Olivier Sename

• Prof - Dr - Eng.
• Professor at Grenoble Institute of Technology

Currently, the control strategies of electric power-steering (EPS) systems mainly focus on power-steering torque control. There is no direct relationship between steering torque and steering motion intensity, which makes steering wheel adjustment difficult and does not easily meet the driver’s expectations. This paper proposes a method to represent...

This paper presents an integrated Linear Parameter Varying control (LPV) structure capable of handling both lane-tracking and lane-change maneuvers for autonomous vehicles. Within the LPV framework, the entire operating domain of velocities is considered. Two distinct look-ahead time profiles have been selected for lane-change and lane-following sc...

We present a novel data-driven Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for nonlinear systems. The method is based on recent extensions of behavioural theory and Willem’s Fundamental Lemma for nonlinear systems by the means of adequate Input–Output (IO) quasi-Linear Parameter-Varying (qLPV) embeddings. Thus, the MPC is formulated to ensure regulati...

In the literature, a recent debate has been brought up regarding how linear time-invariant systems can be represented by trajectories features. That is, how a single input–output (IO) data dictionary can be exploited to span all possible system trajectories, as long as the input is persistently exciting. Indeed, the so-called behavioural framework...

Based on the heavy vehicle model, including a single unit heavy vehicle model and a tractor semi-trailer built in the Chap. 2, the robust control method \(H_{\infty }\) for the LTI is used to design the controller for the active anti-roll bar system. First, the previous background studies in this approach are mentioned, and the theoretical basis of...

Automotive models, in general, and heavy vehicle models, in particular, play an extremely important role in understanding the roll stability characteristics of the active anti-roll bar system. The model must clearly satisfy the characteristics of the object and be convenient for research, therefore, this chapter focuses on building Yaw-Roll models...

The active anti-roll bar system plays an important role in improving the roll stability to prevent the vehicle rollover phenomenon, especially for heavy vehicles. The content of this chapter covers the history of its creation and development, from research studies in industry and academia, as well as the roll stability characteristics of automobile...

The aim of this book is to discuss the active anti-roll bar control problem to improve the roll stability of heavy vehicles.

This chapter presents a methodology to design an \(H_{\infty }/LPV\) controller for the active anti-roll bar system. The control-oriented model and the fully integrated single unit heavy vehicle model, including the Yaw-Roll model and four ESVH actuator models are used. The nonlinear model of the vehicle is considered as an LPV model and the contro...

This chapter presents the validation of the \(H_{\infty }/LTI\) and \(H_{\infty }/LPV\) active anti-roll bar controllers proposed in Chaps. 4 and 5 by using the nonlinear vehicle model of \(\text{ TruckSim }\)® software. Three co-simulation programs between Matlab/Simulink and TruckSim are built for three typical heavy vehicles: a tour bus, an LCF...

The main content of this chapter deals with the design of the optimal controller LQR for the active anti-roll bar system on single unit heavy vehicles and tractor semi-trailers with rigid and flexible frames. First, the theoretical basis of optimal control is synthesized as the basis for the design of the controllers. Then how to design the control...

This paper presents a Youla‐Kucera based interpolation between a set of Linear Parameter‐Varying (LPV) controllers, each one being a gain‐scheduled of Linear Time‐Invariant (LTI) controllers designed separately for different operating points. The gain‐scheduling is achieved based on Youla‐Kucera (YK) parameterization. A generalized LPV‐YK control s...

In autonomous driving, different Reinforcement Learning (RL) methods have been implemented to deal with different challenges. One of its advantages is the capability to deal with unexpected situations after an adequate trained environment. The inclusion of RL algorithms is considered as a solution for autonomous driving called “agent” that gathers...

This paper includes a brief study of a BLDC motor considering it an important actuator in new autonomous applications. It can be a sample in treating such actuators from a low level till reaching a controlled closed-loop system. The BLDC motor with the presence of ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) is modeled as a DC motor. Experimental results with...

In this paper, a linear parameter varying (LPV) modeling and control design approach is applied to a new class of guided projectiles, aiming to exploit the advantages of the LPV framework in terms of guaranteed stability and performance. The investigated concept consists of a planar symmetric 155 mm fin-stabilized projectile equipped with a reduced...

Autonomous vehicles are rapidly emerging as a crucial sector within the automotive industry. Several companies are investing in the development and enhancement of technologies, which presents challenging problems in the context of robotics and control. In particular, this work primarily focuses on the creation of an autonomous vehicle architecture...

In this paper, we evaluate the robustness qualities of Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithms applied for Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) systems. Specifically, we analyze gain‐scheduled LPV MPC schemes, that is, those that use model predictions based on the LPV scheduling variables available at each sampling instant. Accordingly, we extend previ...

Recent literature has shown how linear time-invariant (LTI) systems can be represented by trajectories features, that is relying on a single input-output (IO) data dictionary to span all possible system trajectories, as long as the input is persistently exciting. The so-called behavioural framework is a promising alternative for controller synthesi...

We present a novel data-driven Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for nonlinear systems. The method is based on recent extensions of behavioural theory and Willem's Fundamental Lemma for nonlinear systems by the means of adequate Input-Output (IO) quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) embeddings. Thus, the MPC is formulated to ensure regulati...

This paper presents a Youla-Kucera based interpolation between a set of Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) controllers, each one being a gain-scheduled of Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) controllers designed separately for different operating points. The gain-scheduling is achieved based on Youla-Kucera (YK) parameterization. A generalized LPV-YK control s...

The availability of road and vehicle data enables the control of road vehicles to adapt for different road irregularities. Vision-based or stored road data inform the vehicle regarding the road ahead and surface conditions. Due to these abilities, the vehicle can be controlled efficiently to deal with different road irregularities in order to impro...

In this paper, we propose a novel Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) framework for tracking for piece-wise constant reference signals. The main novelty is the use quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) embeddings in order to describe the nonlinear dynamics. Furthermore, these embeddings are exploited by an extrapo- lation mechanism, which pro...

This work presents an H∞ observer design for road profile estimation in the automotive semi-active suspension system. The dynamics of the quarter-car augmented with a nonlinear dynamic model of the semi-active damper are written into the descriptor system with road profile as the system states. Then an H∞ observer is developed to estimate the road...

This paper presents a decoupled control of a twin hull-based Unmanned Surface Vehicle EDSON-J, using the H∞ approach for Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) polytopic systems. This method was adapted in order to guarantee robust stability and performance regarding the important nonlinearities and the uncertainties on the hydrodynamics parameters. After...

Nowadays, tractor semi-trailer heavy vehicles are the most popular transport vehicle in the world because of their benefits. However, the traffic accidents related to these vehicles usually are serious consequences. The main reason causing these accidents is the loss stability of tractor semi-trailer heavy vehicles, particularly the rollover phenom...

This paper presents a novel design of a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) controller based-on the polytopic approach, for the path-following system of an automated vehicle. The implementation of the proposed steering system is based-on the reduction of the initial 3D (3 Dimensional) polytope that, due to the conservatism of the specific approach suffe...

This paper proposes an H∞ Non Linear Parameter Varying (NLPV) observer for fault estimation in semi-active Electro-Rheological (ER) suspensions. The damper fault (a loss-of-efficiency factor) is modeled as a lost force of unknown/free dynamics to be estimated. Thanks to the parameter-dependent descriptor-form system modeling, there is no assumption...

This paper presents a smooth switching between a set of Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) controllers that have been designed separately. The switching control strategy is based on Youla-Kucera (YK) parameterization. A generalized interpolation scheme of various LPV controllers is shown and proved for the LPV-YK concept. Such kind of parameterization...

This paper presents a novel Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) systems represented in the Input-Output (IO) form. The proposed MPC is derived using estimates for the future scheduling parameter trajectory, made viable through a recursive Taylor-based extrapolation law. The method also includes explicit integ...

This work presents a two-step LMI-based approach for the synthesis of State-Feedback and Static-Output-Feedback controllers for discrete-time Linear Parameter Varying systems. The benefit of the proposed approach lies on the fact that the two-step LMI method allows to enforce a common parametric structure on the controller for all the parameter spa...

The control of complex nonlinear systems (such as autonomous vehicles) usually requires models which might be unavailable or inaccurate. In this paper, a novel data-driven Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework is proposed based on a data-driven approach to learn Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy models for nonlinear systems. To address the data TS modeli...

In this paper, we investigate the use of Model Predictive Control (MPC) applications for quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) systems subject to faults along the input channels. We propose a Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) mechanism based on a robust state-feedback MPC synthesis, considering polytopic inclusions. In order to alleviate the numerical b...

In this paper, we present an LMI-based approach for comfort-oriented cruise control of an autonomous vehicle. First, vehicle longitudinal dynamics and a corresponding parameter-dependent state-space representation are explained and discussed. An LMI-based polytopic LQR controller is then designed for the vehicle speed to track the reference value i...

The real-time knowledge of the damper force is of paramount importance in controlling and diagnosing automotive suspension systems. This study presents a generalized H2/LPV observer for damper force estimation of a semi-active electro-rheological (ER) suspension system. First, an extended quarter-car model augmented with the nonlinear and dynamical...

Linear Parameter-Varying concept has been formulated decades ago for model linearization and control. This fundamental result of control theory has been used to develop theoretical tools solving many control problems as closed-loop stability, robustness, and optimized performance. This review is dedicated to the LPV switching/interpolating control...

This study introduces an online reconfigurable road-adaptive semi-active suspension controller that reaches the performance objectives with satisfying the dissipativity constraint. The concept of the model is based on a nonlinear static model of the semi-active Magnetorheological (MR) damper with considering the bi-viscous and hysteretic behaviors...

The air suspension system has become more and more popular in heavy vehicles and buses to improve ride comfort and road holding. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the dynamic load reduction at all axles of a semi-trailer with an air suspension system, in comparison with the one using a leaf spring suspension system on variable speed and road...

This letter deals with stability and state feedback control of discrete-time Multi-Mode Multi-Dimensional ( $M^{3}D$ ) linear systems. The $M^{3}D$ switch dynamics are modeled through a state mapping describing the mode transitions. This $M^{3}D$ model framework then allows to consider poly-quadratic Lyapunov functions to obtain Linear Matrix...

Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithms have long been applied to nonlinear processes. In a quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) setting, nonlinearities are included into bounded scheduling parameters, which are given as a function of endogenous variables; these scheduling parameters are a-priori unknown along a future prediction horizon, which...

This paper presents a lateral control Advanced Driver Assistance System for cars, which uses both steering control and differential braking commands to aid drivers and enhance vehicle safety. The proposed strategy uses a LPV PI Observer for the estimation of driver performance over a range of vehicle speeds. This estimation is then used as scheduli...

Dampers in semi-active suspension systems may be subject to various types of damper faults, e.g., oil leakage and electrical issues, that need to be estimated for diagnosis and isolation purposes. A new method to design the so-called multi-objective grid-based Lipschitz Nonlinear Parameter Varying (NLPV) Proportional Integral (PI) observer is here...

This paper presents the design and experimental validation of grid-based and Linear Fractional Transformation (LFT) approaches for the lateral control of autonomous vehicles. These new methodological approaches are compared together with the classical polytopic approach from the theoretical design to the real implementation on a real automated Rena...

This paper presents a methodology which considers an interpolation between Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) controllers that were designed separately for different objectives. The quadratic stability of the closed-loop system is proved under arbitrary interpolation in terms of a set of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). The interpolation strategy is...

In this article, a robust model predictive control (MPC) procedure for quasi-linear parameter varying (qLPV) systems is proposed. The novelty resides in considering a recursive extrapolation algorithm to estimate the values of the scheduling parameters along the prediction horizon , which fastens the sluggish performances achieved with the robust q...

Semi-active suspension systems have become a widespread tool to improve the handling and comfort of vehicles. These systems require adjustable dampers as well as supplementary sensing elements. In addition to displacements and accelerations, some of the best performing approaches require knowledge of the semi-active damper force. Since this variabl...

This paper presents a detailed literature review about Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) approaches applied to vehicle suspension systems. Indeed many works have been devoted to vehicle (active and semi-active) suspension in the past 20 years, because this subsystem in the only one affecting passenger comfort and road holding. Moreover several studies...

Adaptive suspension control considering passenger comfort and stability of the vehicle has been researched intensively, thus several automotive companies already apply these technologies in their high-end models. Most of these systems react to the instantaneous effects of road irregularities, however, some expensive camera-based systems adapting th...

Vehicle rollover is an important road safety problem world-wide. Although rollovers are relatively rare events, they are usually deadly accidents when they occur. The roll stability loss is the main cause of rollover accidents in which heavy vehicles are involved. In order to improve the roll stability, most of modern heavy vehicles are equipped wi...

Nowadays, tractor semi-trailer heavy vehicles are the most popular transport vehicle in the world because of their benefits. However, the traffic accidents related to these vehicles usually are serious consequences. The main reason causes these accidents is the loss stability of tractor semi-trailer heavy vehicles, particularly is the roll-over phe...

This work presents an H∞ observer design for road profile estimation in the automotive semi-active suspension system. The dynamics of the quarter-car augmented with a nonlinear dynamic model of the semi-active damper are written into the descriptor system with road profile as the system states. Then an H∞ observer is developed to estimate the road...

This paper addresses the problem of designing control systems for steering an autonomous vehicle, for varying speed, ensuring stability and sustaining performance, taking into account comfort and safety. A novel automatic lateral control architecture is proposed combining Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) control theory and the Pure-Pursuit algorithm....

This paper presents a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) based approach to handle different steering scenarios for autonomous vehicles. The proposed methodology consists of the design of a fast and performant LPV/LFT controller which can track the generated yaw rate reference, for speed operating range, for lane tracking and smooth/fast lane changes. T...

This paper presents a novel approach on the union of lane tracking/change via the use of a Reference Governor. The proposed approach aims at tackling the lane-change scenario as a lane-tracking problem. This is achieved by feeding a modification of the reference, called "virtual" reference, to the pre-designed lane-tracking controller. The suggeste...

Several types of dampers are used in the suspension systems of road vehicles, while the magneto-rheological damper is one of the most efficient solutions to manage the balance between objectives of vehicle suspension control. Various types of failures may occur in magneto-rheological dampers, and these faults may affect adversely the operation of t...

This work concerns the design of a multi-objective unified qLPV observer for the state estimation problem in LPV systems with a parameter-dependent control input matrix. The standard forms of the system and the observer are first presented, where the observer matrices are functions of the estimated states (qLPV problem). The effects of bounded unkn...

This paper introduces an adaptive semi-active suspension control by considering global positioning system-based and historical road information. The main idea of this study is to find a corresponding trade-off between comfort and stability at different road irregularities. The introduced semi-active controller is designed based on the Linear Parame...

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) formulations through quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) embeddings have been brought to focus in recent literature. The qLPV realisation of the nonlinear dynamics yields linear predictions at each sampling instant. Thereby, these strategies generate online programs with reduced numerical burden, much fas...

Adaptive Cruise Control algorithms have been developed as a consequence of recent advances in automobile technology, such as sensors and on-board processing, which increase both comfort and safety. Through this paper, a longitudinal dynamic model is identified based on a collected experimental data. Moreover, the H∞ concept is used to design a cont...

This paper proposes a nonlinear parameter varying (NLPV) observer to estimate, in real‐time, the damper force of an electrorheological (ER) damper in a road vehicle suspension system. The objectives are to minimize the effects of bounded unknown road profile disturbances and measurement noises on the estimation errors in the framework. Furthermore,...

Tractor semi-trailers are increasingly playing an important role in freight transportation worldwide. Although most tractor semi-trailers are equipped with a passive anti-roll bar system, however accidents involving this type of vehicle are still frequent and have serious consequences. This paper presents an H∞ controller design for an active anti-...

This paper presents an integrated linear parameter-varying (LPV) control approach of an autonomous vehicle with an objective to guarantee driving comfort, consisting of cruise and semi-active suspension control. First, the vehicle longitudinal and vertical dynamics (equipped with a semi-active suspension system) are presented and written into LPV s...

In this study, the authors present an effective online tube‐based model predictive control (T‐MPC) solution for autonomous driving that aims at improving the computational load while ensuring robust stability and performance in fast and disturbed scenarios. They focus on reformulating the non‐linear original problem into a pseudo‐linear problem by...

A methodology is proposed to design a mathematical model for shock absorbers; the proposal isguided by characteristic diagrams of the shock absorbers. These characteristic diagrams (Force-Displacement, Velocity-Acceleration) are easily constructed from experimental data generated by standard tests. By analyzing the diagrams at different frequencies...

This paper presents a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) based approach to handle different steering scenarios for autonomous vehicles. The proposed methodology consists of the design of a fast and performant LPV/LFT controller which can track the generated yaw rate reference, for speed operating range, for lane tracking and smooth/fast lane changes. T...

This work concerns the design of a multi-objective unified qLPV observer for the state estimation problem in LPV systems with a parameter-dependent control input matrix. The standard forms of the system and the observer are first presented, where the observer matrices are functions of the estimated states (qLPV problem). The effects of bounded unkn...

This paper presents a novel robust Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for nonlinear systems represented through quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) models. The nominal MPC predictions are made considering a frozen scheduling parameter guess, which is computationally cheaper than nonlinear predictions, while zonotopes bound the disturbance p...

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) formulations through quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) embeddings have been brought to focus in recent literature. The qLPV realisation of the nonlinear dynamics yields linear predictions at each sampling instant. Thereby, these strategies generate online programs with reduced numerical burden, much fas...

This paper presents a comparative study between different nonlinear damper models, developed for a semi-active Electro-Rheological damper. The first model is developed by extending the hysteresis model to obtain the dynamic characteristic of the damper. To improve the accuracy of capturing the damper’s behavior, a nonlinear Bouc-Wen model is develo...

Several studies exist on topics of semi-active suspension and vehicle cruise control systems in the literature, while many of them just consider actual road distortions and terrain characteristics, these systems are not adaptive and their subsystems designed separately. This study introduces a new method where the integration of look-ahead road dat...

In this paper, we develop a self-scheduled longitudinal cruise control of an autonomous vehicle so as to guarantee driving comfort faced with speed and mass variations. The longitudinal car model is first written as a linear parameter-varying (LPV) system, where the parameters are the speed and mass of the vehicles. Then, a grid-based LQR optimal c...

The paper's objective is to evaluate passenger comfort in order to define a reference speed. In other words, we need to build conditions and criteria for defining the car's speed in a road profile. This paper shows how the criteria were established, how the tests worked, and the results obtained when applying them to the INOVE testbed.

Several semi-active suspension control systems have been studied and adapted to vehicles in the past. Many of these systems work with actual road conditions, while oncoming road conditions are not considered. This paper presents a method to integrate look-ahead road information in the adaptive semi-active suspension control. Oncoming road condition...

This study proposes an algorithm to enhance the comfort of passengers in a vehicle with semi-active suspensions. The vertical dynamics of the car are represented through a quasi-linear parameter-varying (qLPV) model. The scheme resides in solving a set-constrained model predictive control (MPC) problem, embedding a comfort performance index to the...

This article develops a state‐feedback model predictive control (MPC) framework for nonlinear parameter varying (NLPV) systems with explicit Lipschitz nonlinearities along the input trajectory. Considering a guess for the evolution of the scheduling parameters along the prediction horizon, the proposed optimization procedure for the MPC design incl...

In this paper, we present an effective online tube-based model predictive control (T-MPC) solution for autonomous driving that aims at improving the computational load while ensuring robust stability and performance in fast and disturbed scenarios. We focus on reformulating the non-linear original problem into a pseudo-linear problem by transformin...