A Nonlinear Car-Following Controller Design Inspired by Human-Driving Behaviors to Increase Comfort and Enhance Safety

This article investigates the car-following problem and proposes a nonlinear controller that considers driving comfort, safety concerns, steady-state response and transient response. This controller is designed based on the demands of lower cost, faster response, increased comfort, enhanced safety and elevated extendability from automotive industry. Design insights and intuitions are provided in detail. Also, theoretical analysis are performed on plant stability, string stability and tracking performance of the closed-loop system. Conditions and guidelines are provided on the selection of control parameters. Comprehensive simulations are conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed controller in different driving scenarios.