Contribution to the Objective Evaluation of Combined Longitudinal and Lateral Vehicle Dynamics in Nonlinear Driving Range

Since the complexity of modern vehicles is increasing continuously, car manufacturers are forced to improve the efficiency of their development process to remain profitable. A frequently mentioned measure is the consequent integration of virtual methods. In this regard, objective evaluation criteria are essential for the virtual design of driving dynamics. Therefore, this article aims to identify robust objective evaluation criteria for the nonlinear combined longitudinal and lateral dynamics of a vehicle. The article focuses on the acceleration in a turn maneuver since available objective criteria do not consider all relevant characteristics of vehicle dynamics. For the identification of the objective criteria, a generic method is developed and applied. First, an open-loop test procedure and a set of potential robust objective criteria are defined. Subsequently, suitable criteria are selected for different vehicle dynamics characteristics based on an investigation of Pearson correlations between the objective criteria and established subjective rating criteria. For this purpose, a subjective evaluation study with six specifically selected vehicle variants is conducted. Finally, the applicability of the selected objective criteria for vehicles of different segments is assessed through a benchmark of current vehicles. The results are objective criteria for the vehicle characteristics driving stability, oversteer/understeer, and traction. In contrast to existing objective criteria, the identified criteria shows a high robustness to measurement noise. Furthermore, there is a comprehensible correlation to established subjective rating criteria for each objective criterion. Lastly, the benchmark of current vehicles proves the applicability of the identified criteria.