Estimation of side-slip angles of a Volvo A25E articulated all-wheel drive hauler based on GPS/INS measurements

• Traction control for off-road vehicles such as articulated all-wheel drive haulers is of great importance to improve the vehicle performance. A well-known method to reduce the slip and thereby improve the traction is to engage differential locks in the driveline of the vehicle. The drawbacks of differential locks engaged are for instance increased wear, increased fuel consumption but also reduced turnability of the vehicle. Therefore, the differentials should be locked only when necessary, ideally only when slip occurs or is about to occur. A number of methods to detect slip has been reported in the literature. Some of them utilize dynamical models of the vehicle where side-slip angles are important inputs. This paper describes an off-line estimator for the side-slip angles of an articulated vehicle based on measurements from Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). The current implementation is a proof of concept and the intention is to develop a system that can be used as a reference for on-line estimators. By comparing measurements from two GPS/INS units, mounted on the front and rear part of the vehicle, it is possible to estimate the side-slip angles of both the front and rear part. The method has been tested on a Volvo A25E articulated all-wheel drive hauler equipped with two high precision GPS/INS units (NovAtel's SPAN-CPT). Tests have been performed when driving on asphalt, gravel and snow. The results from the tests are discussed.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Reglerteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Control Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Reglerteknik

Control Engineering

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)