Advanced car driving simulator
The advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator (aVDS) is a versatile and innovative driving simulator, combining a highperformance motion platform and high specification audio and visual hardware with industry-leading virtual content from rFpro. The result is a simulator capable of accurately representing the smallest changes to a vehicle's configuration – an ideal instrument for the future of vehicle development.
aVDS is part of a family of solutions covering workstations to static simulators to dynamic simulators with motion.
Advantages
The aVDS has been designed to reduce new vehicle development timescales and costs by allowing meaningful testing far earlier in the vehicle development process. It utilises high specification linear
actuators to deliver class-leading 6DoF dynamic performance, with up to 50Hz frequency response, providing a tightly harmonised driving experience. The motion platform can be quickly configured to take a variety of payloads up to 500kg, facilitating the installation of real vehicle cabins. The simulator's impressive motion envelope is further enhanced through the use of advanced cueing, which has the effect of extending its excursion.
The unique 'wedge action' design delivers an unparalleled combination of high stiffness, low weight and inertia, and linearity of motion ratio. This delivers extremely low latency and a high frequency response. Incredibly small parameter changes that are statistically significant to the driver can be made due to the consistent response throughout the travel range. The high level of decoupling between degrees of freedom gives an excellent excursion range.
Applications
The simulator can be used across a breadth of applications, including ADAS and autonomous systems, NVH, hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop and driver monitoring. Faithfully recreated vehicle dynamics can be experienced in a variety of common tests, including: lane change, slalom, braking in turn, impulse, sine, step, ramp, swept steer and more.The ability to spontaneously change suspension parameters or to conduct complex automated manoeuvres in chaotic traffic conditions is a level of capability that engineers dream of. The aVDS gives you unparalleled flexibility and freedom without compromising safety.
Integrated Tool Chain
AB Dynamics provide a synergy of solutions for ADAS testing. Our aVDS has consistent front-end software and control system hardware as our track testing products, such as driving robots and ADAS platforms, all using our patented Synchro software. This allows multiple validation approaches as the same scenarios can be tested in the lab and validated on the track.
aVDS Motion Platform Performance
The aVDS has a low latency of less than 10ms which is necessary for limit handling and means that extremely small parameter changes can be felt as a result. High calibre motorsport drivers are able to make statistically significant chassis tuning changes considerably smaller than 0.5%
| Degree of Freedom | Displacement aVDS | aVDS Frequncy Response (-3dB) |
Surge (X) | ±540mm | >15Hz |
| Sway (Y） | ±1250mm | >35Hz |
| Heave (Z) | ±120mm | >50Hz |
| Roll (Alpha) | ±8o | >50Hz |
| Pitch (Beta) | ±9o | >50Hz |
Yaw (Gamma) | ±30o | >35Hz |
Immersion
Immersion is critical to maintain the authenticity of the driver's experience and reactions; therefore, digital content is provided by industry-leading software supplier rFpro. The experience of driving the aVDS is so involving and detailed that seasoned drivers can detect incremental parameter changes as if they were in the real car. Thanks to the high road surface fidelity reproduced by the aVDS, simulated results and data correlate closely with those attained by physically driving a real vehicle on a specific road or
track. Visual, audio, haptic and vestibular cueing ensures that the driver is fully engaged with senses stimulated for an unmatched level of realism. The platform's motion and visual feed have been precisely synchronised to eliminate the motion sickness often experienced when operating driving simulators.
Static Driving Simulator
The static simulator is a class-leading solution that takes components proven moving-base simulator to deliver a cost-effective product that customers can use to save time and money in automotive development. The chassis features integrated electronics and PC hardware that enables the aVDS-S to be easily moved around a building through single-width door apertures.
The aVDS-S includes a high-fidelity steering actuator developed from track testing product technology that enables the handwheel output from steering models to be faithfully recreated. The direct drive, low-friction, zero cogging, high-bandwidth motor technology has the same continuous torque rating and peak torque capability as our distinguished advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator.
Features:
1. High stiffness console and user configurable digital dashboard
2. Single bright high-quality monitor
3. Integrated electronics (no separate cabinets)
4. Compact in size, easy to install
5. Compatible software with most major automotive simulation software offerings along with ourrobots for performing ADAS testing in simulation
Integrated toolchain
The aVDS-S is supplied with the Simpia simulation control software that is common to all AB Dynamics' simulator product offerings. The recommended virtual testing software is from rFpro, an AB Dynamics group company. The combination of Simpia and rFpro enable the majority of engineering-grade simulation modelling tools to be quickly integrated into any of AB Dynamics' simulator products.
System options
We offer tailored solutions to cater for all simulation requirements.
1. Chassis options
•Active seat with pneumatically inflatable seatbelt providing sustained lateral cueing and additional useful feedback
•Active vertical-ride dynamic actuators
•Active brake pedal developed from AB Dynamics' track testing product technology. The dual passive/active design enables realistic brake pedal feel to be recreated including both quasi-static and higher frequency characteristics
2. Display options
•Single screen mounted directly to aVDS-S chassis
•Triple screen (and additional graphics PC to drive screens 2 and 3).
•Full projection system
Standard visuals are provided by a 100cm simulator-grade screen that can be used in daylight conditions. The optional triple screen configuration provides additional immersion and rigid mounting structure to ensure that the three screens are correctly aligned.
Specifications:
| Chassis dimensions | 1910mm x 620mm |
| Installed dimensions (single screen) | 1973mm x 1448mm |
| Installed dimensions (triple screen) | 3083mm x 1973mm |
| Chassis mass | 100kg |
| Power supply requirements | Single phase 110VAC/240VAC, 4kW |
| Steering actuator | Peak torque: 20Nm Continuous torque: 7.5Nm. No load maximum speed |
Dynamic Driving Simulator
The shape of the road and the posture of the vehicle when it encounters different roads during driving can be simulated realistically in the simulator, including: the vehicle turns, the uneven road causes the vehicle to bump, etc., giving people a more realistic experience.
