Autonomous Vehicle Control System Research Articles

Hand Gesture Controlled Smart Car Using Image Recognition

A hand gesture-controlled smart automobile is the newest initiative in the field of human-computer interaction, and it represents the evolution toward more natural and in- tuitive user interfaces. This paper describes how OpenCV and Google’s MediaPipe are intricately coordinated to produce a control strategy that is both agile and responsive. The deployed technology translates dynamic vehicle motion commands from complex human hand gestures using advanced image recognition algorithms. This is the pinnacle of interactive technology meeting real-world locomotion needs: state-of-the-art computer vision and machine learning combined. The suggested system not only demonstrates the viability of non-contact user input for complex tasks like driving, but it also sets the way for future research in the field of autonomous vehicle guidance and control systems. This study highlights how gesture-based interfaces have the power to completely change the way people interact with cars, paving the way for more flexible and human-centered navigation systems.

Adaptive MPC-Based Lateral Path-Tracking Control for Automatic Vehicles

Adaptive MPC-Based Lateral Path-Tracking Control for Automatic Vehicles

Level 4 commercial autonomous vehicle control system transition to an open-source solution

Level 4 commercial autonomous vehicle control system transition to an open-source solution

A hybrid technique for an autonomous vehicle control system to enhance the vehicle robustness: a HBA-RBFNN technique

A hybrid technique for an autonomous vehicle control system to enhance the vehicle robustness: a HBA-RBFNN technique

Design and Assurance of Safety-Critical Systems with Artificial Intelligence in FPGAs: The Safety ArtISt Method and a Case Study of an FPGA-Based Autonomous Vehicle Braking Control System

With the advancements in utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in embedded safety-critical systems based on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), assuring that these systems meet their safety requirements is of paramount importance for their revenue service. Based on this context, this paper has two main objectives. The first of them is to present the Safety ArtISt method, developed by the authors to guide the lifecycle of AI-based safety-critical systems, and emphasize its FPGA-oriented tasks and recommended practice towards safety assurance. The second one is to illustrate the application of Safety ArtISt with an FPGA-based braking control system for autonomous vehicles relying on explainable AI generated with High-Level Synthesis. The results indicate that Safety ArtISt played four main roles in the safety lifecycle of AI-based systems for FPGAs. Firstly, it provided guidance in identifying the safety-critical role of activities such as sensitivity analyses for numeric representation and FPGA dimensioning to achieve safety. Furthermore, it allowed building qualitative and quantitative safety arguments from analyses and physical experimentation with actual FPGAs. It also allowed the early detection of safety issues—thus reducing project costs—and, ultimately, it uncovered relevant challenges not discussed in detail when designing safety-critical, explainable AI for FPGAs.

Synthetic data formation for machine learning recognition of underwater objects

The main problem of machine learning for control systems of unmanned underwater vehicles is objectively very small samples of real data. The study aim was to develop an approach to the creation of synthetic data describing underwater objects for as the samples for training and validation in machine learning of control systems for auton-omous unmanned underwater vehicles. The subject of the study was a variety of underwater objects because real information about the shape, size and their external images is very limited. The data augmentation method was used, which makes it possible to obtain additional data on underdetermined objects of observation from the initial data while maintaining the classification features. Eight models have been developed that imitate the influence of various factors of the aquatic environment and allow using various augmentation methods (changing the position, adding noise, glare to the image, defocusing to create fuzziness; fragmentation, etc.) to obtain an almost unlimited number of images of any objects of man-made activity immersed in underwater environment, to varying degrees similar to the reference. Examples of the use of augmentation models that take into account changes in illumina-tion, transparency and the presence of an underwater landscape are given. Such synthetic (model) images may be the basis of a training set for machine learning to recognize and identify underwater objects. The trained model can be used as the basis of a decision support system for operators of remote-controlled unmanned underwater vehicles and as the basis for building control systems for autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles for moni-toring underwater spaces.

Sliding Mode Controller for Autonomous Tractor-Trailer Vehicle Reverse Path Tracking

In the past few years, there has been a growing interest among researchers in developing control systems for autonomous vehicles, specifically for tractor-trailer systems. This newfound interest is driven by the potential benefits of enhancing safety, reducing costs, and addressing labor shortages in the industry. Two industries that could reap the rewards of these systems’ advancements are cargo and agriculture transportation. One of the challenging tasks for the truck trailer vehicle is driving in reverse. Backward path tracking of tractor-trailers is a complex control problem with practical applications. The difficulty in controlling the vehicle arises due to its unstable internal dynamics, coupled nonlinear terms, and the under-actuated nature of the system. There is also a limit to the angle at which the steering can be turned before the risk of a jackknife accident increases significantly. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces a robust sliding mode controller designed for path tracking in reverse-driving tractor-trailer systems. The novelty of our work lies in addressing these challenges, which have not been extensively studied in the past. The proposed controller is analyzed, and its performance is tested and verified using different scenarios. The simulation examples show superior control performance, and we anticipate that this novel controller holds the potential to be widely adopted as a fundamental component in the path-tracking algorithms of autonomous truck trailer systems.

Advancing autonomous vehicle control systems: An in‐depth overview of decision‐making and manoeuvre execution state of the art

AbstractThis abstract discusses the significant progress made in autonomous vehicles, focusing on decision‐making systems and control algorithms. It explores recent advances, challenges, and contributions in the field, emphasizing the need for precise navigation and control. The paper covers various methodologies, including rule‐based methods, machine learning, deep learning, probabilistic approaches, and hybrid approaches, examining their applications and effectiveness in ensuring safe navigation. Additionally, it reviews ongoing research efforts, emerging trends, and persistent challenges related to decision‐making and manoeuvre execution in autonomous vehicles, addressing complex topics such as sensor measurement uncertainty, dynamic environment modelling, real‐time responsiveness, and safe interactions with other road users. The objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in autonomous vehicle navigation and control for readers.

ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEMS OF A MULTIPURPOSE AUTONOMOUS UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE WITH COMPLEX MOTION DYNAMICS

The overview article is devoted to the analysis of control systems of autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles, which belong to robotic underwater complexes and are used to provide search and deep-sea emergency and rescue operations, survey of various underwater objects (main pipelines, bottom structures, ship hulls, etc.), conducting scientific oceanographic surveys research, monitoring of the marine environment. The work examines scientific literary sources, which provide the results of development and research of orientation, navigation and motion control systems of multi-purpose autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles with complex movement dynamics, in particular when performing missions in a limited space with movement along complex trajectories. Special attention is focused on such modes of movement of devices as trajectory tracking, path-following and way point tracking. An analysis of the means of navigation and control, which can be used to ensure different modes of movement, was carried out, as well as the directions of development of both the unmanned underwater vehicles themselves and their control systems were considered.
 In order to substantiate the development of a control system for a multi-purpose maneuverable mini-class autonomous vehicle, the main requirements are formulated. It is proposed to conduct a synthesis and research of the control system based on the simulation of the dynamics of the movement of the mini-vehicle for different modes of movement in terms of parameters and trajectories, to develop algorithms for the adaptive control of the vehicle, to improve the system orientation and navigation, built on the basis of MEMS sensors. An information model of the development process is proposed and substantiated, which specifies the sequence of determining important parameters and characteristics of the vehicle and performing important stages of synthesis and analysis of the control system.

Robust AISMC-neural network observer-based control of high-speed autonomous vehicles with unknown dynamics

Substantial challenges still exist in designing path-tracking control systems for autonomous vehicles, particularly at speed limits or under varying operating conditions. Such problems arise for various reasons, such as the nonlinear characteristics of vehicular components, system-component interactions, constraints on the states and control inputs, and more. This paper focuses on designing a robust adaptive control system for high-speed autonomous vehicles in case the system dynamics are unknown or unavailable. For this purpose, an intelligent NN-based estimation system’s universal approximation potential will be leveraged, coupled to an adaptive integral sliding mode controller (AISMC). Unlike previously reported studies, the present paper considers the entire dynamics of the autonomous vehicle unknown rather than solely a part of the system or external disturbances merely. The Lyapunov stability theorem is employed to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the developed framework and to obtain the adaptation laws. A critical maneuver explores the effectiveness and robustness of the suggested framework under severe disturbances, parametric uncertainties, and high speeds. The obtained results indicate that the developed framework holds the capacity to navigate the vehicle alongside the desired trajectory and outperforms other reported studies in the literature subject to various external disturbances.

Systematic assessment of cyber-physical security of lane keeping control system for autonomous vehicles

In this article, a systematic assessment of cyber-physical security is developed for the lane-keeping control (LKC) system of autonomous vehicles (AVs), which has not been attempted before. A novel impact analysis methodology for typical cyber-attacks is proposed with new evaluation metrics from the viewpoint of safety and performance and innovative index-based resilience and security criteria. Specifically, a security criterion is investigated by tracking performance, comfort and vehicle stability to evaluate the safety and security of the vehicle LKC system. Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) experimental results show that the proposed evaluation metrics are effective in analyzing the impact of cyber-attacks on the commercial LKC system of Dongfeng Motor comprehensively. Finally, the conclusion provides guidelines for attack detection, diagnosis, and countermeasures for AVs.

The depth-keeping performance of autonomous underwater vehicle advancing in waves integrating the diving control system with the adaptive fuzzy controller

This study aims to develop an experimental-based adaptive fuzzy controller for the diving control system (DCS) of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to ensure high stability and rapid integration. The DCS is designed with a depth sensor and an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) to sense the attitude vector and the current depth of AUV in real-time as the control inputs of attitude close-loop and to calculate yaw and pitch controls of AUV. Therefore, the DCS can integrate depth-keeping and attitude stability controls into the AUV. To verify the robustness and adaptability of the DCS with adaptive fuzzy control, the DCS with universal fuzzy control (A-type DCS), improved fuzzy control (B-type DCS), and adaptive fuzzy control (C-type DCS) have been analyzed. The experimental analysis indicates that the C-type DCS features higher robustness to external force interference than the other types of DCS. The present study establishes an adaption function based on depth-keeping control experiments and demonstrates robustness of the adaptive fuzzy control DCS to environmental disturbances. Consequently, the proposed adaptive fuzzy control DCS is a model-free design that resolves the problem of depth-keeping and attitude stability controls of AUV with unknown hydrodynamic coefficients, rudder dynamics and time-varying external forces.

Design of Obstacle Avoidance for Autonomous Vehicle Using Deep Q-Network and CARLA Simulator

In this paper, we propose a deep Q-network (DQN) method to develop an autonomous vehicle control system to achieve trajectory design and collision avoidance with regard to obstacles on the road in a virtual environment. The intention of this work is to simulate a case scenario and train the DQN algorithm in a virtual environment before testing it in a real scenario in order to ensure safety while reducing costs. The CARLA simulator is used to emulate the motion of the autonomous vehicle in a virtual environment, including an obstacle vehicle parked on the road while the autonomous vehicle drives on the road. The target position, real-time position, velocity, and LiDAR point cloud information are taken as inputs, while action settings such as acceleration, braking, and steering are taken as outputs. The actions are sent to the torque control in the transmission system of the vehicle. A reward function is created using continuous equations designed, especially for this case, in order to imitate human driving behaviors. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can be used to navigate to the destination without collision with the obstacle, through the use of braking and dodging methods. Furthermore, according to the trend of DQN behavior, a better result can be obtained with an increased number of training episodes. This method is a non-global path planning method successfully implemented on a virtual environment platform, which is an advantage of this method over other autonomous vehicle designs, allowing for simulation testing and application with further experiments in future work.

A review of path following control strategies for autonomous robotic vehicles: Theory, simulations, and experiments

AbstractThis article presents an in‐depth review of path following control strategies that are applicable to a wide range class of marine, ground, and aerial autonomous robotic vehicles. From a control system standpoint, path following can be formulated as the problem of stabilizing a path following error system that describes the dynamics of position and possibly orientation errors of a vehicle with respect to a path, with the errors defined in an appropriate reference frame. In spite of the large variety of path following methods described in the literature we show that, in principle, most of them can be categorized in two groups: stabilization of the path following error system expressed either in the vehicle's body frame or in a frame attached to a “reference point” moving along the path, such as a Frenet‐Serret (F‐S) frame or a Parallel Transport (P‐T) frame. With this observation, we provide a unified formulation that is simple but general enough to cover many methods available in the literature. We then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method, comparing them from the design and implementation standpoint. We further show experimental results of the path following methods obtained from field trials testing with under‐actuated and over‐actuated autonomous marine vehicles. In addition, we introduce open‐source Matlab and Gazebo/ROS simulation toolboxes that are helpful in testing path following methods before their integration in the combined guidance, navigation, and control systems of autonomous vehicles.

Game Theoretic Merging Behavior Control for Autonomous Vehicle at Highway On-Ramp

In the most of previous studies, social interactions between vehicles are not considered explicitly when designing decision making and motion planning module. Nevertheless, the strong interaction exists in the most of driving scenarios, especially in highway junction. This paper presents a game theoretic merging behavior control system for autonomous vehicle at on-ramp junction considering the interaction between the merging vehicle and following vehicle in the main lane. In this work, a driving style estimation is proposed to deal with the heterogeneity of driving style. Then we adopt a model predictive control (MPC) method to plan the optimal merging trajectory based on the game theoretic decision making result. Finally, simulation and Human-in-the-loop (HIL) experiment result shows the effectiveness of our approach in on-ramp merging scenario.

System and Experiments of Model-Driven Motion Planning and Control for Autonomous Vehicles

This article presents a model-based motion planning and control system for autonomous vehicles and its experimental validation. The system consists of four modules: 1) global routing; 2) behavior planner; 3) local trajectory generation; and 4) trajectory tracking. The algorithm and software of each module are detailed, including a behavior planner with unified models to handle typical scenarios in both highway and urban driving, a deterministic sampling algorithm for robust responsive trajectory generation, and a dynamics-and-delay-aware preview algorithm to achieve accurate trajectory tracking. The developed system is implemented and tested at the Mcity test facility with a full-size automated car and a dozen of challenging traffic scenarios.

Development of Steering Control System for Autonomous Vehicle

Automation can help us to reduce the number of crashes on our roads. Through research it is identified that 94 percent of the accidents that occur are because of driver behavior or error as a factor and self-driving vehicles can help reduce driver error. High levels of automation have the potential to reduce risky and dangerous driver behavior and prevent accidents. The main aim is to convert the manual operated steering of the vehicle into fully autonomous steering. The objective of Steering Control System is to control the vehicle’s steering while the vehicle is in motion and also to take accurate decisions while making a turn from the given inputs. The main purpose to develop a steering system for the autonomous vehicle is to replace the manual steering of the vehicle into driverless steering. The steering control is responsible for the vehicle’s steering i.e., at what desired angle the vehicle need to turn. A PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controller and an encoder is basically used to control the system based on the necessary conditions and requirement’s. For the vehicle’s steering the encoder is used to generate pulses when the steering wheel is turned so that those pulse values can be sent to the DC Motor which is attached to the front axle which is responsible for the vehicle to turn. This autonomous vehicle is a Level-4 automation system and the benefit of this automation is that the vehicle can be even operated in manual mode whenever it’s necessary.

Design and simulation of autonomous military vehicle control system based on machine vision and ensemble movement approach

Design and simulation of autonomous military vehicle control system based on machine vision and ensemble movement approach

Reservation-Based 3D Intersection Traffic Control System for Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

We present a three-dimensional (3D) intersection traffic management platform for small autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), particularly quadcopters, in urban airspace. Assuming many autonomous UAVs are approaching a shared airspace, where UAVs have varying sources and destinations, we propose a system model for a 3D intersection that aims to provide safe and systematic management of UAVs. We also devised a scheduling scheme to ensure that the intersection is efficiently utilized and that there are no collisions among the UAVs in the intersection. The scheduling scheme applies the reservation-based approach, which is sensitive to the sequence of the UAVs in scheduling, thus genetic algorithm is used to determine the best sequence of the UAVs. Simulations were performed to evaluate the efficiency of the system. We also show through the simulations that our scheduling scheme reduces the UAVs’ average time in the system by 27 percent compared with when the UAVs are scheduled in a first-come, first-served manner for the highly crowded intersection.

Research on Integrated Decision Control Algorithm for Autonomous Vehicles Under Multi-Task Hybrid Constraints in Intelligent Transportation Scenarios

In order to improve the decision-making and control effect of autonomous vehicles, in this paper, combined with literature research and process analysis, the control algorithm of autopilot vehicle is analyzed, and the driving process is analyzed combined with the flow method. In order to improve the effect of autonomous driving, with the support of improved algorithms, an integrated decision-making control system for autonomous vehicles under multi-task constraints in intelligent traffic scenarios is constructed, and system performance is improved by simulating autonomous driving decisions in a variety of complex situations. Moreover, this paper designs the road driving model according to actual needs, sets the functional modules of the entire system, and build the overall framework of the system. Finally, in order to study the integrated decision-making effect of this system, this paper conducts test research by designing a simulation test method. From the simulation test results, it can be seen that the intelligent decision-making system for autonomous vehicles constructed in this paper has certain effects.