Robust integrated control of autonomous vehicles path tracking with fault-tolerant yaw stability control

Abstract

This paper investigates the integrated control problem of path tracking and fault-tolerant yaw stability for autonomous vehicles and proposes a robust control scheme with multi-objective constraints. The proposed scheme adopts a hierarchical structure, consisting of a top-level generalized force decision layer and a bottom-level allocation layer. In the top-level controller, a multi-objective constrained robust control strategy is designed to address parameter uncertainties. This design ensures that the path-tracking closed-loop system achieves H∞ performance and guaranteed performance, while also considering the specified decay rate for enhanced stability. The controller determines the four-wheel steering angles for path tracking, as well as the external yaw moment and roll moment required for lateral stability. In the bottom-level controller, to fully exploit the advantages of integrated control, a fault-tolerant yaw stability control scheme is developed. This scheme implements reconfigurable tire force control using a control allocation method. Simultaneously, the four-wheel steering angles adhere to the Ackermann geometric relationship, and the external roll moment is generated through direct suspension force input. Finally, co-simulation results using CarSim and Simulink demonstrate that the proposed integrated control scheme provides high tracking accuracy and robustness. Furthermore, in the event of a brake actuator failure, the scheme successfully achieves fault-tolerant yaw stability control, thereby maximizing the benefits of the integrated control approach.