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A Smooth Path Tracking Algorithm for Wheeled Mobile Robots with Dynamic Constraints

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Abstract

In order to avoid wheel slippage or mechanical damage during the mobile robot navigation, it is necessary tosmoothly change driving velocity or direction of the mobile robot. This means that dynamic constraints of the mobile robotshould be considered in the design of path tracking algorithm. In the study, a path tracking problem is formulated asfollowing a virtual target vehicle which is assumed to move exactly along the path with specified velocity. The drivingvelocity control law is designed basing on bang-bang control considering the acceleration bounds of driving wheels. Thesteering control law is designed by combining the bang-bang control with an intermediate path called the landing curve whichguides the robot to smoothly land on the virtual target's tangential line. The curvature and convergence analyses providesufficient stability conditions for the proposed path tracking controller. A series of path tracking simulations and experimentsconducted for a two-wheel driven mobile robot show the validity of the proposed algorithm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Mechanical and Control Engineering, Sun Moon University, 100 Kalsanri, Asanshi, Chungnam-Do, 336-840, Korea

    K. C. Koh & H. S. Cho

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  1. K. C. Koh
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  2. H. S. Cho
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Correspondence to H. S. Cho.

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Koh, K.C., Cho, H.S. A Smooth Path Tracking Algorithm for Wheeled Mobile Robots with Dynamic Constraints. Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems 24, 367–385 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008045202113

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008045202113