• Energy Research

Intelligent tire concept constitutes one of the approaches to increase the accuracy of active safety systems in vehicle technology. The possibility of detecting tire–road interactions instantaneously has made these systems one of the most important research areas in automotive engineering. This study introduces the use of cost-effective flex and polyvinylidene fluoride strain sensors to estimate some dynamic tire features in free-rolling and real working conditions. The proposed solution combines a microcontroller-based readout circuit for the two sensors with a wireless data transmission system. A suitable prototype was realized and first experimental tests were conducted, in the laboratory as well as on the road. The energy consumption of the wireless monitoring system was optimized. Simulated and experimental results validate the proposed solution.

Intelligent tire concept constitutes one of the approaches to increase the accuracy of active safety systems in vehicle technology. The possibility of detecting tire–road interactions instantaneously has made these systems one of the most important research areas in automotive engineering. This study introduces the use of cost-effective flex and polyvinylidene fluoride strain sensors to estimate some dynamic tire features in free-rolling and real working conditions. The proposed solution combines a microcontroller-based readout circuit for the two sensors with a wireless data transmission system. A suitable prototype was realized and first experimental tests were conducted, in the laboratory as well as on the road. The energy consumption of the wireless monitoring system was optimized. Simulated and experimental results validate the proposed solution.

AbstractThis paper presents an activity concerning the development of a control strategy for power-assisted electric bicycles, also called pedelecs. A common assistance algorithm available on commercial pedelecs consists in providing predefined constant assistance electric power. This approach is lack of flexibility with respect to environmental condition and generally does not provide a good driving comfort. The proposed control method has been designed to minimize the tracking error between the actual bike velocity and the desired one, in the presence of external disturbances. The assistance electric motor torque consists of a feedforward torque integrated with a feedback one. The feedforward contribution is a nonlinear torque based on the pedelec model. The feedback action has the function to compensate the tracking error due to model uncertainties and unknown disturbances. The performance of the methodology has been evaluated applying the controller to an innovative pedelec prototype. To this aim, a mathematical model of the vehicle has been developed. Different human torque models have been implemented in order to study the influence of the rider on the pedelec dynamics. The results of a comparative analysis between the proposed algorithm and a common assistance method have demonstrated that the proposed controller provides improvements in terms of riding comfort and energy utilization.

AbstractThis paper presents an activity concerning the development of a control strategy for power-assisted electric bicycles, also called pedelecs. A common assistance algorithm available on commercial pedelecs consists in providing predefined constant assistance electric power. This approach is lack of flexibility with respect to environmental condition and generally does not provide a good driving comfort. The proposed control method has been designed to minimize the tracking error between the actual bike velocity and the desired one, in the presence of external disturbances. The assistance electric motor torque consists of a feedforward torque integrated with a feedback one. The feedforward contribution is a nonlinear torque based on the pedelec model. The feedback action has the function to compensate the tracking error due to model uncertainties and unknown disturbances. The performance of the methodology has been evaluated applying the controller to an innovative pedelec prototype. To this aim, a mathematical model of the vehicle has been developed. Different human torque models have been implemented in order to study the influence of the rider on the pedelec dynamics. The results of a comparative analysis between the proposed algorithm and a common assistance method have demonstrated that the proposed controller provides improvements in terms of riding comfort and energy utilization.

Abstract This paper describes the methodologies to appraise the power requests and environmental analysis of an electrically assisted bicycle under real driving conditions, also containing regulations and technical-science-related aspects. For this purpose, in this study, the on-road test program of an electrically assisted bicycle was executed in the urban area of Naples on different test tracks, so a general assessment about its driving behavior under several driving conditions was performed. The power requirements in different typical riding situations were estimated by a procedure based on the experimental kinematic parameters that characterize the driving dynamics collected during the real-life applications. An environmental analysis was also performed, with a methodology that takes into account the environmental assessment of a moped by measuring the experimental moped exhaust emissions of the regulated pollutants. Starting from the results acquired during the different test samples, besides, an assessment of the electric traction offered by this pedelec on the driving comfort was evaluated for different riding situations.

Abstract This paper describes the methodologies to appraise the power requests and environmental analysis of an electrically assisted bicycle under real driving conditions, also containing regulations and technical-science-related aspects. For this purpose, in this study, the on-road test program of an electrically assisted bicycle was executed in the urban area of Naples on different test tracks, so a general assessment about its driving behavior under several driving conditions was performed. The power requirements in different typical riding situations were estimated by a procedure based on the experimental kinematic parameters that characterize the driving dynamics collected during the real-life applications. An environmental analysis was also performed, with a methodology that takes into account the environmental assessment of a moped by measuring the experimental moped exhaust emissions of the regulated pollutants. Starting from the results acquired during the different test samples, besides, an assessment of the electric traction offered by this pedelec on the driving comfort was evaluated for different riding situations.

AbstractThe paper describes a performance and environmental analysis of an innovative e-bike by means of a dynamic model equipped with a suitable control for the management of the assisted drive of the e-bike.The main advantage of this approach consists of the opportunity to simulate different tracks, e-bikes characterized by different parameters (total mass, wheels moment of inertia) and different control strategies.The authors have also conducted an environmental analysis of the studied vehicle, particularly comparing the e-bike with a thermal moped, in terms of environmental impact.