A useful autonomous vehicle with a hierarchical behavior control

Abstract

This paper describes a vehicle to perform a simple task using a decision control composed of a behavior hierarchy. First the model is presented. It is based on two fundamental components: the behavior module defining how each behavior element is implemented; and the blocker which is the basic component of the arbitration system, responsible for behavior selection. Behavior modules are composed of two submodules, one to produce actuator actions and other to produce priorities associated to actions. They also have three parameters whose values can be changed prior to execution, as a means of configuring a particular control architecture. Competition among behaviors is resolved by arbitration structures, each one consisting of a series of blockers working in a completely distributed way. The arbitration system can be automatically generated from the mere enumeration of the constituting behaviors. The development of the model in order to support behavior hierarchies is also presented as well as the possibility of using global variables. Then the prototype — a vehicle to clear away film boxes — is described in detail namely all the behaviors constituting its control. Finally some conclusions based on the obtained results are presented.