INDEX

1. Introduction and Background 01

2. The Brake-By-Wire Solution 03
3. ontrol o! the Brake-By-Wire Sy"te# 0$
%. The Steer-By-Wire Solution 0&
$. ontrol o! the Steer-By-Wire Sy"te# 0'
(. )d*antage" 10
+. onclu"ion 10
&. ,uture 11
'. -e!erence" 11
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)."tract
The idea of X-by-wire, the control of a cars vital functions like steering and
breaks by electrical rather than mechanical links, it tantalizing to some and
terrifying to other.
Aircraft may have been eui!!ed with "ly-by-wire system for years, but do
we really feel comfortable at the idea of com!uter sitting between ourselves and
steering and breaks of our car#
$hat might, however, at first sound alarming actually has many benefits and
whatever we as costumers may think, X-by-wire is already emerging fast.
%lectronic throttles, the &ercedes sensotronic break controls '()*+ and now
)&$s active front steering 'A)(+ in the new launches are all e,am!les of drive-
by-wire technologies.
&ercedes-)enzs cutting edge sensotronic break control technology, used
in new (-, delivers more breaking movement in an emergency and hel!s
stabilize skid early.
.el!his X-by /wire is a family of advanced breaking, steering, throttle and
sus!ension control system which function without conventional
mechanical com!onent.
0&s hydrogen-!ower X-by-wire conce!t uses electrical signals instead of
mechanical linkages or hydraulics to o!erate the motor, breaks and
steering function.
1ighly organized network of wired, sensors, controllers and actuators control
the mechanical function of the vehicles steering, breaking, throttle and
sus!ension control system.
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1. Introduction and Background

For the past 25 years, by-wire systems have been used in the most advanced
Flying machines known to man. Fly-by-wire is where each mechanism is controlled
electronically. The mechanical linkages are removed and every movement is
communicated through electric signals alone. The use of electronic motors to control
movement has proven to be more responsive and a more efficient use of space and
energy. Thus the by-wire control is now setting the stage for better, faster vehicles in the
air and on land.
By-wire systems are a means for uick communication between the driver and the
components that control the vehicle. !very action that a vehicle can make "i.e. turning,
accelerating, braking# is controlled via an actuator or motor. !ach motor is controlled by
an electronic signal via some form of human-vehicle interface "i.e. a steering wheel, a
brake pedal or throttle pedal#. $ne of the biggest advantages is that they react more
uickly and thus are more responsive than the mechanical euivalent. %onventional
vehicles use mechanical linkages to actuate motion, which reuires energy transfer from
one link to another. &ccording to electronic theory, an electric current can flow through a
wire more uickly and with fewer losses than virtually every mechanical arrangement. &
power control module "'%(# or an "!%)# !lectronic %ontrol )nit is used to process the
signals sent from brake and throttle sensors, by-wire technology allows the potential to
add new operating programs to the !%)*s of by-wire vehicles. +n addition to being faster,
electronic actuators are lighter and take up less room.
This thesis will focus on two types of by wire technologies, Brake-by-wire and
-teer-by-wire. There are two brake-by-wire technologies that are used today,
!lectrohydraulic braking and electromechanical braking. !lectrohydraulic braking makes
use of a motor and hydraulics to actuate the brake system.
+nstead of braking at all four wheels every time the vehicle needs to slow down,
the !%) processes variables such as wheel speed, g-forces, steering angle, and engine
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output in order to decide what brake to use. +n most vehicles, braking is performed at two
or even four wheels every. Thus, the !%) takes in the information read from sensors and
uses algorithms to decide how to brake most efficiently and safely. This new system
eliminates the use of hydraulics completely. +nstead of using a comple., heavy hydraulic
system with a reservoir, hydraulic fluid and brake lines, all of that is replaced with
compact, individual brake actuators located at each wheel. This system is much less
comple. than purely mechanical systems in the sense that it can actuate each brake
individually therefore making active braking programs easy to implement.
$ne of the advantages of using electromechanical braking is that there is less
hardware, which reduces the cost of production, as well as the weight of the vehicle
overall. &dditionally, electromechanical braking systems are also environmentally
friendly since the need for hydraulic fluid is eliminated as well. &lso, brake maintenance
is reduced since only pads and discs need to be checked and replaced regularly.
The second topic that this paper will focus on is steer-by-wire systems. The
principle for the by-wire steering is the same as by-wire braking. The goal is to take out
the mechanical interface between the driver and the mechanism that actuates wheel turn.
The purpose of the steering is to control the heading of the vehicle. There are several
different arrangements for actuator control of steering. !lectro-mechanical steering is
where a motor is installed on the steering shaft or at the rack and pinion configuration
underneath the vehicle to initiate wheel turn. & signal is sent directly to the actuator and
from there, the motor turns the wheels to the desired position. +n electromechanical
steering there is no need for a steering wheel even since the wheels are not connected
mechanically to the wheel.
2. The Brake"-By-Wire
+n future automobiles will serve as the vehicle for high speed applications.
Therefore it was very important to make a vehicle that has a reliable and effective brake.
&s discussed in the background chapter, there are two ways that brakes can be
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electronically controlled, electrohydraulic braking and electromechanical braking. First,
the car must be capable of being manually operated. -o, one guideline was to make sure
the hardware installed in the car does not interfere with the driver*s space. -econdly, the
hardware must be installed in such a way that a person can drive the vehicle without
having to move any components of the by-wire system. Thirdly, the by-wire system must
be robust and durable. &ctuators should not interfere with the driver*s space on the floor.
+n addition, since the actuator is mounted inside the vehicle, the actuator is protected
from the elements.
&nother consideration was to actuate the brake pedal with the use of a steel cable
and linear actuator. This arrangement connects the brake pedal and linear actuator directly
with a steel cable. The cable arrangement could be routed along the wall of the driver*s
side door on the floorboard. From the floorboard, the cable could be routed up along the
foot well and fi.ed to the armature posterior to the brake pedal. & marked advantage of
using a cable system to initiate braking is that it simulates an actual person depressing the
brake pedal. $nce the actuator is initiated, the motor retracts the linear actuator. -ince the
cable is connected to the end of the actuator rod, when the actuator receives a signal to
translate backward, the actuator rod pulls the cable, thus pulling the brake towards the
foot well and actuating the brake system. The cable-actuator arrangement pulls the brake
pedal towards the floor. /hen the motor receives a signal to stop braking, the motor turns
the actuator rod to the neutral position which in turn loosens the cable tension therefore
releasing the brake. -o, when the motor is at the neutral position, the brake is completely
released.
The cable-actuator approach is similar to the way cruise control is implemented in
most vehicles. +n cruise control, when the desired speed is set for the vehicle, an actuator
is engaged which is connected to a cable which in turn is connected to the throttle valve.
&s the driver changes speed via buttons located on the steering wheel, the throttle valve is
opened more in order to accelerate, and the throttle valve is closed more in order to
decelerate.
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Figure shows a picture of the cable assembly that we devised. The steel cable is
0.1 inches in diameter and is made of braided steel. $ne end of the cable is connected to
the linear actuator located underneath the seat. This end is fastened with a custom bracket
and swaged aluminum stops. +n order to guide the cable, a steel tube was installed along
the left wall on the floorboard of the car. The tube serves as protection and as a guide for
the cable. The tubing is 123 inch outer diameter and 124 inch inner diameter. &luminum
eyelets with rubber liners secure the steel tube at three points and were screwed into the
floorboard of the car along the wall in order to secure the steel tube.
,ig. Brake-by-wire
3. ontrol o! the Brake" Sy"te#

This section will e.plain how the brake is controlled,-
a# The control architecture will be e.plained.
b# &n overview of the software programs used will be presented.
c# &ll other control considerations such as calibration of the motor and motor
feedback will be discussed.
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&n electric motor controls the linear actuator. +n order to control the linear
actuator, a voltage signal must be sent to the motor. From this point, the motor drives the
actuator to the position of the corresponding voltage signal. The issue of control is very
important because the motor replaces the role of the human operator to depress the brake
pedal.
$ne of the most important components of driving is the user interface. &n
interface mechanism is what the driver of the vehicle will be using to control the vehicle
"i.e. steering wheel and brake pedal set up, 5oystick, a control stick, etc.#
,ig. The 6ogitech /ingman Formula 7' controller mounted inside of the -89
The 6ogitech /ingman Formula 7' interface works nicely because it has the
necessary connections to communicate with the power control module "'%(#..
'%( is really the brains of the by-wire control system. :ere, the '%( records
and processes all data. ;ata is sent from both actuators communicating what position the
steering actuator and the brake are located at. The '%( also runs the software programs.
+n addition, the car controller is connected directly with the '%(. The car controller
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sends corresponding voltage signals to the '%( in order to drive the vehicle. <oltage
signals are converted to a corresponding brake percentage. The brake percentage can then
be e.ecuted in '%(. &fter all that the '%( sends a voltage to the &dvanced (otion
%ontrols &mplifier "&(%#. The purpose of the amplifier is simply to amplify the voltage
signal to be sent to the motor. From the amplifier, a voltage is relayed to the brake motor,
and then the actuator rod is moved to the specified position for braking.
The degree of braking that the motor relays is a function of what voltage was sent
to the '%( from the car controller. &s the car controller*s brake pedal is depressed, a
corresponding voltage is sent to the '%(. Then the '% sends a corresponding voltage
signal to the brake actuator through the amplifier.
To review, the flow signals from the car controller to the brake occur as follows. From
the car controller, a signal is sent to the '%(. Then, the signal is processed by the =+
software in the '%(. $nce the signal is processed, a corresponding voltage signal is sent
to the amplifier and from the amplifier, the voltage is sent to the motor. The motor reads
the voltage signal and moves the actuator rod to the specified position. From this point,
the actuator rod pulls on the steel cable in turn depressing the brake pedal.
The software programs that were developed serve many purposes for by-wire control.
The software is programmed to record the brake motor position during driving.
The software program converts the voltage signals to a corresponding percentage
of braking which is discussed further later in this section.
The software serves as an interface. This interface is how we can see what we are
telling the vehicle to do.
The software programs serve many purposes for controlling the vehicle.
+t serves as a visual aid for the driver. This is so he or she knows what brake
percentages are being sent to the car. :aving an interface that is connected
directly to the car controller is especially important so the driver is cogni>ant of
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e.actly how much braking is being reuested during driving. These =+ programs
allow the car to be controlled directly from the '%(.
&n emergency stop is programmed into the software in case of an emergency. +f
an emergency does occur, the car has an emergency stop procedure.
There are two ways to initiate emergency procedures. The first is to press the emergency
stop button located on the front panel ne.t to the driving wheel. The second way to
initiate emergency procedures is to press the .soft. !-stop button that is programmed in
the software. /hen an e-stop button is pushed, if the vehicle is moving, all other signals
are negated and a 100? brake signal is sent to the motor. Thus full brakes are applied and
the car should stop.
The last aspect of motor control is motor feedback. Feedback for the brake
actuator comes directly from the brake potentiometer. Feedback is one of the most
important components for a drive by wire system because it allows us to know e.actly
where the actuator is.
%. The Steer-By-Wire
This section will focus on describing the steer-by-wire system in the drive by
system. First recruitment of the steer-by-wire system must be reliable and responsive.
The car %ontroller must consistently demonstrate complete control of the steering
system. &lso, a responsive vehicle will be able to change directions on %ommand. +f the
car is not responsive to controller inputs, vehicle control will be compromised and is not
safe. The vehicle must also be accurately controlled &ccuracy is a necessity especially for
high speed applications and the heading of the vehicle must be reliable and accurate.
Furthermore, accurate steering control will help ensure that the vehicle is safe.
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The ne.t reuirement of the steer-by-wire system is that it must be compact and
non-intrusive to the driver. +f the steering system is hidden and protected, there is less
interference of testing from the driver and this will ensure safety. There are also several
reuirements for the steering actuator. First, the actuator must be sturdy and compact. &
sturdy motor will encourage repeatability and will be able to endure rigorous testing. The
steering actuator must also have feedback capability to provide information about where
the steering is at all times. Feedback ensures that we can monitor the path of the vehicle
and can be used with a control algorithm for smoother and more stable actuation. Torue
reuirements were found e.perimentally by attaching different /eights to the steering
wheel to uantify how much torue is needed to turn the $ne of these reuirements had
to be met to ensure a stable steer-by-wire system.
$. ontrol o! the "teering "y"te#
There are five components that were needed to control the -mart (otor,-
The car controller, the '%(, the @uicksilver %ontroller +nterface, the -ilver =ugget, and
of course the steering motor. The signal starts with the car %ontroller and is sent to the
'%(. From the '%(, a signal is then sent through the @uicksilver %ontroller +nterface
otherwise known as the breakout board to the -ilver =ugget controller and amplifier.
From the -ilver =ugget, a voltage signal is then sent to the smart motor. The smart motor
then moves to the position corresponding to the signal that was sent. &s the motor rotates,
an encoder inside the motor sends feedback through the -ilver =ugget and the breakout
board straight to the '%(. Figure shows the flow of signal '%( to smart motor.
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Fig. Flow of signal for steering
/ithin the '%(, the software converts the commands to a desired percentage of
-teering. -imilar to braking, the '%( converts the desired position to -100 ? to 100?,
which corresponds to the steering wheel turned all the way left and the steering wheel
turned all the way right respectively.
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Fig. Flow of signals for the smart motor
(. )d*antage"
%apabilities that are possible -afety can be improved by providing computer
controlled intervention of vehicle controls with systems
'arking can be made easier with reduced lock-to-lock steering wheel travel as
with B(/As &ctive -teering -ystem, or automatic parallel parking which is available in
some Toyota 'rius models.
&lthough neither of these are strictly steer-by-wire because they retain mechanical
linkages, they show the.
+. onclu"ion
This pro5ect was a success. &ll reuirements were met for both the brake and steer
by wire systems. +n addition, motor control was demonstrated with good control of the
brake actuators as well as the steering motors.
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&. ,uture Sco/e
& new form of brake actuation should be implemented into later iterations of this
pro5ect. The steering system is e.ceptional as it is though a new belt drive system may be
in order to reduce belt slip. (ore safety systems such as mechanically actuated
emergency stops should be incorporated into future pro5ects as to ensure safety.
-uggestions for sensors include an internal navigation system and global positioning
sensors. /ith these sensors, the ability to make the vehicle drive autonomously will also
be a possibility. +nstalling sensors at the wheels, steering shaft, and brakes for instance
will also make it possible to uantify how much turning and braking is occurring in the
vehicle. Thus, there will be a basis for comparison to measure e.actly how effective the
drive-by-wire system is. $verall, this pro5ect was a complete success and was a pleasure
to be a part of.
'. -e!erence"
1#. Bannatyne, 8oss, .&dvances and %hallenges in !lectronic Braking %ontrol
Technology. -&! B42233.
2#. 8oss, 'hilip, Top 10 Techno-%ool %ars, +!!! -pectrum, February 200C pp. C0-C5
C#. www.mercedes.com
3#. www.blackwell-synergy.com
5#. www.bertone.com
D#. www.howstuffworks.com
E#. Future tech maga>ine addition 2003
4#. www.ni.com
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