Benefits of smart tires on ESP systems: development of a control logic based on force measurements

ESP (Electronic Stability Program) is an active control system able to improve vehicle stability during turns. The basic idea of this controller is to generate a stabilizing yaw moment through differential braking of the four tires. In the present paper, enhancments of ESP control due to additional information provided by smart tires (i.e. tires with embedded sensors and digital-computing capability) are discussed. Contrarly to present ESP systems, which regulate tires’ slip to generate the desired stabilizing yaw moment, a novel control strategy is proposed herein which includes a direct feedback on longitudinal contact forces (measured by smart tires) to achive the same goal. The control strategy was implemented based on a simulation tool including a 14 dofs vehicle model and a smart tires emulator. Performance of the control strategy was evaluated in a series of handling maneuvers. The same maneuvers were performed on a HiL test bench interfacing the same vehicle model with a production ESP ECU. Results of the two logics were analyzed and compared.