Integrated Lateral and Longitudinal Control with Optimization-Based Allocation Strategy for Autonomous Electric Vehicles

This paper presents a novel approach for path-following control of a four-wheeled autonomous vehicle. The rear wheels of the vehicle are driven independently, all four wheels can be braked independently, and the front wheels are steered together. The proposed cascade structure consists of two convex optimization-based parts: one for path-following and another for the control allocation problem of the actuators. The control algorithm presents cost functions for the allocation problem focusing on safety. The proposed cost functions were examined and compared to former ones in a simulation environment. After all, the controller was tested in real-time test on a Lotus Evora test vehicle developed by ThyssenKrupp.