A new method for computing optimal obstacle avoidance steering manoeuvres of vehicles

In this paper, a new method for the computation of optimal obstacle avoidance steering manoeuvres, within the consideration of the vehicle dynamics, is presented and discussed. The method is based on a reformulation of Pontryagin's Maximum Principle (PMP), in which the manoeuvre time is prescribed and the bang-bang control amplitude is minimised. The resulting control is computationally extremely efficient and has very interesting performance features. Numerical examples and benchmark tests illustrate the performance of the proposed methodology. A sensitivity analysis for different vehicle parameters is performed and finally conclusions and future directions are drawn.