Experimental Study on Application of DGPS-based Position Information to Automatic Driving Control

Experimental studies are conducted for investigating the possibility of automatic driving control systems based on absolute position information. Implementation of such control system requires a methodology of measuring the absolute position, and a control algorithm. In this paper, an accurate and real-time estimation of the absolute position by use of DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) and sensors on a controlled vehicle is proposed. Automatic steering controller, automatic evasive controller, and a method of relative position measurement of neighboring vehicles are also proposed as application of position information to automatic driving control. Experiments are conducted using sedan-type vehicles. Experimental results validate the proposed estimation and control system, and provide the perspective of enhancing the automatic driving control system by use of the absolute position information.