Autonomous vehicle control at the limits of handling

Abstract

Racecar drivers have the ability to operate a vehicle at its friction limit without losing control. If autonomous vehicles or driver assistance systems had similar capabilities, many fatal accidents could be avoided. To advance this goal, an autonomous racing controller is designed to gain insights into vehicle control at the friction limits. A bicycle model and a ‘ g-g ’ diagram are used to mimic racecar drivers’ internal vehicle model. Lanekeeping steering feedback and wheel slip feedback controllers are used to imitate drivers making steering and throttle corrections according to the vehicle responses. Experimental results on a low friction surface demonstrate that the controller can robustly track a path while operating at the limits of tyre adhesion and provide insights for the future development of vehicle safety systems.