Vehicle dynamics and road curvature estimation for lane departure warning system using robust fuzzy observers: experimental validation

Abstract

This paper describes a new approach to estimate vehicle dynamics and the road curvature in order to detect vehicle lane departures. This method has been evaluated through an experimental set-up using a real test vehicle equipped with the RT2500 inertial measurement unit. Based on a robust unknown input fuzzy observer, the road curvature is estimated and compared to the vehicle trajectory curvature. The difference between the two curvatures is used by the proposed lane departure detection algorithm as the first driving risk indicator. To reduce false alarms and take into account driver corrections, a second driving risk indicator based on the steering dynamics is considered. The vehicle nonlinear model is deduced from the vehicle lateral dynamics and road geometry and then represented by an uncertain Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy model. Taking into account the unmeasured variables, an unknown input fuzzy observer is proposed. Synthesis conditions of the proposed fuzzy observer are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities using the Lyapunov method.