Extended Dissipative Output-Feedback Controller for Autonomous Vehicle Path-Following With Steering Delays

Designing robust controllers that follow a desired trajectory against unexpected internal/external disturbances presents a major challenge in the field of autonomous driving technology. In general, robust controller designs ensuring the <tex-math notation="LaTeX">H∞</tex-math> performance are a popular solution. However, the <tex-math notation="LaTeX">H∞</tex-math> performance only focuses on reducing the total energy of tracking errors. Sometimes, attenuating the peak value of the tracking error can be considered of equal or more importance in terms of safe driving, although this can only be achieved through the <tex-math notation="LaTeX">L₂-L∞</tex-math> performance. Accordingly, we propose a new controller synthesis for path-following systems in autonomous vehicles using the extended dissipativity that can consider both the maximum and total energies of the tracking error in a unified framework. In addition, autonomous vehicles usually suffer from an inevitable steering delay, which has a more adverse effect on driving stability at higher speeds. To mitigate the effect of these steering delays, we derive a new set of delay-dependent conditions for the proposed controller using the extended reciprocally convex matrix inequality. Finally, CarSim/Simulink joint-simulations under different road environments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design technique.