Experiments in real-time visual control

The development of vehicular systems with automated control implies the creation of autonomous behavior which is directed by intelligent processors. For intelligent vehicle systems the goal-directed autonomy includes convoy following road following and obstacle avoidance. The first major step towards automated convoy following involves the successful execution of vehicle tracking. Vehicle-tracking problems consist of automatic steering and speed control of an unmanned vehicle which is following the motion of another vehicle traveling ahead of it. In this paper the experimental results of several vehicle-tracking tests are presented. The methodology discussed merges intelligent real-time control with techniques developed to solve problems in the system. Real-time system definitions are given as well as performance results of controlling an actual autonomous vehicle in real-time with speeds ranging up to 20 mph.