposed for co-design optimization of the physical plant parameters and controller variables for an electric powertrain, in view of vehicle’s dynamic performance, ride comfort, and energy efficiency under different driving modes. System structure, performance requirements and constraints, optimization goals and methodology are investigated. Intelligent powertrain control algorithms are synthesized for three driving modes, namely sport, eco, and normal modes, with appropriate protocol selections. The performance exploration methodology is presented.

Thanks to the actuation flexibility of their systems, electric vehicles with individual powertrains, including in-wheel and on-board motors, are a very popular research topic amongst various types of electrified powertrain architectures. The introduction of the individual electric powertrain provides great capacity for improvement of the vehicle’s energy efficiency and control performance. However, it also poses tremendous challenges concerning vehicle safety, due to the complex system dynamics and cooperation mechanisms between multiactuators. For an electric vehicle with independently controlled motors, because of design and manufacturing factors, the steady-state error of each motor output torque, and the flexibilities and nonlinear backlash of left and right drivetrains, can be different. This results in asymmetrical output characteristics of electric powertrain systems on the same axle.

A novel type of regenerative braking system for electric vehicles is proposed in this paper. Four pressure-difference-limit valves, two relief valves and two brake pedal simulators, are added to the layout of a conventional four-channel hydraulic modulator. The cooperation of relief valves and hydraulic pumps provides a stabilized high-pressure source. Pressure-difference-limit valves ensure that the pressure in each wheel cylinder can be modulated separately at a high precision. Besides, the functions of anti-lock braking system and electronic stability program are integrated in this regenerative braking system. The models of regenerative braking controller and vehicle dynamics are built in MATLAB/Simulink. Hydraulic brake model is built in AMESim through a parameterized and modularized method. Meanwhile, the control strategy of hydraulic brake modulation and brake force distribution are designed.

This paper presents a coordinated controller for comprehensive optimization of vehicle dynamics performance and energy consumption for a full drive-by-wire electric vehicle, which is driven by a four in-wheel motor actuated (FIWMA) system and steered by a steer-by-wire (SBW) system. In order to coordinate the FIWMA and SBW systems, the mechanisms influencing the vehicle dynamics control performance and the energy consumption of the two systems are first derived. Second, the controllers for each subsystem are developed. For the SBW system, a triple-step control technique is implemented to decouple the yaw rate and sideslip angle controls. The FIWMA system controller is designed with a hierarchical control scheme, which is able not only to satisfy the yaw rate and sideslip angle tracking demands, but also to deal with actuation redundancy and constraints.

Studying drifting dynamics and control could extend the usable state-space beyond handling limits and maximize the potential safety benefits of autonomous vehicles. Distributed electric vehicles provide more possibilities for drifting control with better grip and larger maximum drift angle. Under the state of drifting, the distributed electric vehicle is a typical nonlinear over-actuated system with actuator redundancy, and the coupling of input vectors impedes the direct use of control algorithm of upper. This paper proposes a novel automated drifting controller for the distributed electric vehicle. First, the nonlinear over-actuated system, comprised of driving system, braking system and steering system, is formulated and transformed to a square system through proposed integrative recombination method of control channel, making general nonlinear control algorithms suitable for this system.

A novel fault tolerant brake strategy for In-wheel motor driven electric vehicles based on integral sliding mode control and optimal online allocation is proposed in this paper. The braking force distribution and redistribution, which is achieved in online control allocation segment, aim at maximizing energy efficiency of the vehicle and isolating faulty actuators simultaneously. The In-wheel motor can generate both driving torque and braking torque according to different vehicle dynamic demands. In braking procedure, In-wheel motors generate electric braking torque to achieve energy regeneration. The strategy is designed to make sure that the stability of vehicle can be guaranteed which means vehicle can follow desired trajectory even if one of the driven motor has functional failure.

This paper studies the drivability of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), and presents some methods to improve the drivability based on experiment results. First, the working principle of HEV is introduced and the hybrid powertrain is modeled. The jerk of vehicle is applied in this paper to evaluate the drivability of HEV. After studying the cause of jerk, a series of experiments of vehicle starting, state-changing, shifting and braking are designed and implemented on a parallel HEV with an automated mechanical transmission. Analysis of these experiment results shows that optimization of clutch control and cooperation of the engine and the motor on speed and torque are effective in reducing the jerk of vehicle.

As the essential of future driver assistance system, brake-by-wire system is capable of performing autonomous intervention to enhance vehicle safety significantly. Regenerative braking is the most effective technology of improving energy consumption of electrified vehicle. A novel brake-by-wire system scheme with integrated functions of active braking and regenerative braking, is proposed in this paper. Four pressure-difference-limit valves are added to conventional four-channel brake structure to fulfill more precise pressure modulation. Four independent isolating valves are adopted to cut off connections between brake pedal and wheel cylinders. Two stroke simulators are equipped to imitate conventional brake pedal feel. The operation principles of newly developed system are analyzed minutely according to different working modes. High fidelity models of subsystems are built in commercial software MATLAB and AMESim respectively.

In this paper, gear ratios of a two-speed transmission system are optimized for an electric passenger car. Quasi static system models, including the vehicle model, the motor, the battery, the transmission system, and drive cycles are established in MATLAB/Simulink at first. Specifically, since the regenerative braking capability of the motor is affected by the SoC of battery and motors torque limitation in real time, the dynamical variation of the regenerative brake efficiency is considered in this study. To obtain the optimal gear ratios, iterations are carried out through Nelder-Mead algorithm under constraints in MATLAB/Simulink. During the optimization process, the motor efficiency is observed along with the drive cycle, and the gear shift strategy is determined based on the vehicle velocity and acceleration demand. Simulation results show that the electric motor works in a relative high efficiency range during the whole drive cycle.

As the main power source of the electric vehicle, the electric motor has outstanding characteristics including rapid response, accurate control and four-quadrant operation. Being introduced into the dynamic chassis control of electrified vehicles, the electric motor torque can be used not only for driving and regenerative braking during normal operating conditions, but also offers a great potential to improve the dynamic control performance of the anti-lock braking under emergency deceleration situations. This paper presents a robust control algorithm for anti-lock braking of a front-wheel-drive electric vehicle equipped with an axle motor. The hydraulic and regenerative braking system of the electric vehicle is modeled as a LPV (linear parameter varying) system. The nonlinearities of the control system are considered as uncertain parameters of a linear fractional transformation.

As one of the key technologies of electrified vehicles, regenerative braking offers the capability of fuel saving by converting the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into electric energy during deceleration. To coordinate the regenerative brake and friction brake, improving regeneration efficiency and guaranteeing brake performance and brake safety, development of special brake systems for electrified vehicles is needed. This paper presents a new type of electrically-controlled regenerative braking system (EABS) that has been developed for electrified passenger vehicles, which has the potential to be brought into production in China. By utilizing as much as possible mature components, integrating cooperative regeneration with ABS/TCS functions, EABS can achieve high regeneration efficiency and brake safety while providing system reliability, low development cost and development risk. This article describes the layout of the newly developed regenerative braking system.

Regenerative braking, which can effectively improve vehicle's fuel economy by recuperating the kinetic energy during deceleration processes, has been applied in various types of electrified vehicle as one of its key technologies. To achieve high regeneration efficiency and also guarantee vehicle's brake safety, the regenerative brake should be coordinated with the mechanical brake. Therefore, the regenerative braking control performance can be significantly affected by the structure of mechanical braking system and the brake blending control strategy. By-wire brake system, which mechanically decouples the brake pedal from the hydraulic brake circuits, can make the braking force modulation more flexible. Moreover, its inherent characteristic of ‘pedal-decouple’ makes it well suited for the implementation in the cooperative regenerative braking control of electrified vehicles.

With the rise of new energy vehicle industry as a national strategy, China has gradually occupied an absolute leading position in the field of battery electric vehicles, especially commercial battery electric vehicles, and has taken the lead in the research and development of dual-motor coupling propulsion technology. Due to the complex and diversiform structure of multi-source power speed-variable propulsion system, there is no mature configuration and technical details. Also, the control problem is a typical hybrid system problem, and there is no unified and clear problem description and solution method. In addition, the current research on the mode switching derived from the novel electrified powertrain is not deep enough to fully explore the potential advantages of electromechanical driveline, and there is a certain research blank considering the online implementation.

To reduce the energy consumption level of electric vehicles, the working range of the regenerative braking system will gradually expand to the high state of charge of the battery. The time delay in the control signal transmission path of the high state of charge regenerative braking control process will affect the regenerative braking. At the same time, regenerative braking under a high state of charge puts forward higher requirements for the control accuracy of regenerative current. In the research of this paper, the motor model, battery model, and vehicle dynamics model are firstly established by using MATLAB/Simulink, and the dynamic relationship between regenerative current and regenerative braking torque is analyzed at the same time. Considering the system time delay, this paper proposes a high-charge regenerative braking control strategy (SPPC) that combines Smith prediction and prescribed performance control.

Regenerative braking provided by an electric powertrain is far different from conventional friction braking with respect to the system dynamics. During regenerative decelerations, the nonlinear powertrain backlash would excite driveline oscillations, deteriorating vehicle drivability and blended brake performance. Therefore, backlash compensation is worthwhile researching for an advanced powertrain control of electrified vehicles during regenerative deceleration. In this study, a nonlinear powertrain of an electric passenger car equipped with a central motor is modeled using hybrid system approach. The effect of powertrain backlash gap on vehicle drivability during regenerative deceleration is analyzed. To further improve an electric vehicle's drivability and blended braking performance, an active control algorithm with a hierarchical architecture is studied for powertrain backlash compensation.

Active collision avoidance can assist drivers to avoid longitudinal collision through active brake. Regenerative braking can improve the driving range and braking response speed. At this stage, conventional hydraulic braking system limits the implements of above technologies because of its poor performance of response speed and coordinated control. While the brake-by-wire system is a better actuator that can fulfill requirements of automotive electric and intelligent development due to its rapid response and flexible adjustment. However, the system control algorithm becomes more complicated with introduction of regenerative braking and active collision avoidance function, which is also the main problem solved in this paper.

The strategy for emission reduction in the P2.5 hybrid system involves the optimization of engine torque, engine speed, catalyst heat duration, and motor torque regulation in a coordinated manner. In addition to employing traditional engine control methods used in HEV models, unique approaches can be utilized to effectively manage emissions. The primary principle is to ensure that the engine operates predominantly under steady-state conditions or limits its load to regulate emissions levels. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: The first is the optimization of catalyst heating stage. During the catalyst heating stage, the system divides it into one or two stages. In the first stage, the vehicle is driven by the motor while keeping the engine idle. This approach stabilizes catalyst heating and prevents fluctuations in air-fuel ratio caused by speed and load changes that could potentially worsen emissions performance.

In order to realize the series-parallel switching control of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with dual-motor hybrid configuration, a method of unpowered interrupt switching based on the coordinated control of three power sources was proposed by analyzing the series-parallel driving mode of the dual-motor hybrid configuration. The series to parallel switching process is divided into three stages: speed regulation stage, clutch combination and power source switching. The distribution control of speed regulating torque is carried out in the speed regulating stage. The speed adjustment torque is preferentially allocated to the power source of the input shaft (engine and P1) to carry out the lifting torque. Due to the high speed adjustment accuracy and fast response of the P1 motor, the input shaft is preferentially allocated to P1 for speed adjustment, that is, the torque intervention of P1.

In order to realize the shift control of dual-motor hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a non-power interruption shift control method based on three-power source coordination control was proposed by analyzing the shift process of dual-motor hybrid configuration. The shift control process was divided into three stages: oil-filling self-learning stage, torque exchange stage and inertia control stage. In the torque exchange stage, the characteristics of the speed stage and torque stage were analyzed, which was different from the traditional method's dependence on pressure sensor, longitudinal acceleration sensor and engine torque accuracy. A shift clutch gain self-learning strategy based on shift time and input shaft speed soaring problem was proposed.

In order to achieve seamless mode switching control for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in the event of battery failure, we propose a motor voltage-controlled mode switching method that eliminates power interruptions. This approach is based on an analysis of the dual-motor hybrid configuration's mode switching. We analyze the overall vehicle operation when the high-voltage battery occurs in different hybrid modes. To ensure that the vehicle can still function like a conventional car under such circumstances, we introduce a novel "voltage control" mode. In this mode, instead of operating in its traditional torque control manner, the P1 motor adopts a voltage control strategy. The P1 controller's variable becomes "voltage," and VCU sends the motor's working mode switching request and PCM finishes the mode transition. During system operation, the P1 motor promptly responds to these target voltages to maintain bus voltage within a normal range.