Intermittent Predictive Steering Control as an Automobile Driver Model

The originality of this paper is the evaluation of intermittent control as a viable candidate to represent an automobile driver in a path tracking scenario. The control algorithm is based on general predictive control where the road curvature is considered known for a horizon in front of the automobile. The computed steering wheel command is used in an intermittent fashion, the intermittence period being one of the system parameter to study. Simulations are carried out and parameters of the driver, the automobile, and the road are varied. An intermittence period range giving satisfactory performances is observed. A comparison is made with actual car/driver behavior measurements for a lane change maneuver. It is concluded that, according to this driver model, there is a wide range of intermittence period that the automobile driver may be operating. Moreover, it is suggested to consider the intermittency of information as an important parameter for vehicle safety systems.