Layout Option
Master of Science in Engineering
Title
Autonomous Vehicle Lateral Controller Analysis and Comparison for Multiple Controller Strategies
Date of Award
6-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Engineering
Department
Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Diane Peters
Second Advisor
Dr. Ahmed Mekky
Third Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Bastiaan
Abstract
In an autonomous vehicle there needs to be a robust control strategy capable of calculating the optimal inputs to the vehicle. Autonomous systems control the vehicle through the turning of the steering wheel, application of the brakes, and generating torque at the powertrain. Lateral and longitudinal vehicle motion are the two main control considerations for autonomous vehicles with the former focusing on the steering wheel and the latter on the brakes and throttle. The Kettering University AutoDrive team is tasked with creating these control strategies and applying them to a Chevrolet Bolt. The focus of this thesis is on the creation and testing of various lateral control strategies in simulation. The simulation environment and controls are both implemented in Simulink and MATLAB software. The performance of each controller tested is compared and analyzed in terms of how well they can follow a path as well as how much lateral acceleration the controller creates. Through the process of completing this thesis a novel form of lateral control was created, named Garrow Control, and the optimal controller is selected for the purposes of use in the fourth year of the SAE AutoDrive competition. The novel contributions of this thesis are the comparison of various lateral control strategies in the application of the AutoDrive competition and the creation of a new form of lateral control.
Recommended Citation
Garrow, Alexander L., "Autonomous Vehicle Lateral Controller Analysis and Comparison for Multiple Controller Strategies" (2021). Graduate Theses. 1.
https://digitalcommons.kettering.edu/graduate_theses/1
