Model predictive control–based steering control algorithm for steering efficiency of a human driver in all-terrain cranes

Abstract

All-terrain cranes with multi-axles have large inertia and long distances between the axles that lead to a slower dynamic response than normal vehicles. This has a significant effect on the dynamic behavior and steering performance of the crane. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop an optimal steering control algorithm with a reduced driver steering effort for an all-terrain crane and to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. For this, a model predictive control technique was applied to an all-terrain crane, and a steering control algorithm for the crane was proposed that could reduce the driver’s steering effort. The steering performances of the existing steering system and the steering system applied with the newly developed algorithm were compared using MATLAB/Simulink and ADAMS with a human driver model for reasonable performance evaluation. The simulation was performed with both a double lane change scenario and a curved-path scenario that are expected to happen in road-steering mode.