Trajectory optimization for vehicles in a constrained environment

An approach for trajectory optimization for vehicles maneuvering in a constrained environment is developed. Within this framework, a benchmark problem, the minimimzation of the transit time of a point mass vehicle through a chicane is proposed. This problem is solved using the projection operator Newton method with barrier functions to manage the acceleration and roadwidth constraints. The numerical solution of the benchmark problem is analyzed in detail as is the characteristics of the solution itself.