Anti-Jackknife Control of Truck-Trailer using Barrier Lyapunov Function*

This study introduces a control design aimed at mitigating the risk of jackknifing during autonomous control of a truck-trailer when utilizing a path-following algorithm. The proposed design combines the integrator backstepping technique to stabilize the autonomous truck-trailer system with the barrier Lyapunov function, effectively treating the prevention of jackknifing incidents as a state constraint problem. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the designed control law in averting jackknifing occurrences and ensuring system stability during the backward motion along the prescribed path. The performance of this control approach is compared to the nonlinear model predictive control method. The comparison reveals that the proposed design yields lower root mean squared errors, accompanied by a significant reduction in computational load. Consequently, the integration of this method holds substantial promise for improving the overall safety and reliability of autonomous truck-trailers.