GPS-based automatic driving control in local area with course of large curvature and parking space

Vehicle motion control algorithms for fully automatic driving in a local area are proposed and investigated in this paper. Current automotive technologies for automatic driving have encountered the problems of system reliability, human factors and responsibility of accident. A fully automatic driving system, however, can be realized relatively easily as long as it is operated in a local area such as a campus or a site of an institute. This study is aiming at investigating human factors, system reliability and methodology of system management by operating a fully automatic driving system in the campus. In this paper, experimental studies are carried out for developing such a fully automatic driving system using a precise GPS. Two control algorithms for automatic driving in a local area is proposed. One is control algorithm for tracking a trajectory with small radius of curvature, and the other is that for automatic parking. Experimental results clarified that a controlled vehicle can track a trajectory with curvature of more than 0.2, and can accurately park in a parking space with reverse movement by the proposed control algorithms.