Stability-Guaranteed Model Predictive Path Tracking of Autonomous Tractor Semi-Trailers Under Extreme Conditions

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Autonomous tractor semi-trailers are expected to improve safety and efficiency for road freight transportation. However, the complex dynamics introduced by the articulated structure of the tractor semi-trailer results in poor yaw and roll stability, which in consequence poses great challenges in path tracking under extreme conditions featuring high lateral acceleration or low tire-road friction. In this work, a stability-guaranteed computationally efficient model predictive path tracking framework is devised. In particular, a comprehensive tractor semi-trailer stability constraint (TSSC) consisting of a three-dimensional (3D) yaw stability envelope and rollover limitation is proposed to guarantee the yaw and roll stability. By linearizing the system model and constraints, the proposed path tracking controller is solved as a set of quadratic programming (QP) problems with the potential for real-time implementation. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control framework reduces the maximum tracking deviation by at least 48.5% compared to the existing method and ensures the dynamic stability of the tractor semi-trailer under extreme conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
JournalIEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • 3D yaw stability envelope
  • Agricultural machinery
  • Axles
  • Intelligent vehicles
  • Load modeling
  • Predictive models
  • Stability criteria
  • Tracking
  • model predictive control
  • path tracking
  • rollover limitation
  • tractor semi-trailer (TS)

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