Roll dynamics and lateral load transfer estimation in articulated heavy freight vehicles

Roll dynamics in heavy freight vehicles is characterized in driving conditions by the lateral load transfer coe  cient. The coe  cient tracking requires sophisticated measurement systems for assessing the wheels’ normal loading. In this paper a new recursive non-linear lateral load transfer estimator employing sensors that are already used on a vehicle in combination with additional units that are not sophisticated for the implementation is described. The proposed algorithm integrates two subsystems—separate estimators for the tractor and the trailer. The Ž rst estimator is based on slip information of the driving wheels, while the second estimator fuses the tractor estimation and the modelled trailer dynamics by the extended Kalman Ž lter. The novel approach was evaluated on a sophisticated computer simulator of the Freightliner Century Class tractor semitrailer. The simulation analysis shows that the proposed algorithm provides robust operation and good tracking performance. This approach enables a practical realization of a low-cost solution for the rollover prevention in real heavy freight vehicles.