Abstract: A method for handling operational for an autonomous vehicle driving from a first work area to a second work area via a predefined path is provided. The operations of the autonomous vehicle are constrained by the operational requirements. The method comprises detecting that the autonomous vehicle is initiating driving in the predefined path. The method further comprises when detected that the autonomous vehicle is initiating driving in the predefined path, triggering a relaxation of the operational requirements. The method further comprises, when the autonomous vehicle is driving in the predefined path, detecting whether the autonomous vehicle turns towards the first work area. When detecting that the autonomous vehicle turns towards the first work area, the method further comprises triggering a preventive action for preventing the autonomous vehicle from driving towards the first work area using the relaxed operational requirements.

Abstract: Confined areas present an opportunity for early deployment of autonomous vehicles due to the absence of non-controlled traffic participants. In this disclosure, two approaches for coordination of multiple AVs in confined sites. Each approach computes speed-profiles for the AVs such that collisions are avoided in cross intersections, merge-split zones and narrow road sections. Specifically, this is done by solving an optimal control problem where the motion of all vehicles is optimized jointly. The order in which the vehicles pass the crossings is determined through the solution of a Mixed Integer Quadratic Program. Through simulation results, the capability of the algorithm is demonstrated in terms of performance and observance of collision avoidance constraints.

Abstract: There is provided mechanisms for compensating for backlash in a steering house of a steering system in a vehicle. A method is performed by a controller of the steering system. The method comprises obtaining a hysteresis model of the backlash in the steering house. The hysteresis model has an inverse. The method comprises obtaining a control signal to be input to an electric motor of the steering system. The control signal defines a desired set point for the steering system. The method comprises determining an adjusted set point for the steering system based on the inverse of the hysteresis model, the desired set point, and a current operating point in the hysteresis model. The adjusted set point defines an adjusted control signal. The method comprises compensating for the backlash in the steering house by providing the adjusted control signal, instead of the control signal, as input to the electric motor.

Abstract: A method of planning trajectories for vehicles operating in a common environment, wherein movements of each vehicle are controllable by a control signal is provided the method includes for each vehicle, obtaining a predefined vehicle path to be traversed; performing a first computation to obtain a vehicle crossing order at each mutually exclusive—MUTEX—zone between two vehicle paths, wherein the first computation is subject to safety constraints; and performing trajectory planning subject to the obtained vehicle crossing order at the MUTEX zones, to obtain a control signal for each of the vehicles. The method further includes assigning a dependency metric to each pair of vehicles, and partitioning the vehicles into a number NSG of vehicle subsets such that the dependency metric exceeds a threshold within each, wherein the trajectory planning is performed as multiple independent subproblems, each relating to one of the vehicle subsets.

Abstract: There is provided mechanisms for compensating for backlash in a steering house of a steering system in a vehicle. A method is performed by a controller of the steering system. The method comprises obtaining a hysteresis model of the backlash in the steering house. The hysteresis model has an inverse. The method comprises obtaining a control signal to be input to an electric motor of the steering system. The control signal defines a desired set point for the steering system. The method comprises determining an adjusted set point for the steering system based on the inverse of the hysteresis model, the desired set point, and a current operating point in the hysteresis model. The adjusted set point defines an adjusted control signal. The method comprises compensating for the backlash in the steering house by providing the adjusted control signal, instead of the control signal, as input to the electric motor.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method optimizes a reference trajectory for an automated vehicle operating in a confined area, for example, a mine or construction site or the like. The reference trajectory comprises a sequence of reference data points. The method determines a projection of the sequence of reference data points for fitting the sequence of reference data points onto a candidate reference trajectory. The projection smooths the fit of the sequence of reference data to a set of data points forming the candidate reference trajectory subject to one or more constraints. The method quantifies a performance of at least one vehicle task to be performed by the vehicle along the reference trajectory in a simulation of the candidate trajectory and optimizes the quantified performance to obtain an optimal reference trajectory for the vehicle in the confined area.

Abstract: Confined areas present an opportunity for early deployment of autonomous vehicles due to the absence of non-controlled traffic participants. In this disclosure, two approaches for coordination of multiple AVs in confined sites. Each approach computes speed-profiles for the AVs such that collisions are avoided in cross intersections, merge-split zones and narrow road sections. Specifically, this is done by solving an optimal control problem where the motion of all vehicles is optimized jointly. The order in which the vehicles pass the crossings is determined through the solution of a Mixed Integer Quadratic Program. Through simulation results, the capability of the algorithm is demonstrated in terms of performance and observance of collision avoidance constraints.

Abstract: A method for generating a vehicle trajectory by optimizing a performance measure J. The trajectory may include a sequence of states x=(xk)k=1N of the vehicle. The optimization is subject to predefined vehicle dynamics xk+1=f(xk, uk), where uk is a control input to the vehicle, and a condition that each position of the vehicle shall be close to a reference path Xr. The vehicle's position is constrained inside a variable-width corridor around the reference path. A quantity r controlling the width of the corridor is included as an additional optimization variable and the performance measure includes a penalty on the corridor width. To define the corridor, each point of the reference path may be associated with a pair of laterally spaced ellipses and requiring each vehicle position to be outside the ellipses.