Mechatronic Converting Design of Drive-by-Wire Golf Cart: A Real Case Study

Electric and autonomous vehicles are currently bringing significant benefits to society, contributing to technological advancement, environmental protection, traffic safety, and energy conservation. The conversion of conventional electric vehicles into autonomous systems has emerged as a recent trend, particularly in small vehicles operating within special areas, such as electric golf carts. One of the key challenges in this conversion process is converting speed or steering control systems to enable autonomous driving. Thus, this paper focuses on researching the conversion of the manual steering system of conventional electric golf carts into a steering-by-wire system. The autonomous golf cart steering system tends to comprise a controlled steering angle motor, a feedback angle sensor, and a mounting component to house the and the angle sensor. According to the operational parameters of the golf carts, the power requirements for the steering motor and angle sensor are calculated and selected to suit the demands of autonomous driving. To ensure the durability and reliability of the design, the mounting component was evaluated using ANSYS simulation software. The results conclusively demonstrate that the chosen mounting component possesses sufficient strength to accommodate the installation of the steering motor and angle sensor onto the golf cart's steering system. Subsequently, a practical conversion system is implemented, comprising the steering motor, angle sensor, and selected mounting components, which are meticulously manufactured and installed onto a conventional golf cart to transform it into an autonomous golf cart. Performance tests have been conducted to evaluate the newly integrated steering system during autonomous operation, and the results affirm that the converted steering system effectively supports various autonomous driving functions. This research significantly contributes to the advancement of autonomous vehicle technology, specifically in the context of electric golf carts, thereby promoting reliable and environmentally friendly transportation solutions.