Scaled commercial vehicle comparison with real-world measurements

Abstract

In this paper, a scaled vehicle platform developed to test automated driving functionalities in the context of a distribution center is introduced. The research describes in detail the scaled tractor semi-trailer and its automated driving system architecture. The primary goal of this work is to evaluate the accuracy with which these scaled vehicles replicate the motions of their full-scale counterparts. Achieving close agreement is crucial for the development of automated driving controllers in the scaled setting, as these controllers can then be directly applied to full-scale vehicles without further modifications. A key aspect of this research is the comparative analysis conducted between the scaled vehicle, kinematic simulation model, and real-world measurements, which involve low-speed forward and reverse maneuvers conducted at a distribution center in the Netherlands. This comparison aims to assess the positional accuracy of the vehicles, demonstrating that the scaled vehicles behave the same as their full-scale counterparts in terms of real-world driving dynamics. The findings also indicate a close agreement between the scaled vehicles and the kinematic model, suggesting that kinematic model-based controllers can be effective for low-speed automated driving in distribution centers.