Lateral displacement sensor placement and forward velocity effects on stability of lateral control of vehicles

This paper presents both a simulation and experimental look at lateral vehicle dynamics for automatic steering control. Simulation work shown is based upon the well known "bicycle model". Experimental work is completed on a small-scale vehicle run on the Illinois Roadway Simulator (IRS). Frequency and time domain methods are used to model the vehicle for various sensor locations and forward speeds. The resulting model is a polynomial transfer function from front steer angle input to lateral displacement output. The trends of the bicycle model appear in the experimental vehicle both in pole and zero mapping. In addition, the steering actuator of the vehicle is shown to be a significant factor for model reference and PI based control design.