Motion control of electric vehicles based on robust lateral tire force control using lateral tire force sensors

This paper proposes a new motion control method based on robust lateral tire force control. Since the lateral tire force measurements are available by using multi-sensing hub (MSHub) units which are invented by NSK Ltd, direct lateral tire force control is realizable via active front steering. In control design, robust control method, e.g., 2-degree-of-freedom control (2-DOF) with disturbance observer (DOB), is used for improving the lateral tire force tracking. The proposed motion controller is implemented on an experimental in-wheel-motor-driven electric vehicle and its control performance and effectiveness are verified through experimental results. Finally, practical applications of lateral tire force sensors to vehicle motion control systems are discussed.