Neural Distance-Guided Path Integral Control for Tractor-Trailer Navigation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wei, Peng, Peng, Chen, Vougioukas, Stavros
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Wei, Peng
Peng, Chen
Vougioukas, Stavros
author_facet Wei, Peng
Peng, Chen
Vougioukas, Stavros
contents Autonomous and safe navigation of tractor-trailer systems requires accurate, real-time collision avoidance and dynamically feasible control, particularly in cluttered and complex agricultural environments. This is challenging due to their articulated, deformable geometries and nonlinear dynamics. Traditional methods oversimplify vehicle geometry or rely on precomputed distance fields that assume a known map, limiting their applicability in dynamic, partially unknown environments. To address these limitations, we propose a geometric neural encoder that provides fast and accurate distance estimates between the full tractor-trailer body and raw LiDAR perception, enabling real-time, map-free geometric reasoning. These learned distances are integrated into a Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) controller, allowing the system to incorporate true articulated geometry directly into its cost evaluation and enabling more responsive navigation in challenging agricultural settings. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework generates dynamically feasible and safe trajectories for navigating tractor-trailer systems in cluttered and complex environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_09939
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Neural Distance-Guided Path Integral Control for Tractor-Trailer Navigation
Wei, Peng
Peng, Chen
Vougioukas, Stavros
Robotics
Autonomous and safe navigation of tractor-trailer systems requires accurate, real-time collision avoidance and dynamically feasible control, particularly in cluttered and complex agricultural environments. This is challenging due to their articulated, deformable geometries and nonlinear dynamics. Traditional methods oversimplify vehicle geometry or rely on precomputed distance fields that assume a known map, limiting their applicability in dynamic, partially unknown environments. To address these limitations, we propose a geometric neural encoder that provides fast and accurate distance estimates between the full tractor-trailer body and raw LiDAR perception, enabling real-time, map-free geometric reasoning. These learned distances are integrated into a Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) controller, allowing the system to incorporate true articulated geometry directly into its cost evaluation and enabling more responsive navigation in challenging agricultural settings. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework generates dynamically feasible and safe trajectories for navigating tractor-trailer systems in cluttered and complex environments.
title Neural Distance-Guided Path Integral Control for Tractor-Trailer Navigation
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.09939