A yaw stability control algorithm for four-wheel independently actuated electric ground vehicles considering control boundaries

A hierarchical control algorithm of direct yaw moment control for four-wheel independently actuated (FWIA) electric ground vehicles is presented. Sliding mode control is adopted to yield the desired yaw moment in the higher layer of the algorithm due to the possible modeling inaccuracies and parametric uncertainties. The conditional integrator approach is employed to overcome the chattering issue, which enables a smooth transition to a proportional + integral-like controller, with antiwindup, when the system is entering the boundary layer. The lower level of the algorithm is given to allocate the desired yaw moment to four wheels by means of slip ratio distribution and control for a better grasp of control boundaries. Simulation results, obtained with a vehicle dynamics simulator, Carsim, and the Matlab/Simulink, show the effectiveness of the control algorithm.