Stimuli-Induced Equilibrium Point: A Psychological Field Theory Application in Ramp Merging Systems

Based on the psychological field theory, the stimuli-induced equilibrium point (STEP) model is formulated to characterize the interaction of a driver between two vehicles (leader and follower) in a three-vehicle platooning configuration. Considering the intensity of the stimuli that act upon a driver between these vehicles, the point at which the stimuli resultant becomes zero (i.e. the equilibrium point) is obtained. Consequently, the location of such a point within the leader-follower gap changes continuously according to the speed of the middle vehicle and the current traffic scenario. This methodology enables the systematic computation of speed and position references for automatic ramp merging systems. Such stimuli-induced equilibrium point has shown to improve the performance of existing merging control schemes while increasing safety conditions by providing enough reaction time for drivers to avoid an eventual collision.