Hideki Sugiura

Direct Yaw Moment Control and Power Consumption of In-Wheel Motor Vehicle in Steady-State Turning

ABSTRACT Driving force distribution control is one of the characteristic performance aspects of in-wheel motor vehicles and various methods have been developed to control direct yaw moment while turning. However, while these controls significantly enhance vehicle dynamic performance, the additional power required to control vehicle motion still remains to be clarified. This paper constructed new formulae of the mechanism by which direct yaw moment alters the cornering resistance and mechanical power of all wheels based on a simple bicycle model, including the electric loss of the motors and the inverters. These formulation results were validated by an actual test vehicle equipped with in-wheel motors in steady-state turning. The validated theory was also applied to a comparison of several different driving force distribution mechanisms from the standpoint of innate mechanical power.

First order analysis for automotive body structure design - : Part 1 : Overview and applications

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) has been successfully utilized in automotive industries. CAE numerically estimates the performance of automobiles and proposes alternative ideas that lead to the higher performance without building prototypes. Most automotive designers, however, cannot directly use CAE due to the sophisticated operations. In order to overcome this problem, we proposed a new concept of CAE, First Order Analysis (FOA). The basic ideas include (1) graphic interfaces using Microsoft/Excel to achieve a product oriented analysis (2) use the knowledge of the mechanics of materials to provide the useful information for designers, and (3) the topology optimization method using beam and panel elements. In this paper, outline of FOA and application are introduced.

Efficient direct yaw moment control: tyre slip power loss minimisation for four-independent wheel drive vehicle

ABSTRACT This paper proposes an efficient direct yaw moment control (DYC) capable of minimising tyre slip power loss on contact patches for a four-independent wheel drive vehicle. Simulations identified a significant power loss reduction with a direct yaw moment due to a change in steer characteristics during acceleration or deceleration while turning. Simultaneously, the vehicle motion can be stabilised. As a result, the proposed control method can ensure compatibility between vehicle dynamics performance and energy efficiency. This paper also describes the results of a full-vehicle simulation that was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the proposed DYC.

Development of First Order Analysis for Torsion Beam Suspension (FOA/TB) Corresponding to Modular Design

The First Order Analysis for Torsion Beam Suspension (FOA/TB)/design tool has been developed as a CAE tool for suspension designers. Reflecting the needs of suspension designers, this tool tends to become more detailed and complex. In addition, FOA/TB is also used by torsion beam component designers since it is capable of creating detailed models of the torsion beam itself. However, in the design phase, torsion beam designers cannot obtain all the parameters included in the current FOA/TB model and have to provisionally set unknown parameters. To overcome this problem, this paper introduces a method for abstraction and masking of design parameters based on the concept of modular designing. It also shows how usability was improved using the new concept FOA/TB.