Development of an intelligent controller for improved braking ride

Inappropriate manual braking maneuvers can cause severe pitch motion of the vehicle, leading to significant ride discomfort during the terminal braking stage. To address this gap in existing braking control research, this study proposes a novel intelligent braking controller that integrates braking comfort and safety objectives within a model predictive control (MPC) framework. The novelty of the controller lies in its ability to automatically regulate braking torque in the low-speed phase to suppress pitch-induced oscillations while ensuring safety, and in its ease of integration into brake-by-wire systems without requiring additional hardware. Performance measures for braking comfort and safety were determined from field tests using both “comfortable” and “uncomfortable” braking strategies. The controller, consisting of a predictive model, rolling optimization, and feedback correction, was evaluated through numerical simulations. Results showed up to 75% reduction in peak oscillation amplitude and 91.6% reduction in jerk, while keeping the increase in stopping distance below 0.15 m, across varying vehicle masses and road slopes. These findings demonstrate the practical significance of the proposed controller as a cost-effective and easily deployable solution for improving braking comfort in modern intelligent vehicles.