End-to-End Development and Cross-Platform Validation of a Heavy-Vehicle Anti-Lock Braking System Controller

Heavy-vehicle Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) controllers are commonly tested using simulations before vehicle testing, but pneumatic actuation and measurement limitations can affect the results in the field. This paper presents the complete design process of a pneumatic ABS controller. System identification tests, estimation experiments, and reverse engineering methods were used to develop the models used for testing, including a vehicle model, pneumatic circuit model, etc. Model-in-the-loop (MIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulations were used to test and validate the algorithm in the simulation environment. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations were also used to test and tune the ABS algorithm using a physical pneumatic circuit before real vehicle testing. Lastly, the ABS controller was deployed to a custom ECU and tested on the real vehicle on dry and wet asphalt. The developed controller prevented sustained wheel lock and produced repeatable deceleration and stopping-distance results during dry- and wet-asphalt testing. Qualitative assessment by the test driver and engineering team also indicated ABS intervention and modulation characteristics broadly consistent with commercial alternatives.