Design of steering controller and analysis of vehicle lateral dynamics under impulsive disturbances

Addresses a vehicle control problem where the vehicles are subject to large impulsive disturbances. One specific example is when the vehicles are involved in a minor or moderate collision. In these situations, the collision does not disable the control functions of the vehicle and a successful strategy of stabilizing the vehicle trajectories can mitigate the accident consequences significantly. Presented in the paper is an analysis of vehicle lateral dynamics and the approach suggested for controller design. A linearized lateral model was adopted to investigate the characteristics of vehicle dynamics and the performance requirements of steering controllers in vehicle-following collisions. Based on the mathematical models and assumed system conditions, a feedback controller was designed to serve the lane-keeping function immediately after the collision phase. The controller was found to be effective in extensive simulations of different scenarios, and the control parameters based on the design synthesis are consistent with results observed in simulations.