CONTINUOUS- AND DISCRETE-TIME FIXED-GAIN CONTROLLER DESIGNS FOR THE CONTROL OF VEHICLE LATERAL DYNAMICS

Abstract

In this paper, fixed-gain feedback linearization controls are presented to stabilize the vehicle lateral dynamics at bifurcation points for both continuous-time and discrete-time cases. Based on the assumption of constant driving speed, a second-order nonlinear lateral dynamics model is adopted for controller design. Via the feedback linearization scheme and the first-order Taylor series expansion, a time-invariant feedback linearization control is proposed as a fixed-gain linear version of the previously proposed nonlinear one. Furthermore, the conventional linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design is applied to facilitate the choice of the fixed-gain matrix. Refined controls to compensate the model uncertainty and their local stability analysis are provided. Extension of the continuous-time design results to discrete-time cases is also addressed. Numerical simulations for an example model demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed continuous-time and discrete-time design results.