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The University of Southampton
Engineering

Driver-Vehicle Dynamics Seminar

Time:
16:00
Date:
3 November 2015
Venue:
13/3017

Event details

Engineering at the Environment Seminar

The seminar will describe recent research by the Driver-Vehicle Dynamics Group at Cambridge University Engineering Department. Cognitive aspects of driver control behaviour are being investigated, with emphasis on two application areas: race driving, where operation at the limit of tyre friction and absence of electronic aids are the norm; and semi-autonomous steering control such as collision avoidance and lane-keeping assistance.

In the race driving application the compensatory (feedback) component of a human driver's steering control is examined. In particular the effect of the cognitive process is studied. Model predictive control theory is used to implement models of intermittency in cognitive processing. Experiments using a fixed-base driving simulator with periodic occlusion of the visual display are used to reveal the nature of the driver's steering behaviour. An intermittent serial-ballistic control strategy is found to match the measured behaviour better than intermittent zero-order hold or continuous control. The findings may enable some insight to driver-vehicle interaction and vehicle handling qualities.

Semi-autonomous steering control is increasingly used to provide functions such as lane-keeping assistance and collision avoidance. In such systems the driver maintains some control authority and thus there is potential for interaction between the driver and the steering controller. Game theory is proposed as a possible framework for understanding and modelling the interaction and for designing semi-autonomous steering control strategies. Data from driving simulator experiments are used to identify and validate the models.

Speaker information

David Cole, University of Cambridge. David Cole is a Senior Lecturer in Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED). He obtained his degree in Engineering from Cambridge University Engineering Department in 1985. Following a short spell at Rolls Royce Motors in Crewe he returned to CUED to undertake doctoral and post-doctoral research in heavy vehicle dynamics, receiving the PhD degree in 1990. From 1996 to 2000, he was a Lecturer at the University of Nottingham. In 2000, he returned to CUED to take up his present position, where he has been investigating driver-vehicle dynamics in collaboration with the car, truck and racing industries. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

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