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Autonomous vehicle navigation

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MARCH 30, 2020

1. Explain the algorithms of obstacle avoidance for self-driving vehicles

Several algorithms can be used for self- driving vehicles in the environments where
they exist. These algorithms can be categorized as follows:
Artificial intelligence, bug algorithms, artificial potential field and nearness diagram
algorithm. The selection among the above-mentioned algorithms depends on many
factors, whereas the three key ones are calculation time, path calculation and the type
of obstacle deal with. The calculation time is the time required by the algorithm to
specify the optimum path of several possible ones to take the vehicle from its current
position to the desired one, which in fact considered an important factor in autonomous
vehicles. The path calculation is how to determine the distance between the start point
and the destination one. The type of the obstacle to be avoided is also another
important factor where many algorithm pre-defined to deal with known environment so
the mobile obstacle are not considered in these algorithms. Here, we are going to
focus our explanation on one of those algorithm which is bug algorithm specifically
bug 1 algorithm and bug 2 algorithm.

1.1- Bug 1 algorithm

The bug 1 algorithm is considered by the path planning algorithms researchers as one
of the simplest algorithms that can be used in self driving vehicles for a key reason
which is that this algorithm doesn’t give any attention to the time spent in moving from
the start position to the desired one. Where its only concern is to find a path makes it
capable of reaching the target position. In other hand the vehicles that uses the bug 1
algorithm for their autonomous motion simply goes a head towards their target position
regardless of time and the distance required to reach that target position and when an
obstacle faces the vehicle, it becomes disable of passing that obstacle unless the
vehicle moves around the whole perimeter of the obstacle to be then capable of
specifying which point is the closest one towards the target position.

Figure 1.1 Bug 1 algorithm operation principle

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 1.2- Bug 2 algorithm
When we look at this bug 2 algorithm, we find that it is an update for the bug 1
algorithm, which was developed to reduce the time and distance necessary to be
moved from the beginning point till the end point. This development is achieved
through specifying a straight line between the start point and the target one as a
reference for the vehicle path. Then the vehicle to go from the start position the desired
one it must to follow that reference straight line and when an obstacle confronts the
vehicle path, the vehicle becomes forced to turn left or right according to its pre-defined
instructions following the edge or perimeter of the obstacle till it reaches the straight
line on the other side of the obstacle then it complete its path following the straight line
towards the target without any need to go around the whole perimeter of the obstacle
to specify the closest point to the target position such as in bug 1 algorithm

Figure 1.2 Bug 2 algorithm operation principle

2. Write in detail about Autonomous vehicle navigation

Autonomous navigation of vehicles attract the attention of a large number of

researchers as individuals or institutions. In fact, there are three types of vehicles
navigation systems such as surface, water or underwater and aerial vehicle navigation
systems. Here we are going to only explain one type that is the surface vehicle
navigation system. This system can be navigation in unknown environment depending
on GPS in identifying positions and GPRS modem to communication with internet for
the purpose of determining the vehicle path while the other navigation system is used
in known environment such as material handling in industries that depend on pre-
defined path with the help of external sensors including lasers or camera vision
system. For more detail the two vehicle navigation will be explained as follow:

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2.1 -autonomous vehicle navigation system in unknown environment
In fact, this system is considered very important for the sake of human being where it
makes the vehicles capable of reaching difficult locations or performing dangerous
tasks instead of a human.
This system allows the vehicle to freely move from its current position to any desired
position the human wants without any need to human continuous interference. For
vehicle to autonomously move to the desired position, an optimum path must be
specified among several ones. And this is done by intelligence control system as a
main controller, GPS system, GPRS modem, compass and internal and external
sensors. The navigation process can be divided into parts as follow:

Figure 2.1 explanation of surface vehicle navigation

2.1.1- Location determination that identifies the vehicle current position
and orientation with respect to a reference via GPS and GPRS.
2.1.2- Path research that is required to measure the distance between
t he current position and the desired one and then obtain the best path in
terms of shortest distance and less obstacles.
2.1.3- Control system used to move the vehicle to the desired position
according to the obtained path and the information coming from external
sensors to correct any errors or deviations immediately appear from the
determined path. At the beginning the user must enter what required

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 destination longitude and latitude on Google map using GPRS that communicates
vehicle system with the internet.
Then the location system stores that destination and enable GPS module to connect
the satellite in order to determine the vehicle current position, these two positions are
employed by the algorithm which in turns calculates the distance as the difference
between the start and end positions data and the angle by taking tangent inverse for
the longitudes and latitudes, after that the algorithm does many computations on
several paths to extract the best path. When the best path is selected the main
controller interprets all the previous information and sends commands to the vehicle
to start motion through drivers which interprets these command into the output
actuators "may be electric motors", during the motion information about velocity and
torques is continuously required by the main controller to be capable correct any
deviation away from the selected path. Also laser or camera feedbacks are used to
sense obstacles in vehicle environment.
2.2- Navigation system in known environment
This navigation system depends on vision systems and external sensor with the help
of pre-defined paths such as material handling in industries where the required motion
is from a known point to another through also a known paths, sensors only used to
avoid any instantaneous obstacles. These to do the repetitive cycles which the human
feels bore because no new action.
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