Nonlinear Optimization of a Racing Line for an Autonomous Racecar Using Professional Driving Techniques

For racecar drivers, careful consideration is used when defining a racing line for a given track. Each driver ultimately seeks to minimize the track time by compromising between the shortest distance around a track and a line that results in the fastest speed along the path. Professional racing strategies could be used to create trajectories for obstacle avoidance in autonomous vehicles if there was a way to analytically represent their techniques.Copyright © 2012 by ASME