Pneumatic trail based slip angle observer with Dugoff tire model

Autonomous driving requires reliable and accurate vehicle control at the limits of tire performance, which is only possible if accurate slip angle estimates are available. Recent methods have demonstrated the value of pneumatic trail for estimating slip angle in the non-linear region using the Fiala tire model. We present an improved slip angle estimation method based on the pneumatic trail method, which incorporates both lateral and longitudinal acceleration effects through the use of the Dugoff tire model. The proposed method offers significant improvements over existing methods, where longitudinal effects of the road-tire were assumed negligible. The results are demonstrated using CarSim, which relies on empirical data models for tire modelling and therefore presents a useful evaluation of the method.