IMU-Centric Moving Horizon Estimation for Lateral Dynamics Estimation Across Vehicles and Grip Conditions

Accurate estimation of lateral vehicle dynamics near the adhesion limit is important for stability control and high-performance driving, but lateral velocity is rarely measured directly because sensors such as optical sensors are costly. This paper presents an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-centric Moving Horizon Estimation framework that reconstructs lateral velocity using standard onboard signals, without relying on exteroceptive odometry or detailed tire-parameter tuning. Experimental validation on human-driven sports cars and an autonomous open-wheel race car across tracks, maneuvers, and conditions demonstrates accurate and robust lateral velocity and lateral acceleration estimates. The proposed framework is available at https://github.com/Aseuffo/IMU-Centric-MHE