High-speed trajectory planning for autonomous vehicles using a simple dynamic model

In this article, we propose a new approach to drive a vehicle at high speed along a predetermined path using Model Predictive Control. Instead of modeling precise vehicle dynamics, which strongly restricts the planning horizon that can be considered in real-time, we use a simplified second-order integrator model which is constrained to match the vehicle's feasible dynamic envelope. Moreover, and contrary to many MPC approaches taking a target speed as input, our formulation also includes velocity planning, making the vehicle able to automatically adjust its speed to the layout of the road. Simulation results on a highly precise vehicle model show that our approach can be used in real-time to provide feasible trajectories that can be tracked using a simple control architecture. Moreover, the use of our simplified model makes the planner more robust and yields better trajectories compared to kinematic models commonly used in trajectory planning.