On the Distributed Path Planning of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles Under Uncertainty Based on Model-Predictive Control and Convex Optimization

In this article, a fully distributed control structure named distributed linear time-varying model predictive controller is proposed for motion control of multiple vehicles in dynamic environments with uncertainty resources based on local communication and local controllers. Efficient operation of this structure in such real-world conditions needs reasoning about the future and the uncertainties over environmental objects; therefore, future evolution of vehicles and environmental objects is accounted as a planning strategy. A general planning framework is proposed, which integrates estimation, prediction, and planning. Simulation results for different dynamic scenarios demonstrate the benefit and applicability of this approach.