Effect of steering reaction torque of ultra-compact electric vehicle on steering burden for active steering wheel system

Abstract

An ultra-compact electric mobility vehicle cannot be equipped with power steering, and the physical burden is large. Therefore, we are continuously researching steering support for an ultra-compact electric mobility vehicle equipped with a steer-by-wire system (SBWS). The SBWS has not been widely diffused because the steering and front wheels are connected only to electric signals and do not have a high redundancy level. However, the advantage of an SBWS is that the steering reaction torque felt through the steering wheel can be controlled freely. We investigated an active steering wheel system (ASWS) that can control an appropriate steering feeling for each driver by being equipped with SBWS and evaluating the steering burden of each driver. So far, research on the SBWS has been considered to improve operability by transmitting road information and feeding back vehicle motion, however few research on an SBWS considers the physical and mental burden on the driver. In this study, we conducted a fundamental analysis of the effect of the steering reaction torque on the steering burden, focusing on the operating direction of the steering wheel.