Title: Real-time path planning using a simulator-in-the-loop

Authors: Thomas Hellstrom, Ola Ringdahl

Addresses: Department of Computing Science, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden. ' Department of Computing Science, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden

Abstract: This paper describes the development of a real-time path planner for off-road vehicles using a simulator. The general idea with the presented system is to extend a standard path-tracking algorithm with a simulator that, in real-time, tries to predict collisions in a window forward in time. If a collision is predicted, the vehicle is stopped and a path-search phase is initiated. Variants of the original path are generated and simulated until a feasible path is found. The real vehicle then continues, now tracking the replanned path.

Keywords: path planning; simulator in the loop; obstacle avoidance; off-road vehicles; simulation; collision avoidance; path tracking.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2009.027967

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2009 Vol.7 No.1/2, pp.56 - 72

Received: 13 May 2008
Accepted: 10 Feb 2009

Published online: 24 Aug 2009 *

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