Abstract:
The control method for lower-limb assistive exoskeletons assists human movement by producing a desired dynamic response on the human leg. Wearing the exoskeleton replaces the leg's natural admittance with the equivalent admittance of the coupled system formed by the leg and the exoskeleton. The control goal is to make the leg obey an admittance model defined by target values of natural frequency, resonant peak magnitude and zero-frequency response. The control achieves these objectives objective via positive feedback of the leg's angular position and angular acceleration. The method achieves simultaneous performance and robust stability through a constrained optimization that maximizes the system's gain margins while ensuring the desired location of its dominant poles.
Abstract:
A method for stability control may include receiving vehicle characteristics of a vehicle of a vehicle-trailer system, trailer characteristics of a trailer of the vehicle-trailer system, or steering inputs for the vehicle. The method may include determining a prediction based on yaw rate deviation for the vehicle determined from the vehicle characteristics, trailer characteristics, or steering inputs or hitch rate oscillation of a hitch coupling the vehicle to the trailer determined from the vehicle characteristics, trailer characteristics, or steering inputs, where the prediction may be indicative of a likelihood of instability for the vehicle-trailer system. The method may include generating control actions based on the prediction and hitch rate feedback from the hitch of the vehicle-trailer system or lateral hitch force feedback.
Abstract:
A jackknife warning condition controller and control method notifies a driver of a potential jackknife situation while backing up a vehicle with an attached trailer. The vehicle has a front axle with steerable front wheels controlled by the driver and a rear axle with non-steerable rear wheels. The trailer has a front axle with non-steerable front wheels and a rear axle with steerable rear wheels controlled by a trailer steering controller. The jackknife controller receives an operator-controlled vehicle steering angle and a measured hitch angle. The jackknife warning condition controller determines a directional jackknife warning condition and compares the measured hitch angle with the determined directional jackknife warning condition. If the measured hitch angle satisfies the directional jackknife warning condition then a notification is sent to the driver.