T.R.i.c.k. real time. a tool for the real-time onboard tire performance evaluation

Real-time knowledge of the tire dynamic behaviour is a fundamental prerequisite for using electronic controls in vehicle dynamics, which are rapidly increasing their complexity and, consequently, the required accuracy of the measurement systems. Some examples of new advances from the automotive industry are driver assistance (ADAS) and roadside units (RSU), receivers installed on the road infrastructure capable of collecting vehicle data, with the purpose of monitoring the status of the road. Moreover, thanks to the low connection latency offered by the 5G network, interconnected vehicles will be able to passively communicate and apply autonomous driving strategies with the aim of avoiding road accidents [1]. Typically, the tire characterization is performed offline using the data acquired thanks to expensive test benches and instrumentation, subsequently, the parameters of specific models, analytic Pacejka [2] or Dugoff [3], formulations, multibody [4, 5] or FEA-based [6, 7] are identified. For the identification of tire models’ parameters directly using the signals acquired by means of on-board measurements, additional sensors not usually available in standard vehicles, such as the dynamometer hubs, are required. The UniNa vehicle dynamics research group has developed a tool called TRICK [8], able to estimate the physical quantities necessary to fully understand and characterize the tire dynamic behaviour from the CAN channels normally available in telemetry. The forces developed by the tires are derived from the equilibrium equations, while the tire slips are obtained from the kinematics equations [9]. The present paper describes the development stages which have been necessary to permit the TRICK tool working in real time, thus providing useful data regarding the vehicle and tire states to both the driver and the control systems. Issues related to the on-board instrument calibration procedure, noise filtering and interface development are specifically described