Automatic parking trajectory planning in narrow spaces based on Hybrid A* and NMPC

The rapid acceleration of urbanization and the surge in car ownership necessitate efficient automatic parking solutions in constricted spaces to address the escalating urban parking issue. To optimize space utilization, enhance traffic efficiency, and mitigate accident risks, a method is proposed for smooth, comfortable, and adaptable automatic parking trajectory planning. This study initially employs a hybrid A* algorithm to generate a preliminary path, then fits the velocity and acceleration based on a cubic polynomial. The kinematic constraints of the vehicle and obstacle avoidance constraints are then meticulously defined, and a coupled nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) method is employed to optimize the trajectory. Compared to the hybrid A* algorithm, the optimized trajectory demonstrates superior space utilization and improved smoothness. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs effectively in automated parking tasks in confined spaces, suggesting promising applications and broad prospects for future.