MICRO-ELECTRIC VEHICLE FOR AGED DRIVERS WITH PLANETARYGEAR TYPE ACTIVE STEERING SYSTEM

A planetary gear type active steering system for μEV which is possible to be adjusted to driver's characteristics is developed. The system has also the torque assist/augmentation system using torque split control of the in-wheel traction motors. The system characteristic is adjusted to the aged drivers and the effects of the system on the drivers are experimentally proved. It is confirmed that the characteristics of the driver change according to the steering characteristics as a result the system can compensate for deteriorated control ability. The torque augmentation control is also proved to be effective on improving on-center handling characteristics of the vehicle.