Quintic Polynomial-based Obstacle Avoidance Trajectory Planning and Tracking Control Framework for Tractor-trailer System

Abstract

In this paper, a dynamic automatic obstacle avoidance trajectory planning and tracking control framework is proposed for tractor-trailer system. Tractor-trailer is a special class of multibody and nonholonomic system, whose backward and forward operations have difference kinetic mechanisms. Because the obstacle avoidance behaviors are concerned with the two motion modes, the kinematic models including backward and forward movements are firstly derived. Secondly, a time-based quintic polynomial function is developed to plan two kinds of dynamic obstacle avoidance trajectories based on dynamics constraints and the information from on board sensors, so as to minimize the collision risk. Thirdly, a model predictive control (MPC)-based posture controller is designed, by which better tracking performance can be achieved for both forward and backward obstacle avoidance maneuvers. Lastly, the simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic obstacle avoidance framework and the designed methods.