Proving Ground Test of a DDPG-based Vehicle Trajectory Planner

The paper presents real-world test cases of an optimal trajectory design solution that combines modern control techniques with machine learning. The first step of the current research is to train a reinforcement learning agent in a simulated environment, where the conditions and the applied vehicle are modeled. System dynamics is described by a nonlinear single-track vehicle with dynamic wheel model. The designed trajectory is evaluated by driving the vehicle using a control loop. The reward of the method is based on the sum of different measures considering safety and passenger comfort. The proposed method forms a special one-step reinforcement learning task handled by Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) learning agent. As a result, the learning process provides a real-time neural-network-based motion planner and a tracking algorithm. The evaluation of the algorithm under real conditions is made by using an experimental test vehicle. The test setup contains a high precision GPS module, an automotive inertial sensor, an industrial PC, and communication interface devices. The test cases were performed on the ZalaZone automotive proving ground.