Identification of a driver model incorporating sensory dynamics, with nonlinear vehicle dynamics and transient disturbances

In earlier work, a driver model incorporating sensory dynamics was identified from driving simulator experiments involving random disturbances, random target paths and linear vehicle dynamics. In the present paper, the driver model and experiments are extended to include transient disturbances, discrete target paths and nonlinear vehicle dynamics. The predictions of the model are compared with measurements from the experiments. Simulator motion is found to have a significant beneficial effect on drivers' responses, giving faster driver reaction times and more successful disturbance rejection and path following. The driver model predicts the measured responses well. The model suggests that drivers are unable to develop an accurate internal model of motion cueing filters, perceiving phase and gain distortions introduced by filtering as disturbances. Drivers are found able to account for the time-varying operating point of a nonlinear vehicle. The driver model is also able to match the behaviour of experienced drivers near the friction limit of the tyres, however, further work is necessary to understand how an inaccurate internal model impedes the performance of less experienced drivers. The findings contribute new knowledge to the fields of driver simulation and motion cueing