Evaluation of a sliding mode observer for vehicle sideslip angle

This paper presents a sliding mode observer of vehicle sideslip angle, which is the principal variable relating to the transversal forces at the tire/road interface. The vehicle is first modelled, and the model is subsequently simplified. This study validates the observer using both a validated simulator and real experimental data acquired by the Heudiasyc laboratory car, and also shows the limitations of this method. The observer requires a yaw rate sensor and data about vehicle speed are required in order to estimate sideslip angle. Some properties of the nonlinear observability matrix condition number are discussed, and relations between this variable and observation error, vehicle speed and tire cornering stiffness are presented. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.