Discrete-event control system: autonomous vehicle

Abstract

Autonomous Vehicle (AV) is a self-driven vehicle that is capable of negotiating its way not only on highways but also in cities. AV is a dynamical system that undergoes a sequence of events that occur at particular instances of time where it has to adapt itself to the new environments. Consequently, AV is a Discrete-Event Control System (DECS) that includes Cruise Control (CC), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), and Event-Driven ACC (EDACC). This paper design and simulate a DECS system for an AV. DECS receives data from a GPS and takes appropriate decisions so that the host vehicle maneuver itself on highways and in cities. Stateflow of Simulink is used to simulate the DECS. To show the effectiveness of the design the following scenario is implemented: the host vehicle desired speed is set to 80 km/h, the host vehicle follows a leading vehicle on a highway with speed limit and keeping a safe distance, the host vehicle takes on an exit, goes into a city and maintain its speed in accordance with a speed limit, stops at a stop sign, stops at a pedestrian crossing, slows down to go over a speed bump, and then pulls over for a flat tire. Simulation showed that the proposed scenario is achieved completely. Keywords - Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Vehicle, Discrete-Event.