Steering control based on a two-level driver model: experimental validation and robustness tests

In this article we study a two-level driver model composed of one anticipatory and one compensatory control. The anticipatory control, executed in an open loop, is based mainly on the standard linear equations for the lateral dynamics of the vehicle. The compensatory control, executed in a closed loop, uses N PID controllers for the correction of lateral deviation, and other N PID controllers for the correction of the yaw angle of the vehicle. However, each pair of PID controllers is synthesized on a linear bicycle model (or around an operating point represented by a value of the longitudinal velocity) using the Ziegler-Nichols oscillation method. The different controllers are managed by a switch. We introduce a time delay in the N PID controllers to correct the lateral deviation. We conclude by validating and testing the robustness of the driver model in relation to two different vehicle models: a linear parameter-varying model and a nonlinear four-wheel model. Note that the experimental data used here were obtained from a Peugeot 307 laboratory vehicle developed by INRETS-MA.