Rollover prevention with Predictive Control of differential braking and rear wheel steering

This paper contributes to increase knowledge about a Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach to untripped rollover prevention of heavy vehicles which make a panic lane change maneuver in order to avoid an obstacle in the path. Active differential braking control shows good effect on limit roll angle during an urgent situation. However, at the same time of avoiding rollover accidents, prohibiting the vehicle from the driver´s intended and the vehicle´s actual lane can also yield other accidents such as bumping into guard rails or cones. Thus, it is necessary to track the driver´s desired path as closely as possible while preventing the vehicle from rollover. Here, a new control method of switching the MPC controllers which uses differential braking with dead zone and active rear steer are proposed. Simultaneously, the trade-off between rollover prevention and path tracking is highlighted through simulation results. The effectiveness of using switching controllers designed for the trade-off solution is also confirmed through simulation results.