Experimental comparison of trajectory control and planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles

Real-time planning of feasible motion, and the accurate tracking of that motion are key aspects of autonomous vehicles. Various planning and lateral control algorithms have been proposed in the literature. However, no experimental comparison has been carried out to confront the performance of different algorithms. In this work some of the most popular algorithms have been experimentally tested to drive a scaled vehicle model along a track. A new algorithm for path tracking based on clothoid curves is here proposed and experimentally validated. The same curves are also used in a proposed new path planning algorithm. This planning is compared to the off-line solution of an optimal control problem. The results of the comparison and the validations are then reported and discussed.