Autonomous driving based on accurate localization using multilayer LiDAR and dead reckoning

In this study, we developed an autonomous driving system for mountainous public roads. Three-dimensional normal distribution transform (NDT) scan matching is employed for localization and a model predictive controller is utilized for vehicle motion control. In order to increase the robustness of the localization method, the estimated poses are computed by an extended Kalman filter using dead reckoning and NDT information. The uncertainty of the pose estimated by NDT is determined by using the Hessian matrix computed in the optimization process for scan matching. We conducted experiments in a public road environment over 20 times and all of the tests were successful. The experimental results confirmed that the autonomous driving system can operate reliably in mountainous public roads. In addition, the evaluation results obtained for the localization method showed that accurate and robust localization can be achieved in mountainous rural environments.