Lateral semi-trailer truck control using a parameter self-learning MPC method in urban environment

This paper analyzes the lateral control technology of autonomous semi-trailer trucks. Existing researches on the lateral control algorithm of semi-trailer trucks focus on making the head-truck or trailer follow a track well while ignoring the motion characteristics during the turning process, leading to specific security issues. Meanwhile, it is difficult to cope with the complex and uncertain factors influencing lateral control effect, such as the curvature of the desired trajectory, the load, and the velocity of the semi-trailer truck. This paper proposes a parametric self-learning model predictive control (MPC) based on the Proximal Policy Optimization of One Step (OSPPO) method to solve these problems. After modeling the kinematics of the semi-trailer truck, a lateral motion controller for the relationship between the head-truck and trailer based on the MPC method is established. The traditional MPC method has difficulty in adapting to the changeable influencing factors. Thus, a deep reinforcement learning algorithm named OSPPO is introduced to improve the flexibility of the MPC method. OSPPO establishes the nonlinear mapping relationship between the critical parameter of the MPC method and the factors influencing control effect by self-learning, avoiding a large amount of labeled data for training. In simulations, Trucksim and Matlab were used to conduct co-simulation to verify the usefulness of the control method. The method was implemented on an autonomous semi-trailer truck for many outdoor scenes. The actual experimental results showed the validity and advantages of the proposed method.