A Path Following Feedback Control Method Using Parametric Curves for a Cooperative Transportation System with Two Car-like Mobile Robots

Abstract

This paper proposes a path following feedback control method using parametric curves for a cooperative transportation system with two car-like mobile robots. Specifically, this paper shows that the kinematical equation of the cooperative transportation system can be converted into chained form in a coordinate system where an arbitrary path whose curvature is two times differentiable is one coordinate axis and a straight line perpendicular to the tangent of the path is the other coordinate axis. Based on chained form, this paper proposes a feedback control method to achieve movement of the cooperative transportation system following the path. In particular, since a parametric curve can be traced from its initial point to its terminal point by varying a single parameter, the calculation of the control inputs including the coordinate system conversion, the curvature, the first- and second-order derivatives of the curvature can be performed within an effective control period. This paper also shows an experimental verification of the validity of the feedback control method by performing an garage entry operation of an experimental cooperative transportation system following a path planned with a Bezier curve.