Skip to content

control_performance_analysis#

Purpose#

control_performance_analysis is the package to analyze the tracking performance of a control module and monitor the driving status of the vehicle.

This package is used as a tool to quantify the results of the control module. That's why it doesn't interfere with the core logic of autonomous driving.

Based on the various input from planning, control, and vehicle, it publishes the result of analysis as control_performance_analysis::msg::ErrorStamped defined in this package.

All results in ErrorStamped message are calculated in Frenet Frame of curve. Errors and velocity errors are calculated by using paper below.

Werling, Moritz & Groell, Lutz & Bretthauer, Georg. (2010). Invariant Trajectory Tracking With a Full-Size Autonomous Road Vehicle. Robotics, IEEE Transactions on. 26. 758 - 765. 10.1109/TRO.2010.2052325.

If you are interested in calculations, you can see the error and error velocity calculations in section C. Asymptotical Trajectory Tracking With Orientation Control.

Error acceleration calculations are made based on the velocity calculations above. You can see below the calculation of error acceleration.

CodeCogsEqn

Input / Output#

Input topics#

Name Type Description
/planning/scenario_planning/trajectory autoware_auto_planning_msgs::msg::Trajectory Output trajectory from planning module.
/control/command/control_cmd autoware_auto_control_msgs::msg::AckermannControlCommand Output control command from control module.
/vehicle/status/steering_status autoware_auto_vehicle_msgs::msg::SteeringReport Steering information from vehicle.
/localization/kinematic_state nav_msgs::msg::Odometry Use twist from odometry.
/tf tf2_msgs::msg::TFMessage Extract ego pose from tf.

Output topics#

Name Type Description
/control_performance/performance_vars control_performance_analysis::msg::ErrorStamped The result of the performance analysis.
/control_performance/driving_status control_performance_analysis::msg::DrivingMonitorStamped Driving status (acceleration, jerk etc.) monitoring

Outputs#

control_performance_analysis::msg::DrivingMonitorStamped#

Name Type Description
longitudinal_acceleration float [m / s^2]
longitudinal_jerk float [m / s^3]
lateral_acceleration float [m / s^2]
lateral_jerk float [m / s^3]
desired_steering_angle float [rad]
controller_processing_time float Timestamp between last two control command messages [ms]

control_performance_analysis::msg::ErrorStamped#

Name Type Description
lateral_error float [m]
lateral_error_velocity float [m / s]
lateral_error_acceleration float [m / s^2]
longitudinal_error float [m]
longitudinal_error_velocity float [m / s]
longitudinal_error_acceleration float [m / s^2]
heading_error float [rad]
heading_error_velocity float [rad / s]
control_effort_energy float [u * R * u^T]
error_energy float lateral_error^2 + heading_error^2
value_approximation float V = xPx' ; Value function from DARE Lyap matrix P
curvature_estimate float [1 / m]
curvature_estimate_pp float [1 / m]
vehicle_velocity_error float [m / s]
tracking_curvature_discontinuity_ability float Measures the ability to tracking the curvature changes [abs(delta(curvature)) / (1 + abs(delta(lateral_error))]

Parameters#

Name Type Description
curvature_interval_length double Used for estimating current curvature
prevent_zero_division_value double Value to avoid zero division. Default is 0.001
odom_interval unsigned integer Interval between odom messages, increase it for smoother curve.
acceptable_max_distance_to_waypoint double Maximum distance between trajectory point and vehicle [m]
acceptable_max_yaw_difference_rad double Maximum yaw difference between trajectory point and vehicle [rad]
low_pass_filter_gain double Low pass filter gain

Usage#

  • After launched simulation and control module, launch the control_performance_analysis.launch.xml.
  • You should be able to see the driving monitor and error variables in topics.
  • If you want to visualize the results, you can use Plotjuggler and use config/controller_monitor.xml as layout.
  • After import the layout, please specify the topics that are listed below.
  • /localization/kinematic_state
  • /vehicle/status/steering_status
  • /control_performance/driving_status
  • /control_performance/performance_vars
  • In Plotjuggler you can export the statistic (max, min, average) values as csv file. Use that statistics to compare the control modules.

Future Improvements#

  • Implement a LPF by cut-off frequency, differential equation and discrete state space update.