Motion cueing in high-performance vehicle simulators

The majority of motion cueing algorithms have been developed for passenger car applications, with correspondingly less research dedicated to race-car and high-performance vehicle simulators. In the high-performance context, the focus is on cueing the vehicle's behavioural and handling characteristics, particularly when driving near the limits of performance. In race-car simulators the cueing requirements are therefore quite different, with the problem made all the more challenging by the presence of large accelerations. To understand the drivers' cueing needs, the vehicle's stability and handling response characteristics must be examined near the performance boundary. Frozen-time eigenvalue analyses are used to determine stability and response characteristics across all vehicle operating conditions, including accelerating and braking under cornering, with the results used to determine motion cueing algorithm requirements. Lateral acceleration and yaw cueing filters are designed in order to retain information critical to understanding the vehicle's behaviour on its performance boundary. Cueing filters are then tested, with the help of a professional race-car driver, and are found to provide the cues necessary for the driver to control the vehicle on the limit of performance.