Design of a Path-Tracking Steering Controller for Autonomous Vehicles

Chuanyang Sun, Xin Zhang, Lihe Xi and Ying Tian
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Chuanyang Sun: Beijing Key Laboratory of Powertrain for New Energy Vehicle, School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Xin Zhang: Beijing Key Laboratory of Powertrain for New Energy Vehicle, School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Lihe Xi: Beijing Key Laboratory of Powertrain for New Energy Vehicle, School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Ying Tian: Beijing Jiaotong University Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, Zhenjiang 212009, China

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: This paper presents a linearization method for the vehicle and tire models under the model predictive control (MPC) scheme, and proposes a linear model-based MPC path-tracking steering controller for autonomous vehicles. The steering controller is designed to minimize lateral path-tracking deviation at high speeds. The vehicle model is linearized by a sequence of supposed steering angles, which are obtained by assuming the vehicle can reach the desired path at the end of the MPC prediction horizon and stay in a steady-state condition. The lateral force of the front tire is directly used as the control input of the model, and the rear tire’s lateral force is linearized by an equivalent cornering stiffness. The course-direction deviation, which is the angle between the velocity vector and the path heading, is chosen as a control reference state. The linearization model is validated through the simulation, and the results show high prediction accuracy even in regions of large steering angle. This steering controller is tested through simulations on the CarSim-Simulink platform (R2013b, MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA), showing the improved performance of the present controller at high speeds.

Keywords: autonomous vehicles; model linearization; path tracking; steering controller; model predictive control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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