Title: Automotive winter testing with path-following steering robot

Authors: Håkan Fredriksson; Jan Van Deventer; Niclas Engström; Jeremy Ash

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden ' Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden ' Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden ' Anthony Best Dynamics Ltd., Holt Road, Bradford on Avon, Wilts, BA15 1AJ, UK

Abstract: When testing modern active safety systems on cars, it is essential to test vehicle response to steering inputs. This paper highlights the use of a path-following steering robot for repetitive car testing in winter conditions. Experiments have been made with commonly used test sequences, e.g., lane-change, double lane-change, constant radius circle, and handling circuit. The steering input from the human driver is replaced by a steering robot and a path-following algorithm. The main focus for this paper is to describe what happens when one pushes the path-following system to, and beyond, the physical limitations of road grip when cornering at high vehicle speed. It shows that, with an appropriate tuning of the path-following parameters, the system performs predictably and satisfactorily. The overall conclusion is that a path-following steering robot is indeed useful for repetitive test in winter conditions with poor road grip.

Keywords: automotive testing; winter testing; steering robots; driving robots; path-following robots; closed-loop; repetitive tests; vehicle testing; active safety systems; vehicle safety; vehicle response; lane change; constant radius circle; handling circuit; road grip; high speed cornering; vehicle speed.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVSMT.2015.067520

International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, 2015 Vol.10 No.1, pp.29 - 52

Received: 16 Oct 2013
Accepted: 24 Jan 2014
Published online: 18 Mar 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article