Testing of a torque vectoring controller for a Formula Student prototype

Abstract

Abstract The torque vectoring controller is the electrical substitute of a mechanical differential, with the advantage of improving the stability and handling of the vehicle. This work tackles the design, implementation and testing of a torque vectoring algorithm to be implemented in a Formula Student prototype. First is presented a dynamic test model used for the design and tuning of the controllers, which is then validated with real data from a real vehicle. Secondly, a computation methodology to achieve a reference value is proposed. Two controllers are presented, a PID and a LQR controller, with both being designed and tested in simulation. In a final part, the two controllers are implemented in a Formula Student prototype. The results from the vehicle with and without the controllers are then compared and the performance improvement discussed.