Design of Active Safety Systems for Long Combination Vehicles Considering Driver-Vehicle-Road Interactions

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Compared with articulated vehicles with a single trailer, long combination vehicles (LCVs) with a tractor/two-trailer combination can improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the poor directional performance of LCVs restricts their applications. Although active safety systems (ASSs) have been developed to provide active steering, differential braking, and antiroll control for passenger cars, little attention has been paid to LCV safety systems. Because of the complex configurations and large sizes of LCVs, these vehicles exhibit unique dynamic behaviors, such as jackknifing, which may lead to fatal accidents. The proposed research develops new active safety technologies to increase the safety of LCV operations. The essence of ASS design is to construct a controller(s) to work with the driver to accommodate varied operating conditions. Current ASS design methods have not adequately addressed the driver-vehicle-road (DVR) interactions. The proposed program will focus on the following interrelated innovative investigations: 1) Integrated control of active steering and differential braking. To accommodate varied LCV operating conditions on highways, the control subsystems of active steering and differential braking will be integrated. 2) Design of ASSs using dynamic game theory. To address the interactions of DVR in the design, the design problem will be represented by a noncooperative dynamic game framework. Two 'players', namely, the driver and integrated controller, work together to increase LCV safety in various highway environments. 3) Validation of ASSs using real-time simulations. To evaluate the ASSs, driver-hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulations will be conducted. 4) Development of innovative design methods for ASSs. The ultimate research goal is to develop a multilevel design optimization method that considers the various uncertainties, e.g., variations in vehicle payloads. This research program will contribute significantly to the advancement of closed-loop dynamic system design through its innovative application to the design of complex mechatronic vehicle systems.