Group Frenet Frame CAV Path Planning on Highways

Connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) systems could bring considerable benefits to our daily lives, and possibly outperform single autonomous vehicle (AV). Nevertheless, the real-time determination of the optimal route for each connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) within a continuous space presents a considerable challenge. This difficulty arises from the exponential growth of potential motion combinations for CAVs, considering the diverse road geometries they encounter. This article proposed a CAV group planning framework to overcome this challenge. The framework works hierarchically. The global and local controllers play a crucial role in generating long-term reference paths for each CAV by employing a versatile road geometry model capable of accommodating diverse road shapes. Initially, waypoints are extracted utilizing this generalized road geometric model. Subsequently, potential combinations of waypoints are generated by considering the CAV group as a fleet. Finally, optimal waypoint combinations are assigned to each CAV by considering the CAVs’ own benefit and road usage. Reference paths for each CAV are generated using the selected waypoints and are passed on to the CAVs and roadside units (RSUs) layer. The CAVs and RSUs generate short-term motion, given the reference paths. This is operated in the Frenet frame, and the optimal motion for each CAV is selected in the aspect of the entire CAV fleet. The proposed framework is tested in simulation and has shown the ability to generate safe and sound paths under various road geometries with obstacles and in mixed traffics in real time.