Robust dynamic nonlinear control using adaptive gain estimation for ground vehicles under parametric uncertainties and external disturbances.

Abstract

This paper presents a robust dynamic nonlinear control strategy with adaptive gain estimation for ground vehicles equipped with Active Front Steering (AFS) and Rear Torque Vectoring (RTV). The proposed controller ensures accurate trajectory tracking despite parametric uncertainties and external disturbances by incorporating high-order sliding mode (HOSM) estimators with adaptive gains. Additionally, a novel HOSM observer, also designed with adaptive gains, reconstructs the vehicle's lateral velocity, enhancing control performance under dynamic driving conditions. The controller's effectiveness is validated through numerical simulations in CarSim, where a challenging double-lane-change test maneuver, based on the ISO 3888-2:2011 specifications, demonstrates superior transient behavior and disturbance rejection compared to conventional approaches.