Fuzzy control stabilization with applications to motorcycle control

This study develops fuzzy control that is designed with sliding modes to achieve stability of the fuzzy controller. Fuzzy control is formulated in the form of variable structure system (VSS) control. In contrast to previous works in which Lyapunov functions are used to examine the stability, the current study investigates the stability of fuzzy control from the viewpoints of differential geometric methods and the sliding mode theory. Best values for parameters in fuzzy control rules are determined with the aid of sliding modes. In order to improve control performance, a tuning algorithm is executed to adjust parameters for dealing with uncertainties and disturbances. Both computer simulations and experiments with regard to an inverted pendulum hinged to a rotating disk are carried out to validate the proposed method. This apparatus can to some extent represent cornering motion of a motorcycle on which a rider leans to maintain stability. Effects of rider's leaning angle on both stability and handling control are examined according to Bode plots.