Design and control of a multi-functional electrorheological haptic knob for a vehicular instrument

Abstract

This paper presents torque and force control performances of an electrorheological fluid-based haptic knob for use in a vehicle. The proposed haptic device is a potential candidate for multi-functional controls for a vehicular instrument that can transmit various reflection torques and forces for the in-vehicle comfort functions to a driver without requiring the driver's visual attention. In order to emulate various comfort functions, a haptic mechanism is devised so as to be capable of both rotary and push motions. The haptic mechanism is established within a single knob and the torque and force produced are mathematically modelled and experimentally verified. In-vehicle comfort functions are then constructed in a virtual environment which communicates with the manufactured haptic device. Subsequently, an open-loop controller based on the torque and force models is formulated to track the desired trajectory from the torque or force map. Control performances such as reflection torque or force of the haptic device are experimentally evaluated and demonstrated with the visual results of the virtual in-vehicle comfort functions.

Keywords

electrorheological fluid electrorheological haptic knob vehicular instrument virtual environment open-loop control

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