System Identification and Lateral Dynamics of the Active Tilt-Controlled Electric Three Wheeler

Abstract

Active tilt control system (ATC) is considered to be a prominent technological advancement in the three wheelers (3Ws), which improves the drive and comfort capabilities of 3W, leading to additional benefits of excellent maneuverability and small track width. An experimental prototype along with its simulation model is developed, to study the impact of the tilt actuation control system (TAS) and active steer (AS) system on the overall drive experience and stability improvement. A steering direct tilt control (SDTC) strategy is implemented on the vehicle, which allows stable operation of the system during the entire drive range. A transfer function (TF) of the TAS is estimated from the measurements on the prototype using the system identification tool. The derived TF is then utilized to investigate the response of the complete vehicle in terms of vehicle trajectory, perceived acceleration and load transfer across the rear wheels during the double lane change (DLC) and constant turn maneuvers. The results of the analysis indicate that the perceived acceleration felt by the driver is up to 45% less than the lateral acceleration along with up to 36% reduction in load transfer across the rear wheels.