Semi-Autonomous Driving Control of Multi-Trailer Articulated Heavy Vehicles for Increasing Highway Traffic Safety

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To increase the safety of multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles (MTAHVs), attention has been paid to exploring active vehicle safety systems (AVSSs), e.g. anti-lock braking systems. These AVSS technologies are classified as `reactive safety systems', designed to react to the current vehicle state. These systems are effective, but do not consider the effect of driver errors. The main cause of traffic accidents is linked to human errors. A resolution to the problem is autonomous driving, which removes human factors from the control loop. There will be a long transition period, during which most vehicles have some capabilities of autonomous driving. Since the late 1990s, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control systems have been proposed. These technologies are classified as `predictive safety systems' (PSSs), considering not only the current vehicle state, but also the predicted vehicle state and environmental hazards. These systems assist the driver in identifying, assessing, and avoiding impending hazards. For passenger vehicles, several PSSs have been investigated. These PSSs are featured with semi-autonomous driving functions. MTAHVs represent a 7.5 times higher risk than passenger cars in highway operations. However, much less attention has been paid to exploring these PSSs for MTAHVs.     This research will develop a novel design methodology for semi-autonomous driving systems of MTAHVs. The interrelated innovative investigations will be conducted: 1)Modelling and simulation of human driver behaviors and MTAHV dynamics. To conduct numerical and real-time simulations, two versions of MTAHV and driver models are derived and validated. Moreover, a multi-lane one-direction highway and surrounding vehicles will be modelled. 2)Motion planning and predictive threat assessment. The motion trajectories of the MTAHV driven by the driver under typical highway operations are predicted using simulations. Critical safety measures of MTAHVs will be identified and evaluated. 3)An autonomous driving system with automated steering and braking capabilities. The automated steering and braking system for MTAHVs is designed using a well-suited control technique. 4)Exploring the interactions of driver-automation-environment. A semi-autonomous driving system for MTAHVs is designed with the shared driving control between the driver and the proposed automated driving system. Various intervention laws for the automated system will be explored. 5)Developing a design synthesis framework. A simulation-based bi-level design synthesis framework is proposed and tested for designing MTAHVs with the semi-autonomous driving.     The research will not only contribute to increasing the safety of MTAHVs, but also advancing the understanding and science of the interactions of driver-controller-vehicle and autonomous driving.