Robust Tube-Based Model Predictive Control for Lane Change Maneuver of Tractor-Trailer Vehicles Based on a Polynomial Trajectory

This paper reports an effective quintic polynomial-based trajectory planning approach and a robust tube-based model predictive control (RTMPC) method for an underactuated tractor-trailer vehicle system during lane change maneuver. To begin with, a time-based quintic polynomial function is introduced for implementation of trajectory planning, which takes vehicle system safety, comfort, and traffic efficiency into account. After that, an RTMPC scheme, consisting of a nominal system-oriented model predictive controller and an ancillary feedback control law, is proposed to construct posture controller, such that favorable transient performances can be achieved for the trajectory tracking process. Lastly, the simulation results confirm that the proposed lane change trajectory planning and tracking control methods can effectively perform the lane change behaviors for tractor-trailer vehicles.