On-Line Path Generation and Tracking for High-Speed Wheeled Autonomous Vehicles

摘要

Study after study has shown the benefits of speed in military operations, both in terms of engaging the enemy, avoiding ambushes and successfully completing the mission. The US Army has been promoting the large- scale deployment of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles in the battlefield, either as part of the support supply chain (convoys) or as active participants in the battle zone. It is clear even to the non-expert that these vehicles will not survive for long in the battlefield if they are restrained to move and maneuver using the modest speeds demonstrated to date. A class of vehicles we envision to be completely automated in the future are ground wheeled vehicles that operate in hostile off-road environments (e.g., battlefields). A typical mission would be to drive the vehicle from point A to point B, avoid any obstacles, while minimizing exposure to danger. In general, minimization of the exposure to danger involves driving in minimum time or with maximum average velocity.