Beving, Nikolai (Technical University of Munich), Marxen, Jonas (Technische Universität Berlin), Müller, Steffen (Technical University of Berlin), Betz, Johannes (Technical University of Munich)

A Kalman Filter-Based Disturbance Observer for Steer-By-Wire Systems

Scheduled for presentation during the Invited Session "S21c-Energy-Efficient Connected Mobility" (TH-LA-T21), Thursday, November 20, 2025, 16:20−16:40, Surfers Paradise 3

2025 IEEE 28th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), November 18-21, 2025, Gold Coast, Australia

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on October 18, 2025

Abstract

Steer-by-Wire systems replace mechanical linkages, which provide benefits like weight reduction, design flexibility, and compatibility with autonomous driving. However, they are susceptible to high-frequency disturbances from unintentional driver torque — known as driver impedance — which can degrade steering performance. Existing approaches either rely on direct torque sensors — which are costly and impractical — or lack the temporal resolution to capture rapid, high-frequency driver-induced disturbances. We address this limitation by designing a Kalman filter-based disturbance observer that estimates high-frequency driver torque using only motor state measurements. We model the driver’s passive torque as an extended state using a PT1-lag approximation and integrate it into both linear and nonlinear Steer-by-Wire system models. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and simulation of this disturbance observer with an evaluation of different Kalman filter variants. Our findings indicate that the proposed disturbance observer accurately reconstructs driver-induced disturbances with only minimal delay ($sim 14~mathrm{ms}$). We show that a nonlinear extended Kalman Filter outperforms its linear counterpart in handling frictional nonlinearities, improving estimation during transitions from static to dynamic friction. Given the study's methodology, it was unavoidable to rely on simulation-based validation rather than real-world experimentation. Further studies are needed to investigate the robustness of the observers under real-world driving conditions.