Fault-tolerant traction control of electric vehicles

This paper investigates a new traction control approach that requires neither chassis velocity nor information about tire-road conditions. Plant fault subject to the uncertainties of the mathematical model and slightly sensor fault are concerned. For general traction control of vehicles, the variation of model behavior may break down the steering stability if the chassis velocity is not monitored. This paper presents a fault-tolerant approach based on the maximum transmissible torque estimation (MTTE) scheme which has the ability to prevent electric vehicles from skidding. A PI-type disturbance observer is employed to enhance the steering stability of the MTTE approach. This proposed approach does not require both the differentiator and the inversion of the controlled plant. Finally, illustrated examples are given for evaluating the fault-tolerant performance and feasibility of the presented anti-slip strategy. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.