Engine Throttle Control Using Anticipatory Band in the Sliding Phase Plane

Drive-by-wire throttle control is investigated using the pneumatic cruise control hardware in a research automobile. The dynamics of this pneumatic system are difficult to model, and the solenoid valves used for controlling the pressure make accurate throttle control difficult. To this end, a dynamic switching control law is developed. This control law utilizes an anticipatory band in a phase plane, which is defined in the sense of sliding mode control. In contrast to the deadband frequently used in bang-bang control where the control direction is switched after the error crosses a desired value, the anticipatory band switches the control direction before the error reaches the desired value. Experimental results show stable and accurate tracking performance.