Reference Input Wheel Slip Tracking Using Sliding Mode Control

The design of a sliding mode controller for the purpose of controlling wheel slip, λ, is described in this paper. The control objective is to track a reference input wheel slip, λ_r. Through the use of tire force measurements or observers, it is shown that the sliding mode controller can track any reference input wheel slip, λ_r. The design strategy investigated is based on a sliding surface that only contains the error between the reference input wheel slip, λ_r, and the actual wheel slip, λ. The design strategy uses continuous switching, in the form of a saturation function, to reduce chattering in the system response. Simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed sliding mode controller.