Energy Optimal Control Design for Steer-by-Wire Systems and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation Evaluation

Abstract

A Steer-By-Wire (SBW) control scheme is proposed for enhancing the lateral stability and handling capability of a super lightweight vehicle by using the energy optimal control method. Tire dissipation power and virtual power, which is the product of yaw moment and the deviation of actual yaw rate from the target yaw rate, were selected as performance measures to be minimized. The SBW control scheme was tested using Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation on an SBW test rig. The case studies performed were high-speed rapid lane change, crosswind, and braking-in-a-turn. HIL simulation results showed that the SBW control scheme was able to maintain vehicle stability. The proposed SBW control design taking advantage of the full range steering of front wheel, significantly improves the vehicle handling capability. The results also demonstrate the importance of SBW control for super lightweight vehicles.