Enhanced Active Safety through Integrated Autonomous Drifting and Direct Yaw Moment Control via Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

The introduction of active safety systems and advanced driver assistance systems has enhanced the control authority over the vehicle dynamics through specialized actuators, enabling, for instance, independent wheel torque control. During emergency situations, these systems step in to aid the driver by limiting vehicle response to a stable and controllable range of low longitudinal tire slips and slip angles. This approach makes vehicle behavior predictable and manageable for the average human driver; however, it is conservative in case of driving automation. In fact, past research has shown that exceeding the operational boundaries of conventional active safety systems enables trajectories that are otherwise unattainable. This paper presents a nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) for path tracking (PT), which integrates steering, front-to-total longitudinal tire force distribution, and direct yaw moment actuation, and can operate beyond the limit of handling, e.g., to induce drift, if this is beneficial to PT. Simulation results of emergency conditions in an intersection scenario highlight that the proposed solution provides significant safety improvements, when compared to the concurrent operation of PT algorithms and the current generation of vehicle stability controllers.