Path Planning and Trajectory Tracking for Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance in Automated Guided Vehicles at Automated Terminals

During the operation of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) at automated terminals, the occurrence of conflicts and deadlocks will undoubtedly increase the ineffective waiting time of AGVs, so there is an urgent need for path planning and tracking control schemes for autonomous obstacle avoidance in AGVs. An innovative AGV autonomous obstacle avoidance path planning and trajectory tracking control scheme is proposed, effectively considering static and dynamic obstacles. This involves establishing three potential fields that reflect the influences of obstacles, lane lines, and velocities. These potential fields are incorporated into an optimized model predictive control (MPC) cost function, leveraging artificial potential fields to ensure effective obstacle avoidance. To enhance this system’s capability, a fuzzy logic system is designed to dynamically adjust the weight coefficients of the hybrid artificial potential field model predictive controller, strengthening the autonomous obstacle avoidance capabilities of the AGVs. The tracking control scheme includes a fuzzy linear quadratic regulator based on a fuzzy logic system, a dynamics model as a lateral controller, and a PI controller as a longitudinal tracker to track the pre-set trajectory and speed autonomously. Multi-scenario simulation tests demonstrate the effectiveness and rationality of our autonomous obstacle-avoidance control scheme.