Tow-vehicle driving methods and systems for automated driving

A driving control system for a vehicle towing a trailer, comprising a controller including one or more modules stored on a memory and executable by one or more processors, the one or more modules configured to:

• operate, via an actuator system, the vehicle by controlling at least one of speed and steering angle of the vehicle;
• monitor, using at least one of a map system and a sensor system, a roadway on which the vehicle is travelling for a road profile of the roadway located ahead of the vehicle over a prediction horizon and considering environmental conditions;
• determine, by the one or more modules, a projected trajectory for navigating the vehicle through the road profile over the prediction horizon;
• compute, by a processor of the controller and before travel over the road profile, whether the projected trajectory through the road profile will result in exceeding a vehicle dynamic threshold, including determine whether an estimated coefficient of understeer is reaching approximately a design threshold of the vehicle and the trailer together, and when the estimated coefficient of understeer is reaching approximately the design threshold, compute a sway speed limit of the vehicle, and when the estimated coefficient of understeer is not reaching approximately the design threshold, compute a jackknifing speed limit;
• determine, by the one or more modules and when the projected trajectory will result in exceeding the vehicle dynamic threshold through the road profile as indicated by at least one of the sway speed limit and the jackknifing speed limit will be exceeded, a control action to prevent instability and optimize driver experience;
• and
• operate, through control of the actuator system, the vehicle through the road profile using the control action.

A vehicle configured to tow a trailer, the vehicle comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium onboard the vehicle configured to store vehicle data and trailer data including parameters associated with a vehicle and parameters associated with the trailer;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• operate, via an actuator system, the vehicle by controlling at least one of speed and steering angle of the vehicle;
• monitor, using at least one of a map system and a sensor system, a roadway on which the vehicle is travelling for a road profile of the roadway located ahead of the vehicle over a prediction horizon;
• determine a projected trajectory for navigating the vehicle through the road profile over the prediction horizon and considering environmental conditions;
• compute, by a processor of the controller and before travel over the road profile and using the vehicle data and the trailer data, whether a vehicle dynamic threshold will be exceeded, wherein the vehicle dynamic threshold comprises a sway speed limit of the vehicle through the road profile and a jackknifing speed limit of the vehicle through the road profile, and includes determine whether an estimated coefficient of understeer is reaching approximately a design threshold of the vehicle and the trailer together, and when the estimated coefficient of understeer is reaching approximately the design threshold, compute the sway speed limit of the vehicle, and when the estimated coefficient of understeer is not reaching approximately the design threshold, compute the jackknifing speed limit and not compute the sway speed limit;
• determine, when the projected trajectory will result in exceeding the vehicle dynamic threshold through the road profile, a control action to prevent instability and optimize driver experience;
• and
• operate, through control of the actuator system, the vehicle through the road profile using the control action,
• wherein the control action is selected from speed control, trajectory control and force control.