Free Multibody Cosimulation Based Prototyping of Motorcycle Rider Assistance Systems 2020-32-2306

Due to the increasing computational power, significant progress has been made over the past decades when it comes to CAD, multibody and simulation software. The application of this software allows to develop products from scratch, or to investigate the static and dynamic behavior of multibody models with remarkable precision. In order to keep the development costs low for highly sophisticated products, more precisely motorcycle rider assistance systems, it is necessary to focus extensively on the virtual prototyping using different software tools. In general, the interconnection of different tools is rather difficult, especially when considering the coupling of a detailed multibody model with a simulation software like MATLAB Simulink. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the performance of a motorcycle rider assistance algorithm using a cosimulation approach between the free multibody software called FreeDyn and Simulink based on a sophisticated multibody motorcycle model. This multibody model is coupled with Simulink and a suitable motorcycle rider assistance system is developed based on a systematic control approach, ensuring that the motorcycle performs a specified maneuver. For this rider assistance algorithm two different feedback approaches are employed, making use of the frozen-time method and a time-variant approach. Due to the high complexity of the multibody model, the rider design is based on a reduced order nonlinear motorcycle model, that captures the most important dynamics of the sophisticated model. The final cosimulation provides a highly satisfying performance, demonstrating the successful application for a sophisticated multibody model. Compared to commercially available software products for motorcycle dynamics, FreeDyn is a free alternative software tool, which is not restricted to developing motorcycle models, as it is suitable for various multibody applications. Hence, this cosimulation approach creates new opportunities for cost-effective virtual prototyping concepts.