A Unified Lateral Preview Driver Model for Road Vehicles

This paper presents a unified lateral preview driver model for closed-loop dynamic simulations of road vehicles. Numerous driver models have been proposed for Single-Unit Vehicles (SUVs). Some SUV-based driver models have been applied to closed-loop simulations of Multi-Trailer Articulated Heavy Vehicles (MTAHVs). However, the dynamics of MTAHVs is significantly different from that of SUVs, and drivers of Multi-Unit Vehicles (MUVs) have different driving performance and skills. Very few driver models have been proposed for closed-loop simulations of MUVs. This paper designs the unified driver model, considering the dynamic features of both SUVs and MUVs. The driver model is derived using a sliding mode control (SMC) technique, and it distinguishes itself from conventional driver models with a number of features. Simulations demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed driver model.