Testing predictive vehicle dynamics control algorithms using a scaled remote controlled car and a roadway simulator

In this paper, a testbed for studying longitudinal and lateral vehicle dynamics is proposed. The testbed consists of a treadmill and a scaled remote-controlled car with four independently controlled brushless DC motors with front steering. The car is equipped with four power converters suitable for field-oriented torque control. The parameters of the scaled vehicle are chosen using the Buckingham PI theorem to achieve dynamic similitude to a full-size vehicle. Such a testbed allows testing of different control algorithms for vehicle dynamics. In this paper, a model predictive steering controller is implemented. Simulations are performed on both the full-scale vehicle in IPG CarMaker and the scaled vehicle in Matlab/Simulink environment. In addition, preliminary experimental results on the scaled vehicle are included to show the real-time suitability of the proposed control algorithm.