A generic method to determine space-saving corridor segments for trucks with one-axle trailer

In general, the generation of both admissible and collision-free paths for autonomous truck-trailer systems is considered as a sophisticated challenge within the field of motion planning. Therefore, we propose a planning concept that uses maneuvers as elementary planning components and thereby deals with both aspects at the same time. In order to ensure the collision-freedom of an admissible path, the space has to be determined that is allocated by the articulated vehicle, while tracking the path. Considering a truck-trailer system, this task is however challenging, since first, the orientation of the trailer in respect to the truck might change and second, the various tractrix curves of the trailer's wheels and vertices are characterized by curvatures of different value and even different sign. In this paper, we present a method to determine the corridor segment which serves as a hull that completely encloses a truck-trailer system during a maneuver. The main benefit of the proposed method is based on its generic character that allows to apply the method to arbitrary trucks with one-axle trailer and to maneuvers of any type in order to generate space-saving corridor segments.

I. INTRODUCTION

A significant enhancement in efficiency is commonly expected by the automation of transport activities. These expectations are not restricted to the automation of the movement of goods inside a warehouse that is typically accomplished by special vehicles, so called Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). The realization of this aim is also worth pursuing for the part of transport activities that are performed on enclosed outdoor facilities (e.g. docking maneuvers on a logistic center). For that purpose, standard trucks with trailer are necessitated since the associated transport is predominantly effected by road. Compared to AGVs, a truck-trailer system is characterized by a more complicated kinematic behavior which exacerbates the problem of planning admissible and collision-free paths for this kind of articulated vehicles, so called general-2-trailers (see [1]).