Use of a driving simulator to develop a brake-by-wire system designed for electric vehicles and car stability controls

Vehicles with electrical propulsion and energy recovery need specific brake systems able to guarantee the correct integration of electrical energy recovery and high braking capability. The use of advanced controls with brake by wire systems allows to integrate such functionalities leaving the correct feedback to brake pedal and the possibility to enhance vehicle dynamics. We present a study done with simulation and simulators with human in the loop to show the potentiality of specific controls to enhance vehicle dynamics and their integration with electric motor controls. In detail, we will show how a physical brake-by-wire unit can be installed on a simulator environment obtaining an enhancement in the driving realism and enabling the virtual development of advanced vehicle functions. The same testing architecture can be used also for fault-injection activities and precise pedal feeling calibration. The case-study test bench has been installed on a static driving simulator equipped with a concurrent real-time machine, a vigrade car real time model, the complete vehicle network and the full steering system.