Fuzzy control of autonomous vehicle navigation utilizing an electrostatic potential field

A two-layered fuzzy controller, combined with an electrostatic potential field path planner is created to implement navigation of an autonomous mobile vehicle in a dynamic 2D environment. The potential field guarantees a near-optimal path in a static environment. The fuzzy control implements sensor fusion as well as low level control to ensure that the path generated is followed as long as collisions with both moving and non-moving obstacles are avoided. The first layer fuzzy inference engine provides a model for fusion of the multiple sensor inputs. The second layer fuzzy controller performs collision avoidance with dynamic obstacles while following the trajectory defined by the potential field. The proposed method is illustrated through experiments