Emergency steering control of autonomous vehicle for collision avoidance and stabilisation

ABSTRACT

Collision avoidance and stabilisation are two of the most crucial concerns when an autonomous vehicle finds itself in emergency situations, which usually occur in a short time horizon and require large actuator inputs, together with highly nonlinear tyre cornering response. In order to avoid collision while stabilising autonomous vehicle under dynamic driving situations at handling limits, this paper proposes a novel emergency steering control strategy based on hierarchical control architecture consisting of decision-making layer and motion control layer. In decision-making layer, a dynamic threat assessment model continuously evaluates the risk associated with collision and destabilisation, and a path planner based on kinematics and dynamics of vehicle system determines a collision-free path when it suddenly encounters emergency scenarios. In motion control layer, a lateral motion controller considering nonlinearity of tyre cornering response and unknown external disturbance is designed using tyre lateral force estimation-based backstepping sliding-mode control to track a collision-free path, and to ensure the robustness and stability of the closed-loop system. Both simulation and experiment results show that the proposed control scheme can effectively perform an emergency collision avoidance manoeuvre while maintaining the stability of autonomous vehicle in different running conditions.     

Sliding mode-based lateral vehicle dynamics control using tyre force measurements

In this work, a lateral vehicle dynamics control based on tyre force measurements is proposed. Most of the lateral vehicle dynamics control schemes are based on yaw rate whereas tyre forces are the most important variables in vehicle dynamics as tyres are the only contact points between the vehicle and road. In the proposed method, active front steering is employed to uniformly distribute the required lateral force among the front left and right tyres. The force distribution is quantified through the tyre utilisation coefficients. In order to address the nonlinearities and uncertainties of the vehicle model, a gain scheduling sliding-mode control technique is used. In addition to stabilising the lateral dynamics, the proposed controller is able to maintain maximum lateral acceleration. The proposed method is tested and validated on a multi-body vehicle simulator.     

并联混合动力汽车扭矩管理的模糊控制与仿真

并联混合动力汽车中内燃机和电机之间存在动力的耦合和分离过程,能量管理策略比较复杂。为了进一步合理分配内燃机和电机的动力输出,增强其能量管理策略的鲁棒性,文中分析了电辅助控制策略的不足,提出了基于模糊逻辑控制的包含驾驶员扭矩识别和蓄电池功率平衡的并联混合动力汽车扭矩分配策略,并利用ADVI SOR2002的仿真环境,完成了该模糊逻辑扭矩控制模块的仿真。结果表明,模糊逻辑控制策略满足控制目标,对提高汽车的动力性和燃油经济性、改善排放、保证蓄电池的充放电功率平衡有明显的作用。     

A novel integrated chassis controller for full drive-by-wire vehicles

In this paper, a systematic design with multiple hierarchical layers is adopted in the integrated chassis controller for full drive-by-wire vehicles. A reference model and the optimal preview acceleration driver model are utilised in the driver control layer to describe and realise the driver's anticipation of the vehicle's handling characteristics, respectively. Both the sliding mode control and terminal sliding mode control techniques are employed in the vehicle motion control (MC) layer to determine the MC efforts such that better tracking performance can be attained. In the tyre force allocation layer, a polygonal simplification method is proposed to deal with the constraints of the tyre adhesive limits efficiently and effectively, whereby the load transfer due to both roll and pitch is also taken into account which directly affects the constraints. By calculating the motor torque and steering angle of each wheel in the executive layer, the total workload of four wheels is minimised during normal driving, whereas the MC efforts are maximised in extreme handling conditions. The proposed controller is validated through simulation to improve vehicle stability and handling performance in both open- and closed-loop manoeuvres.     

A combined-slip predictive control of vehicle stability with experimental verification

In this paper, a model predictive vehicle stability controller is designed based on a combined-slip LuGre tyre model. Variations in the lateral tyre forces due to changes in tyre slip ratios are considered in the prediction model of the controller. It is observed that the proposed combined-slip controller takes advantage of the more accurate tyre model and can adjust tyre slip ratios based on lateral forces of the front axle. This results in an interesting closed-loop response that challenges the notion of braking only the wheels on one side of the vehicle in differential braking. The performance of the proposed controller is evaluated in software simulations and is compared to a similar pure-slip controller. Furthermore, experimental tests are conducted on a rear-wheel drive electric Chevrolet Equinox equipped with differential brakes to evaluate the closed-loop response of the model predictive control controller.     

Vehicle dynamic control of a passenger car applying flexible body model

Modern software tools have enhanced modelling, analysis and simulation capabilities pertaining to control of dynamic systems. In this regard, in this paper a full vehicle model with flexible body is exposed by using MSC. ADAMS and MSC. NASTRAN. Indeed, one of the most significant vehicle dynamic controls is directional stability control. In this case, the vehicle dynamic control system (VDC) is used to improving the vehicle lateral and yaw motions in critical manoeuvres. In this paper, for design the VDC system, an optimal control strategy has been used for tracking the intended path with optimal energy. For better performance of VDC system, an anti-lock brake system (ABS) is designed as a lower layer of the control system for maintaining the tyre longitudinal slip in proper value. The performances of the controller on rigid and flexible models are illustrated, and the results show the differences between the control efforts for these models, which are related to the differences of dynamic behaviours of rigid and flexible vehicle dynamic models.     

驾驶循环对车辆能量经济性影响的研究

本文依据国内外具有代表性的不同驾驶循环对一实际的内燃机汽车和一构思的混合动力电动汽车的能量经济性进行了分析。研究了内燃机和电机的运行工况分布，并利用内燃机的万有特性图和电机及其控制系统的等效率曲线以及各驾驶循环的相关特性分析了产不同结果的原因。最后对内燃机汽车和混合动力电动汽车的能量经济性受驾驶循环的影响情况进行了比较和分析。     

Drive control system design for stability and maneuverability of a 6WD/6WS vehicle

This paper describes a drive controller designed to improve the lateral vehicle stability and maneuverability of a 6-wheel drive / 6-wheel steering (6WD/6WS) vehicle. The drive controller consists of upper and lower level controllers. The upper level controller is based on sliding control theory and determines both front and middle steering angle, additional net yaw moment, and longitudinal net force according to the reference velocity and steering angle of a manual drive, remotely controlled, autonomous controller. The lower level controller takes the desired longitudinal net force, yaw moment, and tire force information as inputs and determines the additional front steering angle and distributed longitudinal tire force on each wheel. This controller is based on optimal distribution control and takes into consideration the friction circle related to the vertical tire force and friction coefficient acting on the road and tire. Distributed longitudinal/lateral tire forces are determined as proportion to the size of the friction circle according to changes in driving conditions. The response of the 6WD/6WS vehicle implemented with this drive controller has been evaluated via computer simulations conducted using the Matlab/Simulink dynamic model. Computer simulations of an open loop under turning conditions and a closed-loop driver model subjected to double lane change have been conducted to demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed drive controller over that of a conventional DYC.     

Improvement of drivability and fuel economy with a hybrid antiskid braking system in hybrid electric vehicles

When braking on wet roads, Antilock Braking System (ABS) control can be triggered because the available brake torque is not sufficient. When the ABS system is active, for a hybrid electric vehicle, the regenerative brake is switched off to safeguard the normal ABS function. When the ABS control is terminated, it would be favorable to reactivate the regenerative brake. However, recurring cycles from ABS to motor regenerative braking could occur. This condition is felt to be unpleasant by the driver and has adverse effects on driving stability. In this paper, a novel hybrid antiskid braking system using fuzzy logic is proposed for a hybrid electric vehicle that has a regenerative braking system operatively connected to an electric traction motor and a separate hydraulic braking system. This control strategy and the method for coordination between regenerative and hydraulic braking are developed. The motor regenerative braking controller is designed. Control of regenerative and hydraulic braking force distribution is investigated. The simulation and experimental results show that vehicle braking performance and fuel economy can be improved and the proposed control strategy and method are effective and robust.     

Multi-axle vehicle dynamics stability control algorithm with all independent drive wheel

The stability driving characteristic and the tire wear of 8-axle vehicle with 16-independent driving wheels are discussed in this paper. The lateral stability of 8-axle vehicle can be improved by the direct yaw moment which is generated by the 16 independent driving wheels. The hierarchical controller is designed to determine the required yaw torque and driving force of each wheel. The upper level controller uses feed-forward and feed-backward control theory to obtain the required yaw torque. The fuzzification weight ratio of two control objective is built in the upper level controller to regulate the vehicle yaw and lateral motions. The rule-based yaw moment distribution strategy and the driving force adjustment based on the safety of vehicle are proposed in the lower level controller. The influence of rear steering angle is considered in the distribution of driving force of the wheel. Simulation results of a vehicle double lane change show the stability of 8-axle vehicle under the proposed control algorithm. The wear rate of tire is calculated by the interaction force between the tire and ground. The wear of tire is different from each other for the vehicle with the stability controller or not.     

Velocity and normal tyre force estimation for heavy trucks based on vehicle dynamic simulation considering the road slope angle

A precise estimation of vehicle velocities can be valuable for improving the performance of the vehicle dynamics control (VDC) system and this estimation relies heavily upon the accuracy of longitudinal and lateral tyre force calculation governed by the prediction of normal tyre forces. This paper presents a computational method based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) method to estimate both longitudinal and lateral velocities and develops a novel quasi-stationary method to predict normal tyre forces of heavy trucks on a sloping road. The vehicle dynamic model is constructed with a planar dynamic model combined with the Pacejka tyre model. The novel quasi-stationary method for predicting normal tyre forces is able to characterise the typical chassis configuration of the heavy trucks. The validation is conducted through comparing the predicted results with those simulated by the TruckSim and it has a good agreement between these results without compromising the convergence speed and stability.     

Cooperative regenerative braking control for front-wheel-drive hybrid electric vehicle based on adaptive regenerative brake torque optimization using under-steer index

In this study, cooperative regenerative braking control of front-wheel-drive hybrid electric vehicle is proposed to recover optimal braking energy while guaranteeing the vehicle lateral stability. In front-wheel-drive hybrid electric vehicle, excessive regenerative braking for recuperation of the maximum braking energy can cause under-steer problem. This is due to the fact that the resultant lateral force on front tire saturates and starts to decrease. Therefore, cost function with constraints is newly defined to determine optimum distribution of brake torques including the regenerative brake torque for improving the braking energy recovery as well as the vehicle lateral stability. This cost function includes trade-off relation of two objectives. The physical meaning of first objective of cost function is to maximize the regenerative brake torque for improving the fuel economy and that of second objective is to increase the mechanical-friction brake torques at rear wheels rather than regenerative brake torque at front wheels for preventing front tire saturation. And weighting factor in cost function is also proposed as a function of under-steer index representing current state of the vehicle lateral motion in order to generalize the constrained optimization problem including both normal and severe cornering situation. For example, as the vehicle approaches its handling limits, adaptation of weighting factor is possible to prioritize front tire saturation over increasing the recuperation of braking energy for driver safety and vehicle lateral stability. Finally, computer simulation of closed loop driver-vehicle system based on Carsim? performed to verify the effectiveness of adaptation method in proposed controller and the vehicle performance of the proposed controller in comparison with the conventional controller for only considering the vehicle lateral stability. Simulation results indicate that the proposed controller improved the performance of braking energy recovery as well as guaranteed the vehicle lateral stability similar to the conventional controller.     

考虑发动机起停优化的PHEV能量管理策略

针对某新型双电机行星耦合插电式混合动力汽车(PHEV)中发动机在起停及怠速运行状态下会导致油耗增加的问题,基于等效燃油消耗最小能量管理策略,加入发动机起停优化控制模块,以进一步改善整车燃油经济性.建立了整车动力学和传动模型并加入发动机起停优化控制模块,对ECMS能量管理策略输出的发动机及电机最优目标转矩进行重新优化分配...     

基于MPC的独立驱动电动汽车稳定性集成控制

针对独立驱动电动汽车在高附着系数路面高速急转时易发生侧翻事故,在低附着系数路面急转易发生侧滑失稳事故,且单一控制器在不同附着系数路面适应性较差等问题,根据独立驱动电动汽车特点设计了基于分层式结构的稳定性集成控制器。建立了整车动力学模型,并进行了车辆状态参数估计;设计了稳定性集成控制器的控制策略,对车辆的侧倾、横向稳定性状态判定条件和协调策略的制定进行了研究,分别设计了侧倾稳定性控制器和横向稳定性控制器;设置了路面附着系数0.9到0.2的对接路面仿真工况,并在此工况下对所设计的控制器的控制性能进行了仿真测试。结果表明,所设计的稳定性集成控制器相比于单一控制器具有更好的适应性,可有效降低车辆高速行驶过程中的横向载荷转移系数、质心侧偏角等状态量,提高车辆行驶的稳定性和安全性。     

Integrated chassis control for a three-axle electric bus with distributed driving motors and active rear steering system

This paper describes an integrated chassis control framework for a novel three-axle electric bus with active rear steering (ARS) axle and four motors at the middle and rear wheels. The proposed integrated framework consists of four parts: (1) an active speed limiting controller is designed for anti-body slip control and rollover prevention; (2) an ARS controller is designed for coordinating the tyre wear between the driving wheels; (3) an inter-axle torque distribution controller is designed for optimal torque distribution between the axles, considering anti-wheel slip and battery power limitations and (4) a data acquisition and estimation module for collecting the measured and estimated vehicle states. To verify the performances, a simulation platform is established in Trucksim software combined with Simulink. Three test cases are particularly designed to show the performances. The proposed algorithm is compared with a simple even control algorithm. The test results show satisfactory lateral stability and rollover prevention performances under severe steering conditions. The desired tyre wear coordinating performance is also realised, and the wheel slip ratios are restricted within stable region during intensive driving and emergency braking with complicated road conditions.     

轮毂电机驱动车辆驱动力控制研究

轮毂电机驱动车辆各轮转矩精确可控且响应迅速的特点适用于越野工况，但越野路面起伏不一且附着条件多变，因此，开发基于越野工况辨识的车辆驱动力控制策略，对提升轮毂电机驱动车辆的纵向行驶稳定性具有重要意义。基于动力学模型分析路面附着与路面几何特征，确定可用于越野工况辨识的车辆特征参数集；针对车轮悬空垂向载荷估计失真现象，且由于地面垂向力的实际变化导致车辆垂向载荷分配比例的改变，修正了垂向载荷的计算；利用各特征参数的差异与越野工况的映射关系判定工况属性，采用模糊识别法界定4种地形工况；驱动力控制上层考虑工况与驾驶员影响因素，通过越野工况辨识结果决策驱动利用系数，作为前馈期望转矩调节权重；中层通过四轮垂向载荷得到转矩分配系数，设计驱动力分配算法；下层针对车辆在越野工况下出现车轮滑转与悬空状态，对车轮进行动态转矩补偿。仿真测试与实车验证表明，越野工况辨识结果与预期相符，驱动力控制策略综合优化了车辆稳定性和动力性。     

A novel direct yaw moment controller for in-wheel motor electric vehicles

A novel direct yaw moment controller is developed in this paper. A hierarchical control architecture is adopted in the controller design. In the upper controller, a driver model and a vehicle model are used to obtain the driver's intention and the vehicle states, respectively. The upper controller determines the desired yaw moment by means of sliding mode control. The lower controller distributes differential longitudinal forces according to the desired yaw moment. A nonlinear tyre model, ‘UniTire’, is utilised to develop the novel distribution strategy and the control boundary.     

基于路面影响因子的轮毂电机驱动车辆自适应转矩控制

为实现轮毂电机驱动越野车辆在附着条件多变、路面起伏不定的复杂环境中动力性和稳定性的多目标优化,提出一种基于路面影响因子的自适应转矩控制策略。以滚动阻力差异、空气阻力归一化比例、坡度阻力归一化比例、路面附着差异方差以及最小路面附着系数5个特征参数作为输入,并基于模糊理论方法搭建路面影响因子五参数辨识模型。基于辨识出的路面影响因子,开发整车动力性和稳定性多目标优化自适应转矩控制策略,构建了三层式控制架构：顶层引入路面影响因子对加速度紧迫程度进行判定,采用模型预测控制算法得到期望总驱动力;中层为目标决策层,以最优滑转率为目标决策驱动防滑力矩,并基于路面行驶阻力,决策期望前馈补偿力矩;下层为转矩分配层,以需求总驱动力及轮胎利用率作为控制目标,引入路面影响因子优化两者权重系数,以多约束条件的混合优化算法对转矩进行自适应控制。利用Matlab/Simulink-CarSim联合仿真平台进行仿真,基于实车进行验证。结果表明,在低附着路面,在0.2 s内快速完成滑转率抑制;在对开路面,侧向位移接近0;在大扭曲路面,避免腾空车轮出现大滑转率,滑转率最高0.2。     

Design of a feedback-feedforward steering controller for accurate path tracking and stability at the limits of handling

This paper presents a feedback-feedforward steering controller that simultaneously maintains vehicle stability at the limits of handling while minimising lateral path tracking deviation. The design begins by considering the performance of a baseline controller with a lookahead feedback scheme and a feedforward algorithm based on a nonlinear vehicle handling diagram. While this initial design exhibits desirable stability properties at the limits of handling, the steady-state path deviation increases significantly at highway speeds. Results from both linear and nonlinear analyses indicate that lateral path tracking deviations are minimised when vehicle sideslip is held tangent to the desired path at all times. Analytical results show that directly incorporating this sideslip tangency condition into the steering feedback dramatically improves lateral path tracking, but at the expense of poor closed-loop stability margins. However, incorporating the desired sideslip behaviour into the feedforward loop creates a robust steering controller capable of accurate path tracking and oversteer correction at the physical limits of tyre friction. Experimental data collected from an Audi TTS test vehicle driving at the handling limits on a full length race circuit demonstrates the improved performance of the final controller design.