Overrunable Test Vehicle With Torque-Vector Motor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing testing equipment for Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (ADAS) lacks the ability to simulate realistic crash scenarios while protecting the vehicle and ensuring safety for testing members, as conventional soft targets may not withstand the impact of heavier vehicles and do not allow for precise maneuvering.
Innovation Solution
An overrunable test vehicle equipped with a chassis, electric motors, and a control system that calculates torque and speed differences to apply a torque vector, enabling precise maneuvering and withstanding impacts from vehicles up to 3.5 tons, using a control system to adjust motor parameters for steering and maneuvering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional soft targets are used for testing, then the vehicle equipped with ADAS is protected from damage, but the testing equipment cannot withstand impacts from heavier vehicles and lacks maneuverability
Solution Approach 1:
The test vehicle employs four independently controlled electric motors (one at each wheel) that can dynamically adjust torque and speed to enable precise maneuvering while maintaining structural integrity during impact scenarios. The differential torque control allows the vehicle to steer and change direction even under load.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adjusts motor parameters (torque, speed, rotation direction) based on operational requirements. During normal operation, motors provide propulsion and steering; during impact scenarios, the same motors can engage to stabilize the vehicle or adjust its position, transforming the vehicle's mechanical properties to meet different operational demands.
2Reliability
If the test vehicle is made robust to withstand heavy vehicle impacts, then it can simulate realistic crash scenarios, but it becomes difficult to maneuver and control
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle maintains a robust chassis structure for withstanding impacts while using dynamic motor control to enable maneuverability. The four independent motors can apply differential torque to steer the vehicle even when it is stationary or under heavy load, allowing the robust structure not to compromise operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical steering systems are replaced with an electric motor-based control system that independently actuates each wheel. This substitution allows for precise electronic control of steering and motion, enabling the robust vehicle to be maneuvered through differential torque application without requiring complex mechanical steering linkages.
3Ease of operation
If four independent electric motors are used for precise maneuvering, then steering control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each of the four electric motors serves multiple functions: propulsion, steering, and stabilization. The same motors that provide differential torque for steering also provide the primary propulsion force. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate steering mechanisms and simplifies the overall system architecture despite the presence of four independent motors.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system merges the functions of propulsion and steering into a unified motor control architecture. By controlling the speed and torque of each motor independently, the system achieves both directional control and forward motion without requiring separate mechanical systems, thereby managing complexity through functional integration.
4Measurement precision
If different torque outputs are applied to each motor for steering, then trajectory control precision is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system applies differential torque only when steering or trajectory adjustment is required, rather than continuously. During straight-line travel, all motors operate in unison with equal torque, minimizing energy consumption. The excessive torque application to individual motors occurs only partially, during maneuvering phases, thereby balancing precision requirements with energy efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The overrunable test vehicle effectively simulates crash scenarios by withstanding significant impacts and allows precise maneuvering, providing a safe and realistic testing environment for ADAS systems.
Implementation Method 1
four drive mechanisms coupled with the chassis, each drive mechanism having an electric motor with a drive wheel
Implementation Method 2
calculate a difference between the rotational speed of each wheel connected to each of the electric motors and the ground speed of the chassis to determine a target slip between each wheel and a driving plane
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present teachings generally provide for an overrunable test vehicle for dynamic vehicle testing of advanced driver assistant systems along a driving plane. The overrunable test vehicle comprising a chassis with a first end and a second end and including a mounting area configured to receive a soft target, and defining an axis of rotation transverse to the driving plane between the first end and the second end, four drive mechanisms coupled with the chassis, each drive mechanism having an electric motor with a drive wheel, and a control system coupled with the electric motors, and configured to control speed and torque of each of the electric motors, forming a torque vector that rotates the overrunable test vehicle about the axis of rotation to a target rotation angle. The axis of rotation is a location between the two drive mechanisms that the chassis turns about when the torque vector is applied to the chassis of the overrunable test vehicle.