4 research outputs found
A recursively feasible and convergent Sequential Convex Programming procedure to solve non-convex problems with linear equality constraints
A computationally efficient method to solve non-convex programming problems
with linear equality constraints is presented. The proposed method is based on
a recursively feasible and descending sequential convex programming procedure
proven to converge to a locally optimal solution. Assuming that the first
convex problem in the sequence is feasible, these properties are obtained by
convexifying the non-convex cost and inequality constraints with inner-convex
approximations. Additionally, a computationally efficient method is introduced
to obtain inner-convex approximations based on Taylor series expansions. These
Taylor-based inner-convex approximations provide the overall algorithm with a
quadratic rate of convergence. The proposed method is capable of solving
problems of practical interest in real-time. This is illustrated with a
numerical simulation of an aerial vehicle trajectory optimization problem on
commercial-of-the-shelf embedded computers
LiDAR and Camera Detection Fusion in a Real Time Industrial Multi-Sensor Collision Avoidance System
Collision avoidance is a critical task in many applications, such as ADAS
(advanced driver-assistance systems), industrial automation and robotics. In an
industrial automation setting, certain areas should be off limits to an
automated vehicle for protection of people and high-valued assets. These areas
can be quarantined by mapping (e.g., GPS) or via beacons that delineate a
no-entry area. We propose a delineation method where the industrial vehicle
utilizes a LiDAR {(Light Detection and Ranging)} and a single color camera to
detect passive beacons and model-predictive control to stop the vehicle from
entering a restricted space. The beacons are standard orange traffic cones with
a highly reflective vertical pole attached. The LiDAR can readily detect these
beacons, but suffers from false positives due to other reflective surfaces such
as worker safety vests. Herein, we put forth a method for reducing false
positive detection from the LiDAR by projecting the beacons in the camera
imagery via a deep learning method and validating the detection using a neural
network-learned projection from the camera to the LiDAR space. Experimental
data collected at Mississippi State University's Center for Advanced Vehicular
Systems (CAVS) shows the effectiveness of the proposed system in keeping the
true detection while mitigating false positives.Comment: 34 page
A Real-Time Predictive Vehicular Collision Avoidance System on an Embedded General-Purpose GPU
Collision avoidance is an essential capability for autonomous and assisted-driving ground vehicles. In this work, we developed a novel model predictive control based intelligent collision avoidance (CA) algorithm for a multi-trailer industrial ground vehicle implemented on a General Purpose Graphical Processing Unit (GPGPU). The CA problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimal control problem and solved using a limited look-ahead control scheme in real-time. Through hardware-in-the-loop-simulations and experimental results obtained in this work, we have demonstrated that the proposed algorithm, using NVIDA’s CUDA framework and the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 development platform, is capable of dynamically assisting drivers and maintaining the vehicle a safe distance from the detected obstacles on-thely. We have demonstrated that a GPGPU, paired with an appropriate algorithm, can be the key enabler in relieving the computational burden that is commonly associated with model-based control problems and thus make them suitable for real-time applications