Autonomous vehicle collision avoidance system using path planning and model-predictive-control-based active front steering and wheel torque control

Autonomous vehicles have attracted more attention in recent years as vehicle applications are evolving to a more intelligent and autonomous stage. This paper presents the development of a collision avoidance system for an autonomous vehicle application which consists of a motion planner and model-predictive-control-based active vehicle steering and active wheel torque control. A motion planner, based on polynomial parameterization, determines a collision-free trajectory when a vehicle collision with obstacles is likely to happen. Then an MPC-based control system controls the front steering and individual wheel torques to track the desired collision-free reference trajectory. The proposed system is evaluated through simulation, using an eight-degrees-of-freedom vehicle model with a ‘magic formula’ tire model, active front steering, and active wheel torque distribution systems. The simulation results show that it effectively performs collision avoidance maneuvers.