Master Thesis: Lateral controller for heavy vehicles

One important component of modern driver support and autonomous driving systems is the lateral controller, which controls the steering of the vehicle to for example follow the lane in which the vehicle is driving. The design of lateral controllers for heavy vehicles has some additional challenges compared to passenger cars:
The lateral dynamics are slower, which can lead to unstable or oscillating control loops
The acceptable lateral acceleration is lower
Trailers are often connected to the vehicle
The vehicle is wider, so there is less margin to the lane or road edge

The aim of this thesis is to examine the literature for controller structures that are suitable for lateral control of heavy vehicles, and to evaluate some of them in simulation and in a truck. Both comfortable steering (normal driving) and safe positioning on the road (avoiding obstacles) should be considered. Steps of the work would include:
Literature study to find state-of-the-art controller structures for lateral control of heavy vehicles
Setting up a simulation environment to test candidate controllers, including simulation of truck dynamics
Implement several controllers in simulation and test their performance both for comfortable maneuvering (normal driving) and safe positioning, and how to define what is safe (to guarantee avoid hitting obstacles)
Implement one or two selected controllers in the vehicle ECU and test in truck



The thesis is recommended for two students with a strong background in automatic control, modeling with a good mathematical background.


For more infromation, please contact Markus Gerdin, +46 739026245.


Location: Göteborg, Sweden
Timing: January 2023- June 2023