A Robust Lateral Vehicle Dynamics Control

The paper addresses the robust design of a lateral stability controller for ground vehicles. Nonlinear vehicle dynamics are modeled by an approximate hybrid piecewise–affine model. Control of the vehicle yaw rate and lateral velocity of the center of gravity is achieved through steering and four wheels independent braking. Uncertainty in actuation is explicitly taken into account by introducing an additive, persistent disturbance taking values in a compact set which depends on the current control input. A robust control invariant (RCI) set is computed for a nominal, linear dynamics of the vehicle. A time–optimal robust control algorithm, that ensures convergence of the vehicle’s state vector into the RCI set in a finite number of discrete time steps, is devised. The proposed control design is verified on simulations.