Formula Student is a competition full of aspiring future engineers from around the world. Numerous teams compete against each other in races driven by a passion for designing and building the fastest formula car. Often, hundredths of a second decide the final position of our team. The rulebook defines the entire competition and the limitations for the formula cars, ensuring that the best team wins in the end. One of the key rules is the limitation of the maximum power of the car to 80 kW, exceeding which results in disqualification. Due to the intense competition and advanced design and performance of the formula cars, achieving good results requires designing and operating the car at the very limit of what is allowed, leaving no room for error.
This master's thesis presents the development of a new power limiting algorithm. The algorithm is based on a discrete PID controller, which adjusts the torque request so that the driver has access to the maximum power without exceeding the limit.
The algorithm is designed in the Simulink software package, where it is then verified through simulation using a simplified model of the race car. For use of the algorithm in the car on the embedded control circuit (VCU), the Simulink model of the algorithm is translated into C code.
The race car with the new algorithm reduces power control error, and the time on the track improves.
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