Backstepping design for path tracking of mobile robots

From the practical engineering point of view, path tracking control for mobile robots has been investigated. It comes from planning trajectory with the planned geometric path and enables direct tracking of the geometric path. The kinematic model of mobile robots and the desired path are described in polar coordinates. The influence on control performance resulting from the factitious choice of desired reference points is eliminated by considering the polar angle as a parameter. The controller is designed based on a backstepping method, which is systematic and flexible. The convergence of the system is throughout the design procedure. Simulation results are given to verify the proposed control laws.