Robust Control of Automatic Low-Speed Driving Motorcycle "MOTOROiD"

This study discusses robust control problems in low-speed driving motorcycles. In contrast to four-wheel motor vehicles, motorcycles can lose their stability during low-speed driving. Thus, increasing the stability of slow-moving motorcycles is important toward the development of future mobile societies. To this end, herein, a novel motorcycle named "MOTOROiD" (Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., 2017) is utilized. This prototype has a new rotary axis and can vary the position of its entire center of gravity. This axis is called the Active Mass CEnter control System (AMCES). The authors have already reported a preliminary control demonstration based on the use of a typical PID controller and simple LQR. Moreover, the mathematical model of MOTOROiD derived by the multibody dynamics method and its optimal regulator simulation were also released. However, an experimental investigation of a robust control strategy for practical use has not yet been conducted. This study proposes a practical application method for a sliding mode controller to improve robust stability in real environments. Specifically, we discuss the control system design using a combination of a novel mathematical model, including a minor PID control loop and the improved sliding mode controller with its hyperplane designed by a frequency-shaped optimal regulator. The effectiveness of the control system was verified experimentally.