Autonomous Car Navigation Using Vector Fields

In this paper, a method based on vector fields for the navigation of autonomous cars is developed. Vector fields-used to generate the desired heading angle of a vehicle toward a specified road lane—attract the car to the desired path and prevent the car from colliding with obstacles. Also, a control law is developed to define the velocity direction and the desired steering angle based on the angle between the car and the vector field. The efficacy of the proposed approach is investigated through several simulations and lab experimental tests.