Real - Time Trajectory and Velocity Planning for Autonomous Vehicles

Path planning algorithm integrated with a velocity profile generation-based navigation system is one of the most important aspects of an autonomous driving system. In this paper, a real-time path planning solution to obtain a feasible and collision-free trajectory is proposed for navigating an autonomous car on a virtual highway. This is achieved by designing the navigation algorithm to incorporate a path planner for finding the optimal path, and a velocity planning algorithm for ensuring a safe and comfortable motion along the obtained path. The navigation algorithm was validated on the Unity 3D Highway-Simulated Environment for practical driving while maintaining velocity and acceleration constraints. The autonomous vehicle drives at the maximum specified velocity until interrupted by vehicular traffic, whereas then, the path planner, based on the various constraints provided by the simulator using µWebSockets, decides to either decelerate the vehicle or shift to a more secure lane. Subsequently, a splinebased trajectory generation for this path results in continuous and smooth trajectories. The velocity planner employs an analytical method based on trapezoidal velocity profile to generate velocities for the vehicle traveling along the precomputed path. To provide smooth control, an s-like trapezoidal profile is considered that uses a cubic spline for generating velocities for the ramp-up and ramp-down portions of the curve. The acceleration and velocity constraints, which are derived from road limitations and physical systems, are explicitly considered. Depending upon these constraints and higher module requirements (e.g., maintaining velocity, and stopping), an appropriate segment of the velocity profile is deployed. The motion profiles for all the use-cases are generated and verified graphically.

Robust trajectory tracking control for autonomous vehicle subject to velocity-varying and uncertain lateral disturbance

Autonomous vehicles are the most advanced intelligent vehicles and will play an important role in reducing traffic accidents, saving energy and reducing emission. Motion control for trajectory tracking is one of the core issues in the field of autonomous vehicle research. According to the characteristics of strong nonlinearity, uncertainty and chang-ing longitudinal velocity for autonomous vehicles at high speed steering condition, the robust trajectory tracking control is studied. Firstly, the vehicle system models are established and the novel target longitudinal velocity planning is carried out. This velocity planning method can not only ensure that the autonomous vehicle operates in a strong nonlinear coupling state in bend, but also easy to be constructed. Then, taking the lateral location deviation minimiz-ing to zero as the lateral control objective, a robust active disturbance rejection control path tracking controller is designed along with an extended state observer which can deal with the varying velocity and uncertain lateral dis-turbance effectively. Additionally, the feedforward-feedback control method is adopted to control the total tire torque, which is distributed according to the steering characteristics of the vehicle for additional yaw moment to enhance vehicle handing stability. Finally, the robustness of the proposed controller is evaluated under velocity-varying condi-tion and sudden lateral disturbance. The single-lane change maneuver and double-lane change maneuver under vary longitudinal velocity and different road adhesions are both simulated. The simulation results based on Matlab/Simulink show that the proposed controller can accurately observe the external disturbances and have good performance in trajectory tracking and handing stability. The maximum lateral error reduces by 0.18 meters compared with a vehicle that controlled by a feedback-feedforward path tracking controller in the single-lane change maneuver. The lateral deviation is still very small even in the double lane change case of abrupt curvature. It should be noted that our proposed control algorithm is simple and robust, thus provide great potential for engineering application.