A Feedback Linearization Design for the Control of Vehicle´s Lateral Dynamics

In this paper, the feedback linearization scheme is applied to the control of vehicle´s lateral dynamics. Based on the assumption of constant driving speed, a second-order nonlinear lateral dynamical model is adopted for controller design. It was observed in Liaw and Chung (2006) that the saddle-node bifurcation would appear in vehicle dynamics with respect to the variation of the front wheel steering angle, which might result in spin and/or system instability. Feedback linearization control laws are proposed in this paper to stabilize the vehicle´s dynamics at bifurcation points. Numerical simulations for an example model demonstrate the effectiveness of the analytical results