Robust Vehicle Stability Controller based on Multiple Sliding Mode Control

Vehicle stability control system can enhance the vehicle stability and handling in the emergency situations through the control of traction and braking forces at the individual wheels. Because this system needs to handle the nonlinear and complex vehicle dynamics, the controller is required to have the robustness and the simple structure for practical applications in order to achieve the desired performance. This paper proposes a new controller based on the multiple sliding mode control theory for vehicle stability control system to satisfy these requirements. The proposed controller for the lateral motion makes use of both the sideslip angle and the yaw rate. It brings the vehicle sideslip angle and the yaw rate close to the desired ones so that the vehicle dynamics becomes stable and the vehicle traces the desired course even in limit cornering. We show the feasibility and usefulness of the proposed controller under various driving conditions through computer simulations of a fifteen degrees-of-freedom nonlinear vehicle model.