Guidance-Based Path Following for Wheeled Mobile Robots

This paper addresses the problem of path following for wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) by utilizing a novel guidance-based approach. The guidance laws are developed at an ideal, dynamics-independent level, entailing generically valid laws not influenced by particular peculiarities relating to any given dynamics case. Hence, the resulting guidance-based framework is equally applicable to any planar dynamic system. A nonlinear model-based controller is then designed for an underactuated WMR to enable it to comply with the guidance commands, yielding a UGAS/ULES closed loop system. Simulation results demonstrating the capability of the proposed guidance and control scheme are successfully carried out for a unicycle-type WMR.