Dual-steering mode based on direct yaw moment control for multi-wheel hub motor driven vehicles: Theoretical design and experimental assessment

One of the main challenges for multi-wheel hub motor driven vehicles is the coordination of individual drivetrains to improve mobility and stability in the steering process. This paper proposes a dual-steering mode based on direct yaw moment control for enhancing vehicle steering ability in complex environments. The control system is designed as a hierarchical structure, with a yaw moment decision layer and a driving force distribution layer. In the higher-level layer, the objective optimization function is constructed to obtain the slip steering ratio, which represents the degree of vehicle slip steering in the dualsteering mode. A yaw moment controller using active disturbance rejection control theory is designed for continuous yaw rate control. When the actual yaw rate of the vehicle deviates from the reference yaw rate obtained by the vehicle reference model and the slip steering ratio, the yaw moment controller is actuated to determine the yaw moment demand for vehicle steering. In the lower-level layer, there is a torque distribution controller based on distribution rules, which meets the requirement of yaw moment demand without affecting the total longitudinal driving force of the vehicle. For verifying the validity and feasibility of the dual-steering mode, simulations were conducted on the hardware-in-loop real-time simulation platform. Additionally, corresponding real vehicle tests were carried out on an eight-wheel prototype vehicle. Test results were generally consistent with the simulation results, thereby demonstrating that the proposed dual-steering mode reduces steering radius and enhances the steering performance of the vehicle.

Automated summary

This study proposes a dual-steering mode based on direct yaw moment control to enhance vehicle steering ability in complex environments. The control system uses a hierarchical structure with a yaw moment decision layer and a driving force distribution layer. The proposed mode reduces steering radius and enhances the steering performance of the vehicle.