Title: An optimal-control-based framework for trajectory planning, threat assessment, and semi-autonomous control of passenger vehicles in hazard avoidance scenarios

Authors: Sterling J. Anderson, Steven C. Peters, Tom E. Pilutti, Karl Iagnemma

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. ' Ford Research Laboratories, Dearborn, MI 48124, USA. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Abstract: This paper formulates the vehicle navigation task as a constrained optimal control problem with constraints bounding a traversable region of the environment. A model predictive controller iteratively plans an optimal vehicle trajectory through the constrained corridor and uses this trajectory to establish the minimum threat posed to the vehicle given its current state and driver inputs. Based on this threat assessment, the level of controller intervention required to prevent departure from the traversable corridor is calculated and driver/controller inputs are scaled accordingly. Simulated and experimental results are presented to demonstrate multiple threat metrics and configurable intervention laws.

Keywords: semi-autonomous control; shared adaptive control; threat assessment; hazard avoidance; active safety; vehicle autonomy; model predictive control; MPC; lane keeping; human-in-the-loop; autonomous systems; optimal control; passenger vehicles; vehicle navigation; simulation; trajectory planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2010.035796

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2010 Vol.8 No.2/3/4, pp.190 - 216

Published online: 04 Oct 2010 *

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