Personalized Design of Variable Transmission Ratio and Selection Switching Strategies Considering Drivers’ Steering Characteristics

In order to meet the driving characteristics and needs of different types of drivers and to improve driving comfort and safety, this article designs personalized variable transmission ratio schemes based on the classification results of drivers’ steering characteristics and proposes a switching strategy for selecting variable transmission ratio schemes in response to changes in driver types. First, data collected from driving simulator experiments are used to classify drivers into three categories using the fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, and the steering characteristics of each category are analyzed. Subsequently, based on the steering characteristics of each type of driver, suitable speed ranges, steering wheel travel, and yaw rate gain values are selected to design the variable transmission ratio, forming personalized variable transmission ratio schemes. Then, a switching strategy for variable transmission ratio schemes is designed, using a support vector machine to build a driver classification and identification model, and a transition scheme for variable transmission ratios is proposed. Finally, simulations are conducted to validate the personalized variable transmission ratio schemes and the transition schemes. The results show that the personalized variable transmission ratio schemes reduce driver burden and improve vehicle handling stability while meeting the driving characteristics and needs of different types of drivers. The switching strategy for selecting variable transmission ratio schemes can smoothly transition between different schemes for different types of drivers, ensuring that the variable transmission ratio schemes better match the driving characteristics and needs of the driver without affecting normal driving.