Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADASs) are currently gaining particular attention in the automotive field, as enablers for vehicle energy consumption, safety, and comfort enhancement. Compelling evidence is in fact provided by the variety of related studies that are to be found in the literature. Moreover, considering the actual technology readiness, larger opportunities might stem from the combination of ADASs and vehicle connectivity. Nevertheless, the definition of a suitable control system is not often trivial, especially when dealing with multiple-objective problems and dynamics complexity. In this scenario, even though diverse strategies are possible (e.g., Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy, Rule-based strategy, etc.), the Model Predictive Control (MPC) turned out to be among the most effective ones in fulfilling the aforementioned tasks. Hence, the proposed study is meant to produce a comprehensive review of MPCs applied to scenarios where ADASs are exploited and aims at providing the guidelines to select the appropriate strategy. More precisely, particular attention is paid to the prediction phase, the objective function formulation and the constraints. Subsequently, the interest is shifted to the combination of ADASs and vehicle connectivity to assess for how such information is handled by the MPC. The main results from the literature are presented and discussed, along with the integration of MPC in the optimal management of higher level connection and automation. Current gaps and challenges are addressed to, so as to possibly provide hints on future developments.

This paper deals with the possibility of improving the urea dosage control for the Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems (SCR) of an Euro VI d diesel light commercial vehicle in order to increase $N{O}_x$ after-treatment reduction performance. To this aim, first, we assess the effective emissions abatement performance for the appraised diesel vehicle via real-world experimental campaign, carried out according to the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests on urban, extra-urban and motorway road sections in Naples, Italy. Based on these real-world data, we derive a parameterized control-oriented model for the SCR system which is, then, exploited for the designing of an alternative urea injection logic which could be able to maximize the $N{O}_x$ reduction efficiency while minimizing tailpipe ammonia slip. Specifically, the optimal AdBlue injection rate is designed according to a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Approach which allows obtaining a proper trade-off between the $N{O}_x$ abatement and the urea overdosing problem. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is evaluated by comparing the performance assessed for the appraised SCR system during the experimental tests with the ones achievable if the Euro VI diesel would be equipped with the proposed control strategy. Numerical simulation discloses the effectiveness of the NMPC controller in ensuring improved $N{O}_x$ reduction with performance complying with the emissions norms, main in avoiding excessive ammonia slip and in guaranteeing a reduced feed ratio w.r.t. to the standard industrial SCR controller mounted on the vehicle.

In recent years, advancements in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (ICVs) have led to a significant increase in the amount of information to the driver through Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs). To prevent driver cognitive overload, the development of Adaptive HMIs (A-HMIs) has emerged. Indeed, A-HMIs regulate information flows by dynamically adapting the presentation to suit the contextual driving conditions. This paper presents a novel methodology, based on multi-objective optimization, that offers a more generalized design approach for adaptive strategies in A-HMIs. The proposed methodology is specifically tailored for designing an A-HMI that, by continuously monitoring the Driver–Vehicle–Environment (DVE) system, schedules actions requested by applications and selects appropriate presentation modalities to suit the current state of the DVE. The problem to derive these adaptive strategies is formulated as an optimization task where the objective is to find a set of rules to manage information flow between vehicle and driver that minimizes both the driver’s workload and the queuing of actions. To achieve these goals, the methodology evaluates through two indexes how applications’ requests impact the driver’s cognitive load and the waiting queue for actions. The optimization procedure has been solved offline to define adaptive strategies for scheduling five application requests, i.e., forward collision warning, system interaction, turn indicators, infotainment volume increase, and phone calls. A theoretical analysis has demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed framework in optimizing the prioritization strategy for actions requested by applications. By adopting this approach, the design of rules for the scheduling process of the A-HMI architecture is significantly streamlined while gaining adaptive capabilities to prevent driver cognitive overload.

Generally, tire deflation results in a decrease in both handling performance and tire lifetime, and in fuel consumption increment. Therefore, the real-time knowledge of the pressure is important. Direct approaches via pressure sensors mounted on the rim of each tire are not practical, due to technical and economic reasons. Cost-effective solutions with real-time estimation of tire pressure are generally less accurate and reliable than direct ones. Dynamical estimators based on a suspension model need road surface topology information to compute disturbances on the suspension system as an input, which is typically unknown. This paper proposes an innovative approach to estimate tire pressure indirectly, without actual road surface roughness information. A vertical suspension dynamic model is used to build several unscented Kalman filters, parametrised around different road surface topologies. These estimators are combined following the Interacting Multiple Model approach, which gives an acceptable estimation of tire stiffness through a weighted average obtained from a probabilistic model. A known linear static relationship between the tire stiffness and inflation pressure is utilized to indirectly estimate the tire inflation pressure. A Monte Carlo analysis has been performed on a wide range of driving scenarios and vehicle manoeuvres. The results of the estimation have been compared to those of a single unscented Kalman filter, in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution and to highlight the improved performances in monitoring tire pressure.