Human-vehicle steering interaction by driving simulator: analysis of forces and moments applied at the steering wheel

This research focuses on the understanding of the drivers’ nonlinear steering strategies and it explores the driver-vehicle interaction, with emphasis on the steer-in transient. The use of an Instrumented Steering Wheel is a novel approach allowing for an in-depth analysis of the driver action, including forces and moments in 3D space, in addition to traditional signals. For this study, two experiments are performed by 7 drivers in a high-end fixed-base driving simulator, a controlled and repeatable environment. The analysis focuses on the consistency of the vehicle trajectory, trends of forces and moments, and their order of activation during cornering. These metrics represent a thorough performance-workload investigation. Furthermore, we verify the robustness of the results on a proving ground and by using two different simulator set-ups. This also allows for assessment of the performance of the simulators in terms of immersion and steering fidelity. Consistent and clearly differentiated longitudinal and tangential force and moment patterns among drivers, both in simulator and proving ground have been found. These objective measurements, combined with the subjective evaluations, represent a step in understanding the driver-vehicle interaction and can lead to enhanced feel of steering systems.