Multiloop Pilot Model for Boundary-Triggered Pilot-Induced Oscillation Investigations

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a multiloop pilot model for use in boundary-triggered pilot-induced oscillation investigations. In doing so, the point-tracking and boundary-avoidance elements of the pilot control strategy are assumed to act simultaneously for a point-tracking-dominant task during a boundary-avoidance tracking event. The theoretical analysis indicates that the essence of the boundary-avoidance tracking phenomenon consists of an additional requirement for the pilot to provide lead equalization as the boundary is approached as the task transitions from a full-attention point-tracking task to both a point-tracking and boundary-avoidance task. This process leads to a narrower open-loop system bandwidth and a larger tracking error, or the triggering of a pilot-induced oscillation. It is also found that the severity of the boundary-avoidance influence can be reduced by including the effects of vestibular and proprioceptive cues into the model. The boundary-avoidance tracking pilot model exhibits pilot–vehicle responses that are consistent with those observed in a piloted-simulation study and can therefore be considered to be representative of pilot activity. Consideration of the results in the round indicates that the boundary-triggered pilot-induced oscillation can be categorized as Category III pilot-induced oscillation within the existing recognized taxonomy.