Optimal Control Based Modeling of Vehicle Driver Properties

In this paper, we present a two-level driver model for the use in real-time vehicle dynamics applications. On the anticipation level of this model, nominal trajectories for the path and the speed profile of the vehicle along a given course are determined by reducing the driving task to a parametric optimal control problem and using an efficient direct collocation method for its solution. Typical optimality criteria and control-state constraints serve to depict driving properties of different driver types. On the stabilization level, a nonlinear position controller guides the full vehicle dynamics model along the prescribed trajectories in real-time. This synthetic driver model allows easy implementation of different driving strategies to simulate a wide range of driver types and vehicles. The expediency of the proposed model is shown by comparing simulation results with measured data from several drivers performing ISO double lane changes with a passenger car.