Tyre curve estimation in slip-controlled braking

Progress in reducing actuator delays in pneumatic brake systems creates an opportunity for advanced anti-lock braking algorithms to be used on heavy goods vehicles. However, these algorithms require knowledge of variables that are impractical to measure directly. This paper introduces a braking force observer and road surface identification algorithms to support a sliding-mode slip controller for air-braked heavy vehicles. Both the force observer and the slip controller are shown to operate robustly under a variety of conditions in quarter-car simulations. A non-linear least-squares algorithm was found to be capable of performing regressions on all the parameters of the tyre model from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute when used ‘in the loop’ with the controller and the observer. A recursive least-squares algorithm that is less computationally expensive than the non-linear algorithm was also investigated but gave only reasonable estimates of the tyre model parameters on high-friction smooth roads. The authors would like to thank the members of the Cambridge Vehicle Dynamics Consortium (CVDC), and the Gates Cambridge Trust for their parts in funding this work.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Sage via http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/095440701558593

A new linear parametrization for peak friction coefficient estimation in real time

The correct estimation of the friction coefficient in automotive applications is of paramount importance in the design of effective vehicle safety systems. In this article a new parametrization for estimating the peak friction coefficient, in the tire-road interface, is presented. The proposed parametrization is based on a feedforward neural network (FFNN), trained by the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) method. Unlike traditional learning techniques for FFNN, typically based on backpropagation and inappropriate for real time implementation, the ELM provides a learning process based on random assignment in the weights between input and the hidden layer. With this approach, the network training becomes much faster, and the unknown parameters can be identified through simple and robust regression methods, such as the Recursive Least Squares. Simulation results, obtained with the CarSim program, demonstrate a good performance of the proposed parametrization; compared with previous methods described in the literature, the proposed method reduces the estimation errors using a model with a lower number of parameters

Real-Time Vehicle Parameter Estimation and Adaptive Stability Control

This dissertation presents a novel Electronic Stability Control (ESC) strategy that is capable of adapting to changing vehicle mass, tire condition and road surface conditions. The benefits of ESC are well understood with regard to assisting drivers to maintain vehicle control during extreme handling maneuvers or when extreme road conditions such as ice are encountered. However state of the art ESC strategies rely on known and invariable vehicle parameters such as vehicle mass, yaw moment of inertia and tire cornering stiffness coefficients. Such vehicle parameters may change over time, especially in the case of heavy trucks which encounter widely varying load conditions. The objective of this research is to develop an ESC control strategy capable of identifying changes in these critical parameters and adapting the control strategy accordingly. An ESC strategy that is capable of identifying and adapting to changes in vehicle parameters is presented. The ESC system utilizes the same sensors and actuators used on commercially-available ESC systems. A nonlinear reduced-order observer is used to estimate vehicle sideslip and tire slip angles. In addition, lateral forces are estimated providing a real-time estimate of lateral force capability of the tires with respect to slip angle. A recursive least squares estimation algorithm is used to automatically identify tire cornering stiffness coefficients, which in turn provides a real-time indication of axle lateral force saturation and estimation of road/tire coefficient of friction. In addition, the recursive least squares estimation is shown to identify changes in yaw moment of inertia that may occur due to changes in vehicle loading conditions. An algorithm calculates the reduction in yaw moment due to axle saturation and determines an equivalent moment to be generated by differential braking on the opposite axle. A second algorithm uses the slip angle estimates and vehicle states to predict a Time to Saturation (TTS) value of the rear axle and takes appropriate action to prevent vehicle loss of control. Simulation results using a high fidelity vehicle modeled in CarSim show that the ESC strategy provides improved vehicle performance with regard to handling stability and is capable of adapting to the identified changes in vehicle parameters

Robust and Regularized Algorithms for Vehicle Tractive Force Prediction and Mass Estimation

This work provides novel robust and regularized algorithms for parameter estimation with applications in vehicle tractive force prediction and mass estimation. Given a large record of real world data from test runs on public roads, recursive algorithms adjusted the unknown vehicle parameters under a broad variation of statistical assumptions for two linear gray-box models

Road Friction Virtual Sensing:A Review of Estimation Techniques with Emphasis on Low Excitation Approaches

In this paper, a review on road friction virtual sensing approaches is provided. In particular, this work attempts to address whether the road grip potential can be estimated accurately under regular driving conditions in which the vehicle responses remain within low longitudinal and lateral excitation levels. This review covers in detail the most relevant effect-based estimation methods; these are methods in which the road friction characteristics are inferred from the tyre responses: tyre slip, tyre vibration, and tyre noise. Slip-based approaches (longitudinal dynamics, lateral dynamics, and tyre self-alignment moment) are covered in the first part of the review, while low frequency and high frequency vibration-based works are presented in the following sections. Finally, a brief summary containing the main advantages and drawbacks derived from each estimation method and the future envisaged research lines are presented in the last sections of the paper

Road Friction Estimation for Connected Vehicles using Supervised Machine Learning

In this paper, the problem of road friction prediction from a fleet of connected vehicles is investigated. A framework is proposed to predict the road friction level using both historical friction data from the connected cars and data from weather stations, and comparative results from different methods are presented. The problem is formulated as a classification task where the available data is used to train three machine learning models including logistic regression, support vector machine, and neural networks to predict the friction class (slippery or non-slippery) in the future for specific road segments. In addition to the friction values, which are measured by moving vehicles, additional parameters such as humidity, temperature, and rainfall are used to obtain a set of descriptive feature vectors as input to the classification methods. The proposed prediction models are evaluated for different prediction horizons (0 to 120 minutes in the future) where the evaluation shows that the neural networks method leads to more stable results in different conditions.Comment: Published at IV 201

Experimental Slip-based Road Condition Estimation

Heavy traffic loads on the California highways have given birth to the development of automated highways. With vehicles traveling without human interaction, tighter spacing between cars canbeachieved without jeopardizng safety, leading to improved highway throughput. Since no human driver is present to make judgements about velocity and spacing, knowing the road condition is important in order to maintain safety. This project aims to, based on experimental measurements, give information about the road condition, and in this thesis a slip-based method is used. Slip is defined as the relative difference in velocity between the wheels and the vehicle. The data acquired from a Lincoln Towncar introduced di°culties due to very noisy measurements. A number of different approaches of extracting road surface information from the noisy slip data was examined and an observer was developed that signifcantly reduced unwanted effects caused by tire elasticity. The resulting road classifier could distinguish between dry and wet asphalt roads with 16% error probability. The classifier did only work for newly wet roads, most likely since roads are known to be the most slippery right after it has started to rain

Sensor fusion based on a Dual Kalman Filter for estimation of road irregularities and vehicle mass under static and dynamic conditions

Mass is an important parameter in vehicle dynamics because it affects not only safety but also comfort. The mass influences the three movements corresponding to vehicle dynamics. Therefore, having an accurate value of mass is essential for having a suitable model which will lead to proper controller and observer operation. Additionally, unlike other vehicle parameters, the mass can vary during a trip due to loading and unloading items and passengers onto the vehicle, greatly influencing its dynamics. This is critical in heavy vehicles where the mass can vary by around 400%. Therefore, the mass must be updated on-line. The novelty of this paper is the construction of a state-parameter observer which allows the mass under static and dynamic driving conditions to be estimated using measurements from sensors that can be mounted easily on vehicles. In this study, a vertical complete model is considered based on the dual Kalman filter for mass and road irregularities estimation using the data obtained from suspension deflection sensors and a vertical accelerometer. Both simulation and experimental results are carried out to prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.This work was supported by Projects TRA2008-05373/AUT and TRA2013-48030-C2-1-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Adaptive model predictive control for co-ordination of compression and friction brakes in heavy duty vehicles

In this paper, an adaptive model predictive control scheme is designed for speed control of heavy vehicles. The controller co-ordinates use of compression brakes and friction brakes on downhill slopes. Moreover, the model predictive controller takes the actuator constraints into account. A recursive least square scheme with forgetting is used in parallel with the controller to update the estimates of vehicle mass and road grade. The adaptation improved the model predictive controller. Also online estimation of the road grade enhanced the closed-loop performance further by contributing through feedforward control. Simulations of realistic driving scenarios with a validated longitudinal vehicle model are used throughout this paper to illustrate the benefits of co-ordinating the two braking mechanisms and influence of unknown vehicle mass and road grade. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55894/1/917_ftp.pd