Rollover stability and anti-roll control of sport utility vehicle with driver in the loop

Rollovers are a type of fatal traffic accidents for ground vehicles. Most rollover accidents, however, can be avoided through proper driver actions. In order to explore the effect of the driver’s actions, the rollover stability of a sport utility vehicle with a driver in the loop is analysed and an anti-roll control strategy is proposed to prevent the vehicle rolling over when drivers cannot take proper emergency measures. To obtain the driver’s reaction to vehicle rollover, the linear quadratic regulator method is applied to the driver’s decision-making model. The laws of rollover stability and the corresponding influence of the parameters of the driver are illustrated. Then, a rollover prevention strategy using sliding mode control and an electronic hydraulic braking system is put forward to help the driver control the vehicle. Furthermore, numerical simulations are presented for a SUV in tripped and untripped rollover conditions. The results show that experienced and physically fit drivers can manipulate the steering wheel accurately and timely to prevent vehicle rollover under emergency conditions. The proposed control method is helpful to improve roll stability and reduce vehicle rollover. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.