Experimental Validation of Integrated Steering and Braking Model Predictive Control

Journal article, 2009

In this paper we present and discuss an in-vehicle experimental validation of an integrated steering and braking Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm. The experimental results are obtained in autonomous path following tests, where the vehicle has to autonomously perform a double lane change maneuver by simultaneously coordinating the front steering and the braking torques at the four wheels. The maneuvers are performed at high speed on slippery surfaces in order to operate close to the vehicle stability limits. The proposed controller is an MPC based on successive on-line linearizations of the nonlinear vehicle model. Experimental tests of a double lane change maneuvers at 70 Kph are shown and complex countersteering maneuvers are presented and discussed.