Research
Improving vehicle handling for Jaguar Land Rover drivers
- Developing vehicle control systems to regulate handling and maintain vehicle stability
Research on techniques to support vehicle stability control has been a core theme at Loughborough for the past 25 years.
Starting life as an MEng individual student project sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover which then evolved into a PhD project, this research investigated the use of vehicle traction control methods using Active Limited Slip Differentials (ALSD) to improve vehicle stability on the road.
A control algorithm was developed which enabled improvements in vehicle handling and also improved vehicle stability.
Using ALSD in this way provided an alternative to existing Electronic Stability Control systems which involve automatic activation of ABS (Anti-Lock Braking Systems) at or near the point of loss of control.
The motoring press dislike the sporadic intervention of ABS and, in many cases, these stability control systems can be simply switched off by the driver.
The main advantage of the ALSD method is that it provides continuous control of the amount of rotation through a corner in such a way that it is imperceptible to the driver.
Images courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover
Impacts
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Commercial success
The control technology developed at Loughborough has been implemented in the control systems of Jaguar’s supercharged XF, XJ and XK vehicles. More recently it has been used on the new F-Type and is in the process of being extended to Range Rover models.
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Improving driver safety
By using the imperceptible intervention of ALSD instead of conventional ABS based control, Jaguar Land Rover has been able to provide its customers with an enhanced driving experience.
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Critical acclaim
What Car voted Jaguar’s XF model Car of the year (2008) and Best executive car (2011).
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Supporting the UK economy
This research has contributed to the success of several models and - because all Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are made in the UK - has made a positive impact on the domestic economy.
