A vehicle longitudinal controller

A methodology for designing a longitudinal controller for an automated vehicle is presented. It emphasizes an explicit accounting for nonlinearities in vehicle dynamics and could be used to design a controller for the full range of expected operating/environmental conditions. Its utility was evaluated by designing a nonlinear controller for a vehicle on dry roads under nonemergency conditions, and then evaluating controlled-vehicle performance by a digital-computer simulation. The results illustrate the type of performance that must be achieved under such conditions for small time-headway operation. The approach seems promising for controller design where the full range of operating conditions, and thus a number of highly nonlinear terms, must be considered explicitly