09AC-0064

Identifying Electrically Assisted Steering Transfer Functions using a Modified FIR Filtering Approach
Kevin McLaughlin Roger Lahoud
TRW Automotive

Miguel Bahena
Ford Motor Company
Copyright 2008 SAE International

ABSTRACT
The transfer function required to control an electrically assisted steering gear is identified using a modified FIR filtering approach. The topology of the electrically assisted steering gear is described. The modified FIR filtering approach is explained with emphasis on the frequency domain implication of window choice when performing measurements. An example is provided using an analytic model of the steering gear so that the accuracy of the technique can be evaluated on a known system. The technique is applied to measure the transfer function of an actual electrically powered steering gear on a test bench and in a rolling vehicle.

frequencies are used to excite the system. A waiting period is induced between the sine waves to allow the transients to decay. An advantage of this method is that the amplitude can be made a function of frequency, thereby minimizing the impacts of saturation near lightly damped modes. A major drawback of this method is the transients induced by the stepped waves: modes not of interest may be excited causing the system to experience nonlinearities due to hitting saturation limits. Other well-known methods such a Chirps, Random Noise and Pseudo-Random Noise [1] can provide excellent results. However, these schemes are more complex with regard to processing the outputs. For an electrically assisted steering gear, these methods may require external systems connected to the electronics of the steering gear - a situation that must be avoided. An alternate approach is presented where the excitation functions are coded on-board in the ECU. The computation of the gain and phase can also be coded in the ECU but for the present work, these computations are done off line. The proposed scheme modifies the stepped-sine method. The excitation signals are sine waves multiplied by window functions, specifically a Blackman-Harris window. The flexibility in choosing the excitation frequencies and amplitudes is retained. The window functions are utilized to limit the frequency content of the commands and to reject noise in the measurements. The gain and phase of the output signal with respect to the input are computed as simple sums. Transients in the system are avoided by using the window functions. It is shown that the application of the window function is equivalent to Finite Impulse Response filtering techniques. Software required is minimal and the technique is easily portable to other engineering systems. Results for transfer function measurements are shown for an Electric Steering Gear on a test bench and in a rolling vehicle. The gear is a "belt-drive gear", consisting

INTRODUCTION
Predicting the dynamic response of an electrically powered steering gear is essential for controller design. Precise knowledge of input/output transfer functions allows optimization of the control system so that a positive steering experience can be provided to the driver. Phase information is especially critical in electric steering because the zero db crossover frequency is often higher than the natural frequency of the steering gear, meaning that phase compensation is required. A challenge when measuring the transfer function is doing so without invading the closed system with cables and connections. Because the steering gear is in the engine compartment, the electronics are sealed. It is impossible to use external connections without destructively damaging the natural sealing system of the gear. Having an on-board algorithm resident in the software of the steering gear electronics is extremely advantageous. Many methods exist to measure transfer functions but not all are amenable to this on-board requirement [1-2]. Stepped-sine wave excitation is a simple solution. A series of single sine measurements at the desired

of a power rack-and-pinion gear and a motor coupled to the steering rack, with a belt and ballnut/ballscrew to provide steering assist. The simplified model of the system is a two-mass/two-spring system. It is shown that the measurements correlate well with the model.

belt to a small pulley on the motor rotor. The belt/pulley arrangement provides a 2.5 ratio, i.e. the motor rotates 2.5 times every time the ballnut rotates once. The overall ratio from the motor to the handwheel is 2.5*(50/7)=17.85, i.e. for one revolution of the handwheel, the motor rotates 17.85 times. From a torque point of view, 1Nm of torque at the motor provides the equivalent of 17.85Nm of torque at the handwheel. The ballnut/belt amplifies the motor torque when viewed at the handwheel. Typical driver torques in power steering applications are under 4Nm yet typical assist load requirements can be as high as 100Nm referenced to the handwheel. The assist mechanism, by amplifying the motor torque via the belt/ballnut mechanism, provides such assist levels.

DESCRIPTION OF AN ELECTRICALLY ASSISTED STEERING SYSTEM

A process is presented to identify the transfer function of an electrically assisted steering gear. A picture of an electrically assisted steering belt-drive gear is shown in Figure 1. The driver input torque at the handwheel is sensed with a torque sensor in the pinion. The torque is passed through a controller that computes the amount of assist required by the motor to turn the road wheels. The main transfer function of interest is the transfer function from motor command to sensed torque. All parameter values provided are for a specific application and can vary depending on the vehicle application. From Figure 1, the steering wheel is connected via an intermediate shaft to the rack-and-pinion steering gear. The ratio of the rack-and-pinion is 50mm of rack travel for 1 revolution of the handwheel. The intermediate shaft connects to the steering gear via a torque sensor located in the pinion housing. The torque sensor has an internally compliant member termed a "torsion bar or Tbar" with a torque constant of 2 Nm/deg and a maximum travel of 5 degrees. The torsion bar travel is constrained with hard mechanical stops. The rack is connected via a ballnut/ballscrew/belt mechanism to the electric motor. The electric motor provides steering assist to the driver. The tie rods are connected to the steering arms and turn the vehicle road wheels.

Small Pulley Electric Motor

Belt

Rack and Ballscrew

Large Pulley and Ballnut

FIGURE 2: BALLNUT/BELT ARRANGEMENT

Steering Wheel Torque Sensor (Tbar) Intermediate Shaft Ballnut Housing

MODEL OF THE STEERING GEAR - Steering gears are typically modeled by lumping mass and compliance at different points [3]. In general, a two-mass, two-spring model captures the dynamics of interest to develop an adequate controller. A schematic of this model is shown in Figure 3. The two-masses, one for the handwheel JHW and one for the motor Jmotor, are connected together by a spring KTbar representing the compliance between the handwheel and the motor. The compliance, KTbar, includes compliance due to the intermediate shaft, the torsion bar inside the torque sensor and compliance due to the ballnut/ballscrew/belt. This compliance is typically dominated by the torsion bar because it is very soft compared to the other items. The motor mass is connected to the ground by a spring representing the tire stiffness Ktire. Modeling the tire as a spring captures much of the dynamics required to study performance [4]. Both masses are attached to the ground with damping.

Tie Rod

Belt Housing

Electric Motor

FIGURE 1: BELT-DRIVE EPS An exploded view of the ballnut/ballscrew/belt mechanism is shown in Figure 2. As the rack moves back and forth the ballnut rotates. The ratio of the ballnut is 7mm of rack travel for 1 revolution of the ballnut. A large pulley is attached to the ballnut and via a

Typical parameters are shown in Table 1. As already discussed, the steering gear has various ratios due to the rack-and-pinion, ballnut/ballscrew and belt to provide amplification of the motor torque and to directly connect the driver to the road wheels. These ratios are not shown in this model for simplicity. All parameter values are referenced to the handwheel rotational frame. It is assumed that the frictions are viscous though coulomb friction is typically present in a steering gear. Measuring the transfer function of the steering gear is addressed next. The model of Figure 2 is used to demonstrate the theoretical aspects of the system identification technique. It is desired to measure the transfer function from motor command to sensed torque. Sensed torque is the angular difference between the motor angle motor and the handwheel angle H times the torsion bar torque constant KTbar.

THE APPROACH TO MEASURING THE TRANSFER FUNCTION

The proposed system identification approach uses a set of discrete sine waves each multiplied by a window function to measure the transfer functions of the steering gear. Windows can also be applied to the measured signals to reject noise. Windowing minimizes the frequency content of the excitation signal and also potential corruption of the measurement due to transients. A general sine sweep method is described. Background information on windows, illustrating their advantages in signal processing, is presented. An example is shown that applies the modified sine sweep method to an analytic two-mass model. Finally, measurements of an electric steering gear are compared with analytical predictions. SINE SWEEPS AND COMPUTING FREQUENCY CONTENT USING FOURIER INTEGRALS - Suppose there exists a time-domain signal y(nT) where n=1, 2, ..., N. To determine the frequency content at frequency the discrete Fourier integrals can be computed directly. First compute the sine and cosine integrals,

motor

KTbar JH
W

Ktire Jmoto

ns =

1 N 1 N

y(nT) * sin (2nT )

n =1

(1)

BHW

Bmotor

nc =

y(nT) * cos(2nT )
n =1

(2)

Typically, the number of points N is chosen to have an integral number of cycles. The magnitude M and the phase are computed as,

FIGURE 3: MODEL OF EPS STEERING GEAR TABLE 1: MODEL PARAMETER VALUES JHW Jmotor Ktbar Ktire BHW Bmotor 0.04 kgm 0.08 kgm
2

M = 2 ns 2 + nc 2

ns = tan 1 nc

(3)

A simple method to compute a transfer function is: 1. Define the frequency at which the transfer function gain is desired. 2. Drive the system at the defined frequencies using a sine wave with amplitude Min. 3. Use eq. (1-3) to compute the gain and phase of the output signal "y". 4. If the system is driven with a sine wave, the phase of the transfer function is the same as the phase of "y". The gain of the transfer function is M/Min. An issue with a sine wave excitation is that transients are introduced into the system that may corrupt the output measurement or excite the system in undesirable ways. Utilizing window functions can reduce these transients by

2 Nm/deg 1 Nm/deg 0.4 Nm*s/rad 0.2 Nm*s/rad

controlling the frequency content of the input and rejecting unwanted frequencies in the output. WINDOWING TECHNIQUES - Much of the material presented in this section is covered in detail in [5] and is included here for completeness. A window is a vector that is multiplied by a finite time length of data. If no window is chosen, the rectangular window is implicitly applied. So a window is always applied to finite length data even if not explicitly chosen. Since multiplication in the time domain is equivalent to convolution in the frequency domain, multiplication of a signal by a window in the time domain is the same as convolving the frequency domain signal with the frequency response of the window. The basic trade when choosing a window is the amount of frequency rejection and the width of the window. Some windows have frequency responses that are narrow and shallow while others are deep and wide. An example is provided that contrasts three windows: the rectangular, the Hamming and BlackmanHarris windows. Suppose a signal Y(nT) exist such that Y(nT) = sin(30*2*pi*nT), n=1,2,3,...,200. (4)

rejection between 20-40db. The width is defined as the st 1 frequency away from the target frequency that has zero gain (-db). The BlackmanHarris has the best rejection - over 100db - but is much wider with a width of 4/(NT). The Hamming window falls between the other two.

APPLYING WINDOWS TO TIME DOMAIN SIGNALS

By multiplying a time domain signal by a window, the frequency response in Figure 5 is convolved with the frequency response of the signal. Figure 6 shows the resulting frequency responses for the windowed sine waves. The top three plots from left to right show the sine wave times the rectangular, Hamming and BlackmanHarris windows respectively. The bottom plot shows the frequency response of the time domain signals. For the given problem 1/(NT)=5Hz. The Rectangular window has a width of 5Hz, the Hamming 10Hz and the BlackmanHarris 20Hz with the BlackmanHarris providing the best reduction below 15Hz and above 45Hz. The frequency plots in Figure 6 appear like the windows of Figure 5 placed around 30Hz. This is because multiplication of the window and the function in the time domain is the equivalent to convolution of the two functions in the frequency domain. Since the frequency response of the sine function is a single non-zero value at the 30Hz (along with negative frequencies and the repeated frequencies due to the sampling), the convolution is substantially equal to the window function placed around 30Hz. The low frequency response appears corrupted but is actually due to convolution integrals continuing into the negative frequencies.

Let T=0.001sec. Y(nT) is a 30Hz sine wave with unity magnitude and a data length of 0.2 sec. Figure 4 shows the three 200 point windows in the upper row and the multiplication of Y(t) times the windows in the lower row.
Rectangular 1 1 Hamming 1 BlackmanHarris

0.5

0.5

0.5

0
0 0 0.1 Y(t)*Rectangular 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 0 0.1 Time (sec.) 0.2 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 0 0.1 Time (sec.) 0.2 0.2 0 0 0.1 Y(t)*Hamming 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 0 0.1 Time (sec.) 0.2 0.2 0 0 0.1 0.2

Y(t)*BlackmanHarris

Gain (db)

-50

-100

10

15

20 25 30 Frequency (Hz)

35

40

45

50

Rectangular Hamming BlackmanHarris

FIGURE 4: THREE WINDOWS TIMES 30HZ SINE WAVE The windows can be analyzed in the frequency domain separately from the windowed signals. Letting N=200 and T=0.001sec. A DFT is performed on each window using zero padding to 2^16 points on the windows of Figure 4 and the resulting gains are shown in Figure 5. The top plot of Figure 5 has the x-axis with units frequency and the bottom plot has the x-axis normalized to 1/(NT) where NT is the lowest frequency that can be resolved with the DFT. Note that the rectangular window is narrow with a width of 1/(NT) but only provides

Gain (db)

-50

-100

4 5 6 Frequency/(NT) (Hz)

10

FIGURE 5: FREQUENCY GAIN OF THREE WINDOWS

Y(t)*Rectangular 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1

Y(t)*Hamming 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1

Y(t)*BlackmanHarris

N=

N cyc T

(6)

0.1 Time (sec.)

0.2

0.1 Time (sec.)

0.2

0.1 Time (sec.)

0.2

0 -20 Gain (db) -40 -60 -80 -100 -120 0 10 20 Rectangular Hamming BlackmanHarris 30 Frequency (Hz) 40 50 60

It is typical that the window length and the length of drive signal are not the same. In this case, the window value must either be interpolated or indexed to find the proper value. For example, if the sample rate T=1ms, =2Hz and Ncyc=10, the total duration of the signal is 5sec and N=5000. Since only 1024 points are stored for the window, options to find the appropriate window value are to interpolate between the stored points or use the closest point. Care must be taken in realizing the window accurately or else unwanted frequency content will creep into the drive signal. The steps to implement the windowed drive signal are: 1. Chose a window function and store a fixed length of the window in the microprocessor memory. 2. Define the drive frequency , the input magnitude Min and the number of cycles Ncyc. As the number of cycles increases, the frequency content becomes narrower. 3. Implement a loop to compute the input u(nT). The loop shall be run N times. 4. Output a signal indicating when the system is excited along with the measurements of interest. Store these signal if feasible. Step #4 is required to facilitate the computation of the gain and phase. Since the frequency and gain of the input signal are known, the Fourier integrals can be computed on-line or in post-processing knowing when the system is being excited. That the system is excited may not be evident in the measurement data because the windowed sine wave has very small magnitude at the beginning and end of the window. Having a signal that goes high at the beginning of the window and low at the end of the window facilitates this computation of the discrete Fourier integrals. The multiplication of the window times the drive frequency creates a signal with very narrow band frequency properties. The signal has gain at the desired frequency but rolls off at both higher and lower frequencies depending on the window choice and the length of the window. Recall that longer duration signals, i.e. making Ncyc larger, results in narrow bandpass filters. FOURIER INTEGRATION WITH WINDOWS - If the window function is defined as w(N), then the Fourier integration is modified,

FIGURE 6: GAIN OF SINE WAVES TIME WINDOWS The result of applying a window times a cosine wave can be shown to be equal to the coefficients of a Finite Impulse Response bandpass filter: the target frequency of the bandpass is equal to the frequency of the cosine wave and the width of the bandpass is defined by the length of the window and the type of window function utilized. Recall that the frequency domain width of the window is proportional to 1/(NT) where (NT) is the length of the window. Longer windows provide narrow bandpass filters. Utilizing windows when exciting a system with a sine wave effectively blocks all frequencies outside the driving frequency from entering the system. Additionally, modifying the computation of the Fourier integrals rejects noise containing frequency content that that differs from the drive frequency. CREATING DRIVE SIGNAL WITH WINDOWS - By multiplying the drive signal by a window, the input signal has the overall frequency response of the narrow bandpass filters as demonstrated in Figure 6. Assuming the window has the same number of elements as the drive frequency, define the drive signal u(nT) as,

u (nT ) = M in w (n ) sin (2nT ),

n = 1,2,...N

(5)

where Min is the magnitude, is the frequency, T the sample rate and w(n) the n-element window function. If "w" is unity, a rectangular window is employed. To create the windowed drive signal, a window of fixed length is stored in the ECU's microprocessor. The present study uses a window with 1024 points. Additionally, the drive frequency and the number of cycles of drive frequency Ncyc are specified. The number of cycles is required so that the total length of the drive signal N can be defined. Since one cycle of the sine wave has duration (1/) seconds, the total length N is,

ns =

1 N

y(nT) * w (n ) sin (2nT )

n =1

(7)

cs =

1 N

y(nT) * w (n ) cos(nT )
n =1

(8)

successful by not exciting the steering gear frequencies other than the drive frequency.

at

HW Torque (Nm)

5 0 -5 -10 0 0.5 1 1.5

HW Torque (Nm)

The magnitude M and the phase are computed using eq. (3). However, the gain of the transfer function is modified:

Input Signal 10 10 5 0 -5 -10 0 4 HW Torque (Nm) 2 0 -2 -4 0

Windowed Input Signal

M 1 gain = * M in mean ( w )

(9)

0.5

1.5

The gain must be divided by the mean of the window. Since the window convolves with the drive frequency, the gain at the drive frequency is the multiplication of the drive gain times the window function. Therefore, the mean of the window function is used to normalize the transfer function gain. The window function need not be used on the Fourier integrals if noise is not a dominant factor in the measurement. However, if noise is dominant, the window function can assist in rejecting the noise. Recall that even if a window function is not explicitly chosen, the rectangular window is always implicitly chosen and some noise reduction is still applied.

Torque Measured at Torque Sensor 4 HW Torque (Nm) 2 0 -2 -4 0 0.5 1 1.5

Torque Measured at Torque Sensor

0.5

1.5

Handwheel Angle HW Angle (deg) HW Angle (deg) 2 1 0 -1 -2 0 0.5 1 Time (sec.) 1.5 2 1 0 -1 -2 0

Handwheel Angle

0.5 1 Time (sec.)

1.5

THE TWO-MASS MODEL TRANSFER FUNCTION

The two-mass model is utilized to illustrate the window function's influence on the transfer function measurement. A comparison of driving the system with windowed and non-windowed sine waves in the time domain is shown first. Two transfer function cases are then provided. In the first case, no noise is present. For this case, a rectangular window is used when computing the gain and phase to illustrate the general method. In the second case, a 3Hz nose signal is applied as a torque to the handwheel. The performance of the Fourier integration for both rectangular and BlackmanHarris windows are compared. The BlackmanHarris window is chosen for this application because of its superior noise rejection a frequencies away from the target frequency. DRIVING WITH WINDOWED AND NON-WINDOWED SINE WAVE - The two-mass model is utilized to illustrate the time domain effectiveness of the window function. Figure 7 compares driving the motor in the steering gear with a sine wave (left hand side) and a windowed sine wave (right hand side). The drive signal has Ncyc=10 and =30Hz. A BlackmanHarris window was employed. The top row shows the commands to the motor, the middle plots show the torque sensor signal and the bottom plots show the handwheel angle. The torque sensor signal is the angular difference between the motor angle and handwheel angle multiplied by the torsion bar stiffness Ktbar. For the sine wave excitation, the torque sensor and handwheel angle show large transients. With the windowed sine wave, the transients are removed. In fact, the handwheel barely moves when using the windowed input. The window is

FIGURE 7: WINDOWED AND NON-WINDOWED DRIVE SIGNALS TRANSFER FUNCTIONS MEASUREMENT EXAMPLE WITH NO EXTERNAL NOISE PRESENT - The windowed approach is used to compute the transfer function from motor command to sensed torque of the two-mass model. It is assumed that the handwheel is free to rotate. Since the transfer function can be computed analytically from the model, the capability of the approach can be assessed. For the present case, the frequencies were swept from 2Hz to 30Hz and each sine wave had 10 cycles (Ncyc=10). Twenty separate frequencies were computed. A BlackmanHarris window was utilized on the motor command. The time domain inputs and output are shown in Figure 8. Because the motor command torques are windowed, transients are kept to a minimum in the output. Each sine wave is separated by a zero command of 1 second. The test is completed in less than 60 seconds. Using eq. (3,7-9), the gain and phase were computed from the time domain data and compared with the results from the analytical model. The results are shown in Figure 9. Since no noise is present, a rectangular window was used during the integration of the Fourier integrals. The maximum gain error between the analytical model and the output of windowed measurements is less than 0.5db; the maximum phase error is less than 5 degrees. The test takes only 60 seconds to run and produces high accuracy results. If more definition of the transfer function is desired around the resonance, additional drive frequency can be specified. The technique is flexible in that it can target whatever frequency area is desired. Magnitude also can

be a function of frequency enabling another degree of freedom to assist in overcoming issues with nonlinearities such as static friction and mechanical stops. Though a rectangular window was used during the Fourier integration for the above comparison, a BlackmanHarris window or some other could have been applied with similar results. However, because there is no noise outside the drive frequency, the results would not have changed significantly.

magnitude 5Nm is applied to the handwheel as a noise. Figure 10 shows the results of the transfer function gain measurements using a BlackmanHarris window on the top and a rectangular window on the bottom. Both results are very poor around 3Hz because the handwheel input torque corrupts the torque sensor torque at this frequency. Once away from 3Hz, the BlackmanHarris gets close to the actual transfer function and accurately predicts the gain and phase. The rectangular window computes nothing but noise. The noise rejection capability of the windowed Fourier integral is clearly superior to the rectangular window.

Windowed Input Signals 10 Motor Torque (Nm) 5 0 -5 -10

10

30 40 Time (sec.) Torque Sensor Measurements

20

50

60

Gain (db)

Gain from Motor Command to Sensed Torque with BlackmanHarris Window 20 Model BlackmanHarris 0

-20

20 Torque (Nm) 10 0 -10 -20

-40 0 10

10 Frequency (Hz) Gain from Motor Command to Sensed Torque with Rectangular Window Model Rectangular

40
0 10 20 30 Time (sec.) 40 50 60

20 Gain (db) 0 -20 -40 0 10

FIGURE 8: MEASUREMENT DRIVE SIGNALS

10 Frequency (Hz)

Gain of Transfer Function from Motor Command to Sensed Torque 10 0 Gain (db) -10 -20 -30 -40 0 10 Model Windowed Sine 10 Frequency (Hz) Phase of Transfer Function from Motor Command to Sensed Torque
1

FIGURE 10: WINDOWED AND NON-WINDOWED FOURIER INTEGRALS FOR NOISE IN THE SYSTEM

TEST RESULTS
Test results are presented for measurements of an electrically powered steering gear on both a spring test stand and a vehicle. TEST RESULT FROM TEST STAND - An electrically powered steering gear similar to the one shown in Figure 1 was set up on a test stand. A linear spring was used to simulate the vehicle response. A disk of known inertia was connected to the gear to simulate the handwheel inertia. The inertia was placed directly on the pinion and the intermediate shaft eliminated. Using a series of windowed sine waves as excitation, the open loop transfer functions were measured. These measurements reflect the mechanical dynamics of the gear.

200 Phase (deg) 100 0 -100 -200 0 10

10 Frequency (Hz)

FIGURE 9: TRANSFER FUNCTIONS FROM THE MODEL TRANSFER FUNCTIONS MEASUREMENT EXAMPLE WITH EXTERNAL NOISE PRESENT - An example shows the noise rejection capability when using a window with the Fourier Integral. Suppose the motor excitation is the same as in the previous example (Figure 8). Additionally, suppose a 3Hz sine wave with

The flexibility of the excitations allowed targeting different frequencies with different amplitudes and different number of sinusoidal cycles in order to avoid nonlinearities such as static friction and torque sensor signal saturation. The results were compared to the transfer functions of the two-mass model discussed previously. The measurements confirmed that a simple two-mass model represents the dynamics of the gear in the frequencies of interest but detected that some parameters coming directly from the mechanical specifications were incorrect. Inertia was well controlled and stiffness is believed to be the root cause of the discrepancy. The gear appears to be less stiff than the design predicted. Figures 11 and 12 compare the measurements to the model with specification parameters (labeled "Spec Parameter") and with modified parameter (labeled "Modified Parameters"). The stiffness was lowered by 30% in the set labeled "Modified Parameters". Results are shown for sensed torque and motor position. The system is currently being studied to account for the reduced stiffness. The phase indicates a slightly higher delay in the measurements than the model. This item also requires study.
Transfer Function from Motor Command to Sensed Torque 10 Gain (dB) 0 -10 -20 -30 -40 10 0 Phase (deg)
0

While more work is needed to investigate the effect of non-linearity (especially from friction), the measurement results show the importance of the FRA technique as a tool to investigate the dynamic behavior of a system. They also show the value of using windows to optimize the excitation while favorably impacting testing time and noise reduction. TEST RESULT VEHICLE Transfer function measurements were performed in a vehicle using the windowed sine sweep approach. Data was collected from the CAN bus using CANape. To minimize the impact on the system, only the torque signal and the window flag were collected. The results are shown in figure 13 for speeds of 0kph and 40kph. There are two differences from the stand measurements. 1. The low frequency mode of is much higher in the vehicle than the test stand. This is due to the tire stiffness being higher in the vehicle compared to the test stand. 2. As vehicle speed increase, the low frequency pole decreases. This is due to the tire stiffness decreasing as vehicle speed increase. In general the results are consistent with expectations and can be used to improve the controller design for the steering system. For example, the different open loop systems at park and 40kph can each be used to design controllers at the specific speeds thereby providing the opportunity to optimize performance.
TF Motor Command to Sensed Torque, Open Loop,Hands OFF Gain (dB) 0 -20 -40

Measured Spec Parameters Modified Parameters

10

-200

-400

10

10 Frequency (Hz)

10

10 Frequency (Hz)

Phase (deg)

FIGURE 11: TORQUE

50 Gain (dB)

TRANSFER

FUNCTIONS:

SENSED

0 0 Kph 40 Kph -200

Transfer Function from Motor Command to Motor Position

-400
0

10

10 Frequency (Hz)

-50

10 0 Phase (deg)

Measured Spec Parameters Modified Parameters

10

FIGURE 13: POSITION

TRANSFER

FUNCTIONS:

MOTOR

-100

-200

10

10 Frequency (Hz)

FIGURE 12: POSITION

TRANSFER

FUNCTIONS:

MOTOR

CONCLUSION
A simple modification to a stepped sine sweep method using standard FFT windows is applied to measuring transfer function in a belt drive electric steering system in both a test stand and a vehicle. The algorithm can be implemented in an on-board ECU without breaking into the closed under-hood sealed electronic system. Results correlate well with model and expectations.

2. Pintelon, R., Schoukens, J., ed. 2001, System Identification, IEEE Press, New York. 3. Badawy, A., Zuraski, J., Bolourchi, F., and Chandy, A., 1999, Modeling and Analysis of an Electric Power Steering System, SAE Tehnical Paper Series, March. 4. Pacejka, H. B., ed. 2006, Tire and Vehicle Dynamics, 2nd ed., SAE Inc, Pennsylvania. 5. Lyons, R. G., ed. 2004, Understanding Digital Signal Processing, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, New Jersey

REFERENCES
1. Ljung, L., ed. 1999, System Identification, 2 Edition, Prentice Hall, New York.
nd