Enhanced motorcycle roll stability by use of a reaction wheel actuator

The paper presents a preliminary study on the use of the reaction wheel for improving the roll stability of motorcycles. The development of the controller is based on the dynamics of the reaction wheel pendulum. A feedback linearization approach is employed for the control of the reaction wheel pendulum and the resulting controller is subsequently implemented in a 12 degree-of-freedom non-linear motorcycle model. Simulations reveal the effectiveness of the controller, as well as some problems related to unrealistic power requirements and gyroscopic effects of the reaction wheel during cornering. The latter are treated by introduction of a moving roll-angle reference, while some proposals for reducing the required power to realistic levels are also discussed.