Vehicle Path Tracking via Model Predictive Control

In this report, we discuss a model predictive control (MPC) strategy for path tracking by using a lower fidelity vehicle model to control the dynamics of a higher fidelity vehicle model. The vehicle models included a bicycle model, an 8-DOF model and a 14-DOF model. The paths included a straight line and a circle. These models are discussed in detail in [1]. In the MPC controller, the model is linearized and discretized for state prediction and the tracking objectives were the heading angle and the lateral displacement of the vehicle center of mass (C.M.) in global coordinates. We discuss the path tracking performance of the proposed controllers. This exercise is implemented in Matlab © and uses MPC concepts discussed in [2, 3].