A novel approach to the FPIBSC strategy for an electric power steering system

Abstract

The electric power steering system is used to improve comfort and steering feel for the user. In this article, we propose to use an integrated nonlinear control strategy for the electric steering system, which is described based on a complicated dynamic model. This work provides two new contributions. First, this control algorithm combines backstepping and proportional–integral (PI) techniques with parameters adjusted by a fuzzy algorithm, so it is called Fuzzy proportional–integral backstepping control (FPIBSC). The output of the PI algorithm is the input of the backstepping technique, while system stability is evaluated based on the Lyapunov function with virtual control variables. Second, road reaction torque is calculated based on a spatial dynamic model, which considers the influence of many other factors. Numerical simulation methods are used to evaluate the performance of the system. According to research findings, the value of the steering motor angle (controlled object) continuously tracks the desired value with negligible error. Under some specific conditions, the error between signals can be reduced to zero. In addition, other outputs that are obtained from the FPIBSC algorithm also tend to follow the reference signal with high accuracy. The phase difference phenomenon only occurs when using the conventional backstepping algorithm instead of FPIBSC. The assisted torque increases as speed decreases or the driver torque increases. In general, the system’s stability is always guaranteed under many different simulation conditions.