Audi Steering Technology TechTalk Presentation

Audi Steering Technology TechTalk Presentation

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Welcome to another edition of the audi tech talk  and on behalf of the entire audi communication   department to say first of all thank you for you  having found the time to be with us online in   direct touch and to attend another technical deep  dive recording once again from our studio right   next to the factory in english here in germany  where the cars are actually being assembled   first of all we'll give you an overview and  then of course we hope to hear from you in   your questions and your opinions of course can  send them in as we talk you can see there's two   icons at the top hand of the screen the hand  which means you will be live on the show or   while the chat function just send in your  questions and what's it all about today   here for car officials it's the  best of the car it's steering yes so obviously it goes without saying that the  car needs to go in the right direction   and if you steer with the steering wheel it's  going directly but what's at the back of it what   are the requirements for the steering this is  what we're going to be talking about today in   the studio one of them is my colleague here to buy  solar from the department and of course technology   is what we're here all about indeed that's the  right word the car is about to see the biggest   changes in its development for decades but in all  this development all the way to electric mobility   of course we should not forget the virtues  of a good car and this is something that   i would like to discuss with you here today  because of course it's a system of steering   it is the biggest interface between the car and  the human driver and that's what we want to talk   about and we will hear today that there's a lot  of engineering a lot of r d that goes into this   round steering wheel now the big question toby  is how can we actually affect that engineering   indeed there's two things there's the  steering system itself and the steering wheel   but let's start by talking on looking  at the steering system the basis is an   electromechanical steering now with a fusion of  a number of systems dynamic steering and dynamic   all-wheel steering of course we can increase  precision and the handling and all in all you   will find we've got five different steering  systems on offer at audi but above all it's   a steering wheel it's a huge development with  a steering wheel that we can see because it has   very little to do with the original steering wheel  today it's like a high-tech commando unit which   means i can access a lot of functions very very  quickly and with a new steering wheel generation   which is coming for the first time in the new q4  we've got these touch sensitive fields and panels   you're speaking of five steering systems now i  guess we'll say are they crazy at audi what do   you need five steering systems is that overkill or  is that sensible progress it's the most sensible   technical progress because every system has its  own steering system as we heard the basis is the   electromechanical steering on top of that we've  got what we call the progressive steering that   of course also works electromechanically  but with a more direct turning moment   and that means the ceiling is a lot more direct  much the same as with the dynamic steering but   it it takes on board more parameters depending on  the speed you're going then the drive mode you've   selected and thus it is the ideal combination  for urban driving where it's very nifty and   nimble very comfortable but also on straight  line cruises or on the benz is highly precise   and then on top of that we have of course also  rear axle steering to round out the front access   area of course the top is the dynamic all-wheel  steering here we've got the dynamic steering with   the so-called super position steering with the  rear axle steering on top so here we get the   best of handling and precision all in one steering  system and with that we really so to say lift the   physical possibilities to the next level but we'll  hear more about this from carson yeah velocity   so what we're learning plenty of systems but one  philosophy exactly that's how it is every steering   movement of course also tells us something about  the character of the vehicle tells you is this   a more sporty is more comfortable geared vehicle  thus in our luxury vehicles we've got the dynamic   all with steering which of course our customers  expect in these kind of cars but the philosophy as   we mentioned it is always precisely matching three  points no matter which audio driving which segment   first of all it is effortless you want to be able  to go nimbly through an urban setting it must be   easy to find a parking space that likes then of  course it needs to be precise especially when cool   when you're going through the bench you want to  go fast and very precisely through the corner   without any play and of course on the motorway  where you're going at great speed it's important   that the center position of the series is very  controlled and very stable well thanks toby   so we will have you later in the q a session where  you will be back on board and of course i hope   that you will then send in your question to us but  as of now you can of course use the chat function   to send on your questions we will collect them and  we will then later on have them here live in the   studio with our answers and effortless precise and  controlled is how we continue straight now because   let's have a look what our colleagues in the r  d for the steering are doing let's roll the clip   i have various interfaces available to  me brake accelerator i can use these to   influence acceleration and deceleration but the  thing that is absolutely vital is the steering   wheel in my hands the steering wheel is the most  important interface between the driver and the   vehicle because it gives me direct feedback from  the car there is a list of seven characteristics   that apply only to steering feel it's crucial for  us to achieve extremely high precision in this   respect attributes such as effortlessness that has  a bearing on things like parking and how easy it   is to negotiate parking garages we need to make  sure that the vehicle is maneuverable and precise   that i can apply even the slightest steering angle  say less than 5 degrees to the left or right and   the vehicle will give me a response immediately  without being twitchy all it takes is a few meters   for customers to feel comfortable in their car  because it simply does exactly what they want   or what they expect from the car those are the  key features that we focus special attention on it takes five years to develop a car from the  concept phase to serious production the process   involves defining certain target characteristics  to suit the vehicle's positioning based on the   targets that come out of that we decide whether  we need additional systems such as rear axle   steering as used in the q7 in 2014 or even dynamic  all-wheel steering to achieve various ratios on   the front axle as well via the drive select system  like here in the a7 then of course development   doesn't start in the vehicle right away first of  all we run simulations and carry out preliminary   tuning to start with we look at the basic behavior  how the vehicle is responding how the rear axle   is responding only then do i take the car to the  initial prototype stage because there are a huge   number of influencing parameters that just cannot  be mapped by numbers and simulations there are   various body shapes load states and so on all of  that needs to be considered and you need to find   a good middle ground to ensure that you get the  classic audi steering feel in every situation   dynamic all-wheel steering is incredibly  important because we have integrated rear   axle steering steering in the opposite direction  at low speeds means no longer cutting corners in   parking garages that's the effortlessness  and maneuverability that the car gives you   here we can see that if you put some energy into  your steering and build up a decent amount of   lateral acceleration the rear axle will steer as  well in a way that doesn't cause what we call a   two-phase effect that means that we  feel only what the front axle is doing   and then the rear axle follows suit that improves  the driving experience and has a huge beneficial   impact on the feeling of safety at this point  feedback is important as well first of all i want   to feel feedback from the road surface through the  steering wheel then i want to know how much more   potential force i have on the front axle when i  go around to bend in winter i want to feel when   i'm starting to lose grip and when i'm getting  understeer i need to know how the balance is and   whether i'm reaching the limit these are things  that are important when it comes to feedback he is right with us in the studio it's a  great job you've got they're really cool   sassy i mean to drive these cars test them  but of course to develop the steering system   there's a lot of responsibility isn't it because  people could be quite annoyed if you don't get   it right indeed you're quite right yes it is  a cool job by all means but as you say i mean   of course the theory is always very focal in  the experience of a driver and you therefore   get a lot of feedback from testers and  drivers whether you've got it right or not   you spoke at the end of the dynamic with steering  that's the top line technology when it comes to   steering what is so typical for that system well  let's start by looking at the system because as we   heard is of course at the front axle here  a conventional steering column then you can   see it here the superposition gear here at  this position that can help you to actually   slightly add the steering angle that you're  driving or that the driver is indicating with   that we can tweak the steering ratio so always  have the right ratio depending on the speed that   the car is going it can be very direct when you  go for example in a parking space in a parking   garage with disabled power steering support and  of course greater speeds it's a more indirect   it's less supported which of course helps greatly  with a precision on straight line driving that's   the aid of the super position gearing the front  axle and this dynamic always steering is something   we find in a6 a7 and a8 and now what we have  here is indeed a full and complete drive train   of the a7 extra so custom tell us tell us exactly  where do you find the steering systems hidden here   indeed as already i mentioned the conventional  steering can be found down here for example   here you can see that's the input shaft underneath  the engine that's really that powers the front   axle together with a superposition gearing  and as you see here the steering column is of   course part and parcel of the front axle steering  system but the second important component is the   rear axle steering as you can see here nicely on  the rear axle carrier fitted next to it and that   allows us to simply increase the nimbleness of  the vehicle at low speeds we can actually steer   in the opposite direction with up to five degrees  and thus shorten the turning circle by full meter   and at greater speeds that means we go in the  same steering angle as in the front and thus we   offer extra stability precision and great drive  dynamics now the interplay between these two   systems is made possible with our electronic  chassis platform it's a control unit a super   complex control unit that allows us to really take  the required steering angles that we need at the   front and the rear axle and to calculate them to  compute them and to actuate them in such a way   that you have this very harmonious interplay  between these two steering systems up front   i believe everything you say but look we've got  professionals listening to us and they can say   of course you can put a lot of stuff in the car  but if you don't get the right tyres on the car   it won't work absolutely right what you  say there of course you can do whatever   you want but the most important element  between the car and the tarmac is the tire   and that's what i want to show you today what  special aspect and what consideration we have to   give to the tire when we look and talk about the  steering now the audi fine-tuned tires especially   fine-tuned audi are of course also considered  when it comes to the steering behavior so the   tyre is adjusted to the steering and vice versa  the steering to the specific tyre in a given car   to this end we've got a little animation to show  you because it can indicate to you what that means   at these were very short time intervals because  what happens when you steer with the front and   the rear tires what you can see here is the  driver begins to steer in and steer talk is then   through the column brought forward to the crack  rod to the so-called wheel carriers from where   then reaches the actual tire so what happens what  happens really that's really of interest here you   will see it next that first of all at the front  axle due to the steering angle and the inertia of   the front end of the car you have as you will see  in a second on the animation wait here if we zoom   in now you can see the tires slightly deform  so you've got the steering angle to the left   the tire slightly forms the front and turns left  only then with a lag the same will happen at the   rear axle because of course the rear axle trails  the front axle and now this time sequence or   this time lag it's just a few 100 milliseconds  that we're talking about this is something that   you try to keep as short as possible and you will  notice this as a driver you will notice this time   lag in every situation if well even if we only  notice it so to say subconsciously well this   rear axle steering something quite exciting  quite new for many customers and drivers   and i can imagine that many of our journalists  or the colleagues from the media have not even   tested yet would like to test that rear access  theory can you at least explain to us how it works   indeed indeed the rear axle steering is something  you will notice particularly when you for example   go into a parking place and try to put the car  into a slot but as you can see what we call the   fast rear axle as we call it is here actually  what we try to make possible with the rear axle   steering and as we just saw before the driver  gives a steering moment into the front axle   happens in any car but now with the electric ecp  chassis platform we now have the possibility to   access the rear accessing so the moment the  driver begins to steer in we will have the   reactor follow in the same direction and thus  we can really skip that timeline so when i begin   to steer in at the front and the tire begins to  deform the purple of the tire i already can have   the tyre the rear go in the same direction so we  pre-conditioned the reaction and the reaction will   actually react a lot more spontaneous this in  turn means i've got this enormous safety addition   and stability so the rear is not trailing the  front end and well as i say it gives me extra   stability extra comfort and extra dynamics here  once more the comparison between the conventional   steering and the rear axle steering system with  the dynamic always steering system on board if you found this was a bit too fast a bit too  complex don't worry you'll get all that material   all the videos in the audi media center for you to  peruse in all peace and quiet so you can actually   check them up for your own contributions  and work now carson if the journalists are   testing the cars and if they come to try out  the steering they will often talk about the   feedback as well from here everybody wants to have  that feedback from a steering how do you make sure   you get that feedback well look feedback's  something where you feel a lot of things   first and foremost you want to give the  driver some kind of information about the   tarmac situation through the steering wheel  there's two key elements it's the force is   acting on the front axle the lateral force how  much of that can you can convey when when you   begin to reach a limit when it's going to begin  to understeer and of course also the vertical   excitations for that you need of course well  software and you need their corresponding   stereocon all of which we are deploying at the  end of the day of course in combination with   our high-end dynamic all-wheel steering we  can also actually adjust the feedback in the   drive and select the mouse so when we talk  about feedback there's a lot of engineering   prowess in that but i also want to want to come  to talk about the object in itself namely the   steering wheel itself and a lot has happened  with the steering wheel when it comes to what   the material that we use on the functionalities  to which end i welcome my colleague martial   you are responsible for the steering  wheel development is that right   indeed the steering wheel the key interface  between man and machine over the last decades   it's really changed a lot from the pure steering  wheel to a high tech commander unit what you can   see here is the steering wheel from 1986 as it  was used in the audi 80. the steering wheel is   based on a composite steel skeleton it just has  two well functions steering the direction you   want to have the car go and the horn if you want  to honk the horn very quickly you can see how it   changed at the start of the 90s namely in 1991 to  be precise the audi 100 had the first airbag in   the steering wheel and what i've got here is the  steering wheel of the next generation by all means   from 1996. because as you can see a massive driver  airbag in the middle integrated into the seat   and the first pedals here on the side that simply  helped you to go up and down with volume and to   skip on your entertainment system what you see now  is the steering wheel of the current generation   the one you will find in the queue for each one  now this steering wheel is based on a magnesium   die cast which you can see here nicely as a  round steering wheel now magnesium die cast   is substantially lighter while having the same  stiffness and rigidity and extremely good damping   characteristics next this steering wheel as you  see here has these touch panels integrated so   on the one hand you can activate the virtual  cockpit and the entire infotainment system just as the integrated steering wheel heating on  top of that you will find you have the hands-on   detection integrated in the steering wheel  which means it helps you to support the drive   assistance systems and gives you extra safety  and comfort with using driver system systems   wow dear colleagues hands-on detection that  that's something that you will see coming your   way in future and you will then as it says the  car will detect whether you've got a hands on a   steering wheel or not and myself of course this is  exciting especially in combination with the drive   assistance systems can you tell us a little more  what that means yes look we've got this cutaway   model here we brought that with us because it  can show you very well how we've implemented the   hands-on detection as we said it's a capacitive  hands-on detection and you can see here at the top   what that means we've got this mat completely  integrated into the ceiling wheel rim also   foamed with this capacitive field so that you  can detect the grip of a hand not just a simple   grip but also even the lightest grip so if you  just put two fingers on the scene where it's   absolutely adequate for the car to notice there's  somebody there and the driver's sister simpson   will be up and running if you take the hands away  though by legal stipulations after 50 seconds a   warning signal must be emitted to warn the driver  look put your hands back on the steering wheel   and this function is used for example for  lateral and for straight line functions for   the lane assist functions for the lane change  functions as well as for the emergency assist   well that means what we can learn from this is  that with all the driver assistance systems that   we already have in the cars such a hands-on  detection can be well a very well but we find   numerous and quite increasing take up rates  so that much engineering prowess this little   steering wheel now you also want it to look good  what about the design how do you match these two   requirements well as you can see there is so much  technology in the steering wheel but nonetheless   we still work very closely with the designers and  the economic guys at a very early concept phase to   make sure that we really take care that the whole  thing has the right ergonomic and design layout   none of this critical elements ah of course as you  will see here the airbag area with the entire gas   generator the airbag lid cover and of course  the bag itself and if you just compare it with   what you saw there at the elder scene was a lot  has happened just in the way of the materials   used as well as the special compression  and folding technologies have really gone   huge strides forward to reduce  that package in total size now what we've added accordingly into the steering  wheel are the vital areas the switches the panels   here has to do with the spoke with and of course  the entire geometry of the wheel have a look at   this kind of steering wheel at your next test it's  incredible how much is packed into the steering   wheel just the airbag is fitted with all that  technology and it still looks as if it's made   from what just one cast there's not a full there's  not a seam nothing that you could detect because   of course in the case if that should be we'll have  a look at this in animation the attic must explode   indeed it must and as i said the materials are  vitally important as you see here the air bag must   come out at lightning speed in the flash of an  eyelash and i mean it's 40 milliseconds it's as i   say an eyelash and that's why we've shown you this  in this extreme slow motion and on top of that   of course with the split line and with the  opening kinematics it's all very much a matter   of the interplay between the visibility you  should not be able to see this with your eyes   on the functionality during a crash that works  hand in glove unless of a temperature band of   minus 35 to plus 30 85 degrees celsius if you're  interested if you've got questions send them in or   just take a note what you want to discuss with  us later because we want to hear from you your   opinion that's the purpose of this audi now myself  i've got big hands as you can see and of course   you've got women with small hands driving and  for all of them it must be a match and the fit   they should be able to reach all the functions so  what about the economics that's quite a challenge   indeed with the economics it's first of all all  these functions integrated in the steering wheel   need to be easily accessible and of course  also a certain redundancy to the center console   that you can operate it from either so what's  important here is the grip area for example here   your wrist rest or the thumb cavity that's very  ergonomically as you see here and from there you   must be able to reach all the functions that are  also here positioned at easy reach whether it's   the paddles whether it's the panels whether it's  all these switch functions and next of course what   you see here is also the geometry of the rim a  very important point here also for the ergonomics   is as you see a diameter of the rim you see it  here it's oval in shape which is your natural   grip of the hand 30 to 36 millimeters in size very  good to feel good touch of you that's what we can   actually realize with the implementation  all the technology you have in the room can you also get this in round indeed you  can have it also in a round shape now carson   we haven't forgotten you we saw how elegant  you were driving that car at that test drive   what's for you important when you touch a  steering wheel well as marcel said the handling   is vitally important but also the position  of the steering wheel in the car what's the   angle the inclination of my steering column and  for this of course we've got certain parameters   it's 22 to 24 degrees at which we position the  steering column in an suv and 70 to 21 degrees   with the flat floor vehicles where you sit  of course lower so that you always have an   optimal grip and of course also the option to  adjust the steering column here by what is it 30   millimeters and that you have the car really  the best way next to design what what what's   the reason of these flat bottom steering wheels  well look these these flattened steering wheels   i mean it's something that that simply allowed  to access the car easier to get out quicker but   next to it aesthetically they are so sporty our  designers love them and our customers love them   they really come from from sport motorsports  indeed indeed that's what you see the cockpits   of motorsport cars and the form is just well it  just looks sazier and sportier that's why for the   q4 we've decided that we also have it flattened  at the top as you see here nicely which of course   looks very well as a match for the interior  design to stress the horizontal lines of the q4   sometimes you step foot in a car i'm sure you  also know this i mean you drive so many cars   you test so many cars i think you could you  could go blindfolded into the car touch the   scene you would know instantly this is an audi one  what characterizes a typical audi steering wheel   what you said that's exactly what you what we  want to achieve that the moment you hold the   steering wheel in your hand you know this is an  outer seal we've got about 200 variants different   materials different colors different functional  setup but one thing they all have in common   that is it is the sporty look of the  steering wheel the high functionality   of the steering wheel and thus the top quality  that we have in our vehicles next to that   of course what we also offer is all the functions  can be intuitively accessed and operated and what   we put great stress on is the extreme filigree  spokes that are aesthetically good looking   are very sporty and of course also stand out  next to our competitors but you'll also find that   with a hands-on detection we have a system that  is as you see here coated by two foam layers   and you will find this across all the  steering wheels giving you this great grip with concept cars we can see very well strange  steering wheels sometimes even interrupted   rim configurations then with a wealth of  functions some without any functions on top what's   conceivable well especially with an open rim  that's not an option for us today because we've   got these enormous turning angles when steering  which also means you want to have a full rounded   steering wheel and we don't want to make sure well  we want to make sure that if you really have a big   turning circle you don't want to actually grip  into into nowhere and what we also say for us you   have to have the right number on functions in the  steering wheel everything that's often and quickly   handle and operate is to be found on the steering  wheel or on the steering column switches not too   many not too few looking ahead in the future  what's the difference between now and then   and what about those in the future especially if i  think of autonomous driving and i mean marcel i've   seen cars also from us they had no steering wheel  at all indeed you're quite right it will have a   major bearing autonomous driving on our work we  will see more and more assistance functions coming   into the car more more complex highly autonomous  functions coming to the car and that will have   a very significant bearing on the interior design  because of course the task of driving will become   less for the human driver which means the steering  wheel will change with the interior that means   the design will be modified will change but  of course also the functionality will change   we will get extra functions more complex  functions integrated in the future seeing this   but other functions will probably be omitted in  future problems but i think one thing is certain   we will always have a steering wheel it will  always be important now that's the question   we would like to discuss with you would you  love to continue to steer and future yourself   or i mean what we can hear from you carson what is  the key challenge for you looking forward but as   was said if the seeing will lose its significance  it's important that of course changes of direction   if the car can do that itself and i don't have to  initiate it with my steering movement you want to   have this be achieved almost unnoticed that that  you are so to say as the driver sort of uncoupled   from these steering movements but i believe  that most people will keep to say well i like   to hold the steering wheel myself and this means  our philosophy the steering feel is something   you will see going forward maybe a little more  sportiness and directness which we will focus on thanks carsten thanks marcel you've done that  excellent again very precise effortless and   very controlled here thank you also to you  for joining us once again online in this   audi tech talk for steering we'll be back soon  again with the next tech talk see you then you

2021-05-22 13:19

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