Hierarchical Path-Planning with Feedback of a Trailer-Truck for Online Obstacle-Avoidance

A scale model of a tractor-trailer truck was developed as a testbed for control algorithms. The truck operates in autonomous or semi-autonomous modes. Our research focus has been in the autonomous control of vehicles using intelligent systems. For this document, we have employed a multi-resolutional hierarchy to plan a path for the tractor-trailer truck. The hierarchy starts with a simple path then warps it around obstacles. The modular construction of the hierarchy will alow more intelligent agents to perform some of the tasks. The current system has a feedback loop in the hierarchy which allows it to handle some motion of the obstacles. The algorithm is fast enough to allow online adaptation of the path while the truck is moving