Enabling the capabilities of Hardware in the Loop for steering feel characterization on a dynamic simulator
Authors: Alessio Anticaglia, Luca Veneroso, Federico Alfatti, Daniele Vitaliti, Claudio Annicchiarico & Renzo Capitani
Hardware in the Loop (HiL) simulation techniques are becoming increasingly important in the automotive field as a development and validation tool.
Dynamic driver-in-the-loop simulators, thanks to the motion feedback, offer the possibility to test the vehicle virtual model, both objectively and subjectively, with a very immersive driving experience.
Static simulators, on the other hand, provide an opportunity to introduce real hardware components in the simulation loop, allowing for a very accurate analysis of the physical components as well as control strategies in all functional conditions.
This work aims to elevate the effectiveness of these tools, unveiling the potential available by coupling a Hardware in the Loop steering bench to a dynamic simulator using a Steering Feedback Unit and a Steering Robot remotely connected in real-time.
Firstly, the static steering test bench, which is intended as the state-of-the-art baseline, is described.
Secondly, the torque and feedback actuators installation onto the dynamic simulator is presented. Steering feeling evaluation tests are then carried out, to compare the performances of the two architectures.
Lastly, the results are analysed in terms of some relevant magnitudes, related to the proposed testing methodology, for both hardware implementation and steering feel characterization.
With the proposed test bench architecture, the investigation shows relevant results, indicating that all the capabilities of the state-of-the-art static steering test bench can be fully translated to a dynamic simulator as well, resulting in an unprecedented level of technical utility and driving fidelity.