Integrated Control of In-Wheel Motor and Electronic Limited Slip Differential for Lateral Stability and Maneuverability

This paper presents an integrated control of in-wheel motor (IWM) and electronic limited slip differential (eLSD) to enhance the vehicle lateral stability and maneuverability. The two actuators are utilized in the proposed controller to achieve separate purposes. The IWM controller is designed to modify the understeer gradient for enhanced handling characteristic and maneuverability. The eLSD controller is devised to improve the lateral stability to prevent oversteer in a severe maneuver. The proposed controller consists of a supervisor, upper-level controller and lower-level controller. The supervisor determines a target motion based on a target understeer gradient for IWM control and a yaw rate reference for eLSD control. The upper-level controller generates a desired yaw moment for the target motion. In the lower-level controller, the desired yaw moment is converted to the control inputs for IWMs in the two front wheels and eLSD at the rear axle. The proposed algorithm has been validated via computer simulation and vehicle tests. In the simulation results, the performance of the integrated control is compared with uncontrolled vehicle. The vehicle test results show that the integrated control of IWM and eLSD can enhance the cornering performance of the test vehicle.