Dynamic event-triggered robust observer for hitch angle of semi-trailer trucks with parametric uncertainties

Abstract Accurate estimation of the hitch angle for semi-trailer trucks is crucial for path planning and stability control, which motivates the proposal of a dynamic event-triggered robust observer for the hitch angle in this paper. First, to improve the observer’s adaptability to vehicle parameter uncertainties, including time-varying longitudinal velocity and trailer mass, a Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model is established using the T–S fuzzy method to accommodate all possible uncertain parameters. Then, to save communication resources and reduce the computational load on the vehicle controller, a dynamic event-triggered mechanism (DETM) is introduced between the sensor and the observer to reduce the transmission frequency of sensor data. Next, an <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">∞</mml:mi> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> -based robust observer for the hitch angle is designed, and the observer gains and DETM are co-designed using fuzzy Lyapunov functional method and linear matrix inequality theory to ensure the robustness of the DETM-based observer. Finally, the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed observer are verified through hardware-in-the-loop testing under comprehensive driving conditions. The results show that, compared with other typical observers, the proposed observer exhibits better estimation accuracy and robustness performance, while the introduction of the DETM effectively saves communication resources.