Development of a Control Target Calculation Algorism for Autonomous Vehicles using Estimated Data of Risk Potential Field in Urban Road Environments

Abstract

Autonomous vehicle technology is expected to solve several road traffic issues, including reduction of road traffic accidents, relaxation of traffic jams, and movement support for elderly. Therefore, this technology has been receiving increased attention and several relevant experiments have been conducted. An autonomous vehicle algorithm, which is the focus of this study, simulates an expert driver's steer and speed control in detail. This paper describes the development and verification of target trajectory and speed control target calculation. The proposed algorithm consists of a driver model, which considers the risk potential, and a vehicle dynamics. This algorithm was validated through simulations using a vehicle dynamics model with multiple degrees of freedom in consideration of mutual accordance in mixed traffic conditions.