This paper proposes a steering control method based on optimal control theory to improve the maneuverability of a six-wheeled vehicle during cornering. The six-wheeled vehicle is believed to have better performance than a four-wheeled vehicle in terms of its capability for crossing obstacles, off-road maneuvering and fail-safe handling when one or two of the tires are punctured. Although many methods to improve the four-wheeled vehicle’s lateral stability have been studied and developed, there have only been a few studies on the six-wheeled vehicle’s lateral stability. Some studies of the six-wheeled vehicle have been reported recently, but they are related to the desired yaw rate of a four-wheeled vehicle to control the six-wheeled vehicle’s maneuvering during corning. In this paper, the sideslip angle and yaw rate are controlled to improve the maneuverability during cornering by independent control of the steering angles of the six wheels. The desired yaw rate that is suitable for a six-wheeled vehicle is proposed as a control target. In addition, a scaled-down vehicle with six drive motors and six steering motors that can be controlled independently is designed. The performance of the proposed control methods is verified using a full model vehicle simulation and scaled-down vehicle experiment.
[1]
Feng Gao,et al.
Study on integrated control of active front steer angle and direct yaw moment
,
2002
.
[2]
Masao Nagai,et al.
Integrated Control of Active Rear Wheel Steering and Yaw Moment Control Using Braking Forces
,
1999
.
[3]
Klaus Landesfeind,et al.
VDC Systems Development and Perspective
,
1998
.
[4]
Hyunsoo Kim,et al.
VEHICLE LONGITUDINAL AND LATERAL STABILITY ENHANCEMENT USING A TCS AND YAW MOTION CONTROLLER
,
2007
.
[5]
Masao Nagai,et al.
Yaw-moment control of electric vehicle for improving handling and stability
,
2001
.
[6]
Hans B. Pacejka,et al.
Tire and Vehicle Dynamics
,
1982
.
[7]
Kazuhiko Shimada,et al.
IMPROVEMENT OF VEHICLE MANEUVERABILITY BY DIRECT YAW MOMENT CONTROL.
,
1992
.
[8]
T D Gillespie,et al.
Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics
,
1992
.
[9]
David Crolla,et al.
Improving Performance of a 6×6 Off-Road Vehicle Through Individual Wheel Control
,
2002
.
[10]
K Huh,et al.
Handling and driving characteristics for six-wheeled vehicles
,
2000
.