Torque-based steering assistance for collision avoidance during lane changes

Lane changing is a cognitively demanding task that drivers perform frequently while driving on highways at high speed. This paper presents a predictive control framework which prevents collisions during lane change maneuvers. Approaches based on steering angle control are commonly used in the literature. These approaches may inadvertently take away the ultimate control authority of the driver. Also they involve a separate lower level steering control that requires subjective and complex steering feel calibration and steering torque constraints. The method proposed in this paper is based on a corrective torque formulation which incorporates the steering dynamics and driver response in the model. We tested the proposed controller in an experimental vehicle with a human driver. The results demonstrate that the proposed method avoids collision threats with minimum intervention.