A comparative analysis of electronic pedal algorithms using a driver-in-the-loop simulator and system identification of driver behavior

In modern automobiles, the driver´s accelerator pedal position is fed to an electronic control unit, which has traditionally interpreted this pedal input as desired throttle angle but can interpret the pedal position in other ways as well. In this paper, we consider three interpretations of pedal position, namely desired throttle angle, desired net engine torque, and desired wheel torque. We design separate controllers for each pedal interpretation. For each controller, we evaluate drivers´ abilities to simultaneously track a speed setpoint and keep high frequency vehicle acceleration to a minimum, relying on classical control theory to come up with preliminary hypotheses and a driver-in-the-loop simulator for determining which hypotheses hold. We also perform parametric system identification for each of the subjects used in this study, for each of the controllers, to assess any differences in driver behavior across the different controllers. We have concluded, for the vehicle platform studied here, the engine torque control provides comparable performance to direct throttle control, with improved drivability, whereas both throttle and engine torque control yield performance that is far superior to wheel torque control.