Lateral-Stability-Oriented Path-Tracking Control Design for Four-Wheel Independent Drive Autonomous Vehicles with Tire Dynamic Characteristics under Extreme Conditions

This paper proposes a lateral-stability-oriented path-tracking controller for four-wheel independent drive (4WID) autonomous vehicles. The proposed controller aims to maintain vehicle stability under extreme conditions while minimizing lateral deviation. Firstly, a tiered control framework comprising upper-level and lower-level controllers is introduced. The upper-level controller is a lateral stability path-tracking controller that incorporates tire dynamic characteristics, developed using model predictive control (MPC) theory. This controller dynamically updates the tire lateral force constraints in real time to account for variations in tire dynamics under extreme conditions. Additionally, it enhances lateral stability and reduces path-tracking errors by applying additional yaw torque based on minimum tire utilization. The lower-level controllers execute the required steering angles and yaw moments through the appropriate component equipment and torque distribution. The joint simulation results from CarSim and MATLAB/Simulink show that, compared to the traditional MPC controller with unstable sideslip, this controller can maintain vehicle lateral stability under extreme conditions. Compared to the MPC controller, which only considers lateral force constraints, this controller can significantly reduce lateral tracking errors, with an average yaw rate reduction of 31.62% and an average sideslip angle reduction of 40.21%.