Analysis and Design of a Redundant X-by-Wire Control System Implemented on the Volvo Sirius 2001 Concept Car

Abstract: The purpose of this master thesis project has been to analyze and document the Sirius 2001 Concept Car. In addition, it has also been a goal to get the car in a usable state by implementing new software on the on board computers. The car is a Tiger Cat E1 that is modified with four wheel steering and an advanced X-by-Wire system. The computers in the X-by-Wire system consist of six TTP PowerNodes that communicate with each other over a redundant, fault tolerant TTP/C communications bus. The computers are connected to a number of sensors and actuators to be able to control the car. This project has contributed to the car in several ways. A complete documentation of the systems implemented in the car is one. Another is a programmers manual which significantly lowers the threshold when working with the car. Last but not least is the modifications in hardware and software, which have made the car usable and show some of the possibilities with the system. The results show that the Sirius 2001 Concept Car is a suitable platform for research in car dynamics and fault tolerant systems. The work has also shown that the TTP/C communication model works well in an application like this.