Matching Vehicle Responses Using the Model-Following Control Method

The Variable Dynamic Testbed Vehicle (VDTV) is presently being developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is being designed to have a “steer-by-wire” front steering system and an independent rear steering system. These steering systems enable the VDTV to emulate the directional control characteristics of a broad range of passenger vehicles. In this study, a “model-following” control method is used to modify both the steady-state and transient lateral response characteristics of a small-size VDTV to match those of compact-size and mid-size vehicles. For two classes of steering inputs considered in this study (“pseudo-step” and “sinusoidal”), the model-following control design method allowed the VDTV to accurately and robustly track the lateral responses of the target vehicles over a range of forward speed.