Real-time Estimation of Road Friction Coefficient for the Electric Vehicle

The friction coefficient of road is the primary factor of the traction control system. In this paper, a real-time estimation of road coefficient based on the distributed driven electric vehicle is developed. The simplified quarter car model and the Burckhardt tire model are selected and optimized. The algorithm based on recursive least square with forgetting factor is used for road estimation. The test data under a wide range of road conditions are analyzed. The results show that the algorithm is able to estimate two surfaces: asphalt and ice road. The proposed approach has several advantages such as accurate, effective, short cycle and low cost. Also, it has the ability to provide with reliable information for vehicle active safety control.