Upgrade of the EE-architecture of an electric test vehicle with drive-by-wire component

In recent years, the development of autonomous driving has emerged as a promising area of research in the automotive field. The interest is mainly due to the need for more comfortable, safe and efficient driving systems to integrate onboard of novel car concepts, such as Drive-by-Wire (DBW). Despite not being a recent concept, in light of its application within the Aerospace sector, the few present examples in the automotive environment still integrate a mechanical backup line to meet the safety requirements. Aiming to overcome this limitation, the work presented focuses on the design of an Active Front Independent Steering system (AFIS) equipped with Steer-by-Wire (SBW) technology. After a first analysis of the system's software component, including EE-architecture and communication protocols, the attention shifts to the drawing of the hardware part on the SolidWorks platform, with the assembly of the 3D model. The final step is the study of the control system and embedded communication network. For this purpose, the CANopen protocol was identified as the best compromise between available resources, flexibility and potential. The results of this research underline the potential of steer-by-wire technology and the proposed steering system. Similarly, the critical points and complexity in setting up and managing the control system are highlighted, while providing interesting and consistent insights into its implementation. However, the practical implementation of this technology on a real vehicle requests further extensive research into control approaches and safety considerations.