A Review of Trajectory Planning and Tracking Methods for the Tractor-Trailer System

Autonomous tractor-trailer systems (TTSs) are important carriers in intelligent logistics because of their large and flexible cargo capacities. As one TTS contains multiple cars that are connected with rigid articulations, its states and characteristics are much more complicated than those of a single-body vehicle, which brings great challenges for trajectory planning and tracking control methods. Therefore, we first analyze the kinematic and dynamic features of TTSs and then review the corresponding solutions in multiple modules, from parameter estimation, to model construction, to trajectory planning, and finally to trajectory tracking control modules. As there are several reviews on trajectory planning and tracking control methods of single-body vehicles, except for classifying the literature with techniques, we highlight the adjustment in the techniques due to TTSs’ complex characteristics. There are also abundant emerging methods applicable to TTSs specifically, which are supplemented in this work.