OPTIMAL PATH GENERATION FOR STATIC OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE

In one embodiment, a method, apparatus, and system for generating an optimal path for an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) is disclosed. The operations comprise: receiving a plurality of optimization inputs, the plurality of optimization inputs comprising an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) starting state, a maximal lateral jerk, and static obstacle boundaries with respect to a reference line; receiving a plurality of optimization constraints, the plurality of optimization constraints comprising constraints relating to the maximal lateral jerk and avoidance of one or more static obstacles; receiving a cost function associated with an optimization objective, the cost function comprising a first term relating to cumulative lateral distances, a second term relating to cumulative first order lateral rates of change, and a third term relating to cumulative second order lateral rates of change; generating a plurality of planned ADV states as optimization results with nonlinear optimization, wherein the optimization results minimize a value of the cost function; and generating control signals to control the ADV based on the plurality of planned ADV states.