Adaptive Cruise Control of an Autonomous Electric Bus: Real-Time Implementation of LQR and PID Controllers with Feedforward Compensation

The advent of autonomous vehicles has the potential to transform future transportation systems, offering significant improvements in safety, accessibility, efficiency, and passenger comfort. As these vehicles progress, it becomes crucial to integrate advanced control systems in order to guarantee their reliability and effectiveness. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers with feedforward compensation for Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) of the E-CENTRO AUTONOMOUS vehicle developed by OTOKAR Joint Stock Company. The research evaluates the performance of both controllers in response to a range of various scenarios, with a particular focus on system stability, response time, passenger comfort, and maintaining the distance between vehicles. It presents a comparative analysis of the two approaches, elaborating their respective strengths and limitations on a commercial platform. By investigating the real-time capabilities of LQR and PID controllers, this work aims to provide valuable insights for selecting the most appropriate control strategy for ACC in the vehicle under consideration.