On the Tripped Rollovers and Lateral Skid in Three-Wheeled Vehicles and Their Mitigation

Abstract

Active safety systems for three-wheeled vehicles seem to be in premature development; in particular, delta types, also known as tuk-tuks or sidecars, are sold with minimal protection against accidents. Unfortunately, the risk of wheel lifting and lateral and/or longitudinal vehicle roll is high. For instance, a tripped rollover occurs when a vehicle slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object. Unfortunately, research is mostly aimed at un-tripped rollovers while most of the rollovers are tripped. In this paper, models for lateral skid tripped and un-tripped rollover risks are presented. Later, independent braking and accelerating control actions are used to develop a dynamic stability control (DSC) to assist the driver in mitigating such risks, including holes/bumps road-scenarios. A common Lyapunov function and an LMI problem resolution ensure robust stability while optimization allows tuning the controller. Numerical and HIL tests are presented. Implementation on a three-wheeled vehicle requires an inertial measurement unit, and independent ABS and propulsion control as main components.