Direct Yaw-Moment Control of a FWIA EV Based on Sliding Model Control and Torque Allocation Optimization

In this paper, a direct yaw-moment control (DYC) scheme is proposed for a four-wheel-independently-actuated electric vehicle (FWIA EV). An upper controller is based on a reference model with two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) that generates the desired yaw rate for a sliding mode controller to track so as to improve the vehicle dynamic stability. A torque optimization distribution strategy is designed in the lower controller to allocate the required torques to each in-wheel motor for vehicle stability enhancement. The proposed DYC scheme is implemented in a Carmaker vehicle model and a MATLAB/Simulink control model and evaluated in simulations of a snake-lane-change and a double-lane-change maneuver. The results show that the side slip angle and tire load rate have been reduced, on average, by 2/3 using the DYC system compared with those without control. The cases with DYC also provide better tracking of the desired trajectory and yaw rate with smaller steering angle than those without control.