Prepositioning of a Driving Simulator Motion System - A Predictive Motion Cueing Algorithm

Abstract

Every dynamic driving simulator, no matter how advanced its motion system is, has limited space in which to recreate the accelerating motions of the simulated road vehicle. The VTI driving simulator Sim IV is no exception. The classic motion cueing algorithm used in Sim IV strives to centre the drivers cabin in the simulator motion envelope and is tuned to precisely accommodate accelerations in a worst case scenario without hitting the physical boundaries. Using knowledge about the road ahead and the vehicle model one can preposition the cabin to an off-centre point, virtually increasing the available space so that larger motions are made possible. This aims to increase the impression of realism in the driving experience. The prepositioning algorithm presented in this thesis is developed as an addition to the current motion cueing algorithm and make use of road- and vehicle data to find a suitable preposition. The motion to the preposition is made under the human perception threshold to avoid rendering of false cues. Simulations show that the amount of acceleration presented by the sled can, with prepositioning, be increased by up to 25% in longitudinal and 53% in lateral direction. During a comparative study of the simulator motion, test subjects indicated that they had a more realistic driving experience with than without prepositioning.