Automata-based modeling and control of a truck and trailer vehicle equipped with a kingpin sliding mechanism

Trailer systems consist of a steering tractor and a passive trailer linked together with rigid free joint. In this paper, we consider an active kingpin joint which is sliding on the rear axle of the tractor to compensate the off-tracking and jackknife phenomena. The backward and forward motion of the articulated vehicle is modeled in various distinct kinematic phases according to the kind of the path and braking or no condition. The scheme of a switching controller is formalized as a global automaton. The simulation results show an acceptable kinematic behavior of the vehicle and effectiveness in avoiding unstable maneuvers.