In addition to conventional turning assist near grip limits, the Motion Management System expands its control to include everyday driving situations such as urban driving and winding roads. The Motion Management System assists the driver in controlling the vehicle in all driving situations, such as compound and tight corners, and slippery snow-covered or wet roads.
Vehicle handling control for everyday driving
Conventional vehicles are equipped with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), which combines ABS, TCS, and side-slip control for oversteer and understeer, with four-wheel brake control. Through fine-grained control, VSA effectively suppresses sudden changes in vehicle behavior and provides the driver with a sense of comfort and peace of mind.
In addition, Honda has adopted Agile Handling Assist, an electronic control system that achieves smooth vehicle behavior with less steering wheel operation, making it easier to trace the desired driving line when turning.
The Motion Management System is an integrated control system that adds new pitching control to the existing Agile Handling Assist to expand vehicle control to everyday driving situations such as winding roads and urban driving, providing fun and safer driving in a wide range of situations.
Assisting the driver in controlling the vehicle in all driving situations
On winding roads and in other situations that require rapid operation of the steering wheel, and subject the vehicle to high lateral G-force, control needs to be highly responsive to steering input and it needs to quickly restore vehicle behavior.
Using data such as the driver’s steering input and the vehicle’s speed, the Motion Management System independently controls braking of the left and right front wheels as needed, and assists with steering by applying light braking to the wheels on the inside of the turn. In this way, the system improves vehicle responsiveness and enables stable cornering.
More natural control is required in everyday driving scenarios, including in urban areas, where the steering operation speed is slow and lateral G-force is not applied that much.
The newly added pitching control integrally controls the traction motor and brakes, of a highly responsive powertrain, to more quickly apply a deceleration force equivalent to the cornering drag force (the driving resistance from the tires) generated by turning the steering wheel. By generating a natural pitching behavior, it creates a smoother entry posture in turns, which enhances the feeling when turning.
[Video] Racing driver Naoki Yamamoto shares his impression of the Motion Management System
Refer to the Honda Technical Review for technical details.
