Method and system for determining the desired tire grip in active downforce control

A tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising machine-readable instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• receive sensor data from a plurality of sensors of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle body, a first axle coupled to the vehicle body, a second axle coupled to the vehicle body, a first aerodynamic actuator coupled to the vehicle body, and a second aerodynamic actuator coupled to the vehicle body, the first aerodynamic actuator includes a first aerodynamic body movable relative to the vehicle body, the second aerodynamic actuator includes a second aerodynamic body movable relative to the vehicle body;
• use a feedforward control to determine a first requested normal force at the first axle of the vehicle and a second requested normal force at the second axle of the vehicle using the sensor data;
• use a feedback control to determine a first requested normal force adjustment at the first axle of the vehicle and a second requested normal force adjustment at the second axle of the vehicle using the sensor data;
• fuse the first requested normal force at the first axle of the vehicle with the first requested normal force adjustment to determine a first-adjusted normal force request at the first axle;
• fuse the second requested normal force with the second requested normal force adjustment to determine a second-adjusted normal force request at the second axle;
• determine a first position of the first aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body and a second position of the second aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body based on the first-adjusted normal force request and the second-adjusted normal force request, respectively;
• command the first aerodynamic actuator to move the first aerodynamic body to the first position relative to the vehicle body;
• and
• command the second aerodynamic actuator to move the second aerodynamic body to the second position relative to the vehicle body.

A vehicle, comprising:

• a vehicle body;
• a first axle coupled to the vehicle body;
• a second axle coupled to the vehicle body;
• a plurality of sensors disposed within the vehicle body;
• a first aerodynamic actuator coupled to the vehicle body, wherein the first aerodynamic actuator includes a first aerodynamic body movable relative to the vehicle body;
• a second aerodynamic actuator coupled to the vehicle body, wherein the second aerodynamic actuator includes a second aerodynamic body movable relative to the vehicle body;
• and
• a vehicle controller disposed within the vehicle body, wherein the vehicle controller is in communication with the plurality of sensors, and the vehicle controller is programmed to:
• receive sensor data from the plurality of sensors,
• use a feedforward control to determine a first requested normal force at the first axle of the vehicle and a second requested normal force at the second axle of the vehicle using the sensor data;
• use a feedback control to determine a first requested normal force adjustment at the first axle of the vehicle and a second requested normal force adjustment at the second axle of the vehicle using the sensor data;
• fuse the first requested normal force at the first axle of the vehicle with the first requested normal force adjustment to determine a first-adjusted normal force request at the first axle;
• fuse the second requested normal force with the second requested normal force adjustment to determine a second-adjusted normal force request at the second axle;
• determine a first position of the first aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body and a second position of the second aerodynamic body relative to the vehicle body based on the first-adjusted normal force request and the second-adjusted normal force request, respectively;
• command the first aerodynamic actuator to move the first aerodynamic body to the first position relative to the vehicle body;
• and
• command the second aerodynamic actuator to move the second aerodynamic body to the second position relative to the vehicle body.