Switching-Based Stochastic Model Predictive Control Approach for Modeling Driver Steering Skill

Great advances in simulation-based vehicle system design and development of various driver assistance systems have enhanced the research on improved modeling of driver steering skills. However, little effort has been made on developing driver steering skill models while capturing the uncertainties or statistical properties of the vehicle-road system. In this paper, a stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) approach is proposed to model the driver steering skill, which effectively incorporates the random variations in the road friction and roughness, a multipoint preview approach, and a piecewise affine (PWA) model structure that are developed to mimic the driver's perception of the desired path and the nonlinear internal vehicle dynamics. The SMPC method is then used to generate a steering command by minimization of a cost function, including the lateral path error and ease of driver control. In the analyses, first, the experimental data of Hongqi HQ430 are used to validate the driver steering skill controller. Then, the parametric studies of control performance during a nonlinear steering maneuver are provided. Finally, further discussions about the driver's adaption and the indication on vehicle dynamics tuning are given. The proposed switching-based SMPC driver steering control framework offers a new approach for driver behavior modeling.