A Multiple Attribute-based Decision Making model for autonomous vehicle in urban environment

In this paper, a maneuver decision making method for autonomous vehicle in complex urban environment is studied. We decompose the decision making problem into three steps. The first step is for selecting the logical maneuvers, in the second step we remove the maneuvers which break the traffic rules. In the third step, Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) methods such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) are used in the process of selecting the optimum driving maneuver in the scenario considering safety and efficiency. AHP is used for obtaining the weights of attributes, TOPSIS is responsible for calculating the ratings and ranking the alternatives. Road test indicates that the proposed method helps the autonomous vehicle to make reasonable decisions in complex environment. In general, the experiment results show that this method is efficient and reliable.