Dynamic Tire/Road Friction Estimation With Embedded Flexible Force Sensors
Xunjie Chen, Hrishikesh Sathyanarayan, Yongbin Gong, Jingang Yi, Hao Wang
Abstract
Tire/road interaction estimation with embedded sensors potentially enables attractive features for enhancing vehicle safety and maneuvering stability. This paper presents a new tire/road force sensing and estimation scheme with embedded flexible force sensors. A physics-based tread beam model is developed and integrated with the LuGre friction model to evaluate the rubber deformation as well as the contact pressure distribution. A sensor model is then proposed to build the relationship between the measured longitudinal stress of tire tread rubber and the external friction force at the tire/road contact. Featuring points on measurement curves are analyzed and used to estimate tire/road friction forces. A tire friction testbed is developed for comprehensive experimental validation under various conditions such as various slip, surface roughness, etc. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of using the force-sensitive sensors for predicting tire/road friction characteristics. This work shows the potential of the real-time friction sensing technique and provides feasibility of estimating tire/road friction forces under dynamic operating conditions.