Title: A real-time hardware-in-the-loop vehicle simulator for traction assist

Authors: S. Alles, C. Swick, M. Hoffman, S.M. Mahmud, Feng Lin

Addresses: Ford Motor Co. Electrical/Electronics Systems Engineering, 20000 Rotunda Dr. Bldg 5, Rm#1020, Dearborn, MI 48121, USA. ' Ford Motor Co. Electrical/Electronics Systems Engineering, 20000 Rotunda Dr. Bldg 5, Rm#1020, Dearborn, MI 48121, USA. ' Ford Motor Co. Electrical/Electronics Systems Engineering, 20000 Rotunda Dr. Bldg 5, Rm#1020, Dearborn, MI 48121, USA. ' Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept., Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. ' Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept., Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA

Abstract: A computer simulation technique which simulates a vehicle in real-time is presented. The vehicle has been divided into a number of subsystems, and each subsystem is modelled separately. Along with the models, the hardware components of several control units were linked together to provide a generic real-time Hardware-In-The-Loop (HITL) vehicle simulation. Such a model provides the capability to verify analytical and experimental data, and adjust the hardware of certain vehicle components on the test bench. It also provides powerful, complex and dynamic real-time simulations while being portable (unlike large mainframe systems developed for DYNMOD (DeLosh et al.) in non-real-time), reduces on-board vehicle testing time, makes it adaptable to include different types of vehicles, and is cost-effective. This paper outlines the major features of the simulation models, showing a typical application for Traction Assist (TA) development. The simulation model was verified for a TA event by taking measurements from an on-board computer while the vehicle was driven on various types of road surfaces. The results obtained experimentally corresponded well with those obtained through simulation. Due to length limitations, only the results for the dry asphalt and packed snow type surfaces are shown.

Keywords: computer simulation; hardware-in-the-loop; HITL modelling; road surfaces; traction assist; Windows; dry asphalt; packed snow; vehicle modelling; vehicle design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1994.061898

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1994 Vol.15 No.6, pp.597 - 625

Published online: 28 May 2014 *

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