Hardware-in-the-loop real-time implementation of a vehicle stability control through individual wheel torques

The enhancement of vehicle passenger safety is a central theme for car manufacturers. Since the introduction of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in the late 90s, researchers in industry and academia have kept striving for continuously enhancing vehicle safety. However, despite significant efforts, the literature shows that a significant number of these endeavors have not advanced beyond theoretical formulations and software simulations. This article presents the testing journey of an individual-wheel-torque-based vehicle stability controller through the major milestones of its development cycle. First, the controller is formulated based on specific vehicle dynamics design requirements. Then, an offline co-simulation is put in place to validate the controller along relevant maneuvers, with the controller running on Matlab-Simulink concurrently with the software Amesim running a 15-dof vehicle model of Siemens' SimRod battery electric vehicle. Next, a real-time co-simulation is achieved, running both the controller and the vehicle model on a real-time platform. Finally, an experimental hardware-in-the-loop setup is built, incorporating a dedicated Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and successfully tested.