Path Planning based on Bézier Curve for Autonomous Ground Vehicles

In this paper we present two path planning algorithms based on Bézier curves for autonomous vehicles with waypoints and corridor constraints. Bézier curves have useful properties for the path generation problem. The paper describes how the algorithms apply these properties to generate the reference trajectory for vehicles to satisfy the path constraints. Both algorithms join cubic Bézier curve segments smoothly to generate the path. Additionally, we discuss the constrained optimization problem that optimizes the resulting path for user-defined cost function. The simulation shows the generation of successful routes for autonomous vehicles using these algorithms as well as control results for a simple kinematic vehicle. Extensions of these algorithms towards navigating through an unstructured environment with limited sensor range are discussed. Keywords–Bézier curve; path planning; optimization; autonomous vehicle; feedback control