Estimation of the vehicle sideslip angle with a linear Kalman filter using a phenomenological tyre model

The sideslip angle is an important indicator of the stability and manoeuvrability of a vehicle. Its knowledge can improve vehicle dynamics controls and automated driving functions. An observer-based estimator for vehicle sideslip angle estimation is presented that only requires measurement data available in series production vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control. The estimator scheme uses two linear Kalman filters in a cascaded way. A phenomenological tyre model is proposed that is linear with regard to the states in the observer, but able to deal with tyre force nonlinearity as well as influences due to transient dynamics, road condition changes, and changes in vertical load. It is proven that the estimation error is bounded using the stability analysis. Results from vehicle tests show that the observer works accurately and robustly for different driving manoeuvres and on different road conditions. A parameter sensitivity study shows that the proposed observer strategy outperforms a state-of-the-art observer with regard to robustness to parameter changes.