Optimal two-point visual driver model and controller development for driver-assist systems for semi-autonomous vehicles

In the research of vehicle autonomy, including the development of driver-assist systems (DAS), one important design objective is the vehicle's lateral stability during lane-tracking. This paper adopts the well-known two-point visual model to characterize the steering behavior of the driver, and investigates the optimal driver model parameters that minimize the H2-norm of the closed-loop system. A previous study has shown that a controller based on linear multi-variable output regulator theory (ORT) has good performance and robustness characteristics during typical lane-tracking maneuvers. This paper provides limits of performance by optimizing the driver model parameters (i.e., estimating the “ideal” driver). Numerical simulations illustrate the results.