The main question this paper aims to address is whether a lane-keeping controller can serve as a safety feature in order to increase handling and stability of car-trailer combinations. Unlike traditional trailer stabilization techniques that rely on individual braking of the trailer wheels, a lane-keeping controller can only indirectly control the motion of the trailer through the steering angle of the towing vehicle. Despite this strong limitation, the lane-keeping controller might still prove useful in stabilizing trailers that are not equipped with additional safety features. Another important goal of this paper is to explore how the dynamics of a car with lane-keeping control change when towing a trailer.

The derivation of a nonholonomic car-trailer model is provided and its open-loop stability is analyzed. A look-ahead based lane-keeping controller is then applied to the system, and a comparison is made between the closed-loop stability of an individual car and a car-trailer setup. The critical speed of the vehicle combination is shown as a function of various trailer parameters, with and without the lane-keeping controller enabled. A modified version of the controller is also tested, utilizing feedback of the trailer states. Unfortunately, no improvement was found compared to the open-loop behavior of the car-trailer system.


The Effects of Trailer Towing on the Dynamics of a Lane-Keeping Controller

Division / Sponsors: 
Dynamic Systems & Control (DSCD)

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/DSCC/DSCC2020/volume/84270

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