Sliding Mode Control for Path-Tracking of Unmanned Agricultural Vehicles with Prescribed Performance

This article presents a sliding mode control method for path-tracking of unmanned agricultural vehicles (UAV) in unstructured environments. Before the path-tracking errors converge, a prescribed performance control (PPC) protocol is proposed to ensure that the preview errors are kept within predefined boundaries. By combining sliding mode feedback control and PPC, a modified path-tracking controller is then designed to ensure path-tracking control accuracy. Finally, a high-fidelity vehicle model is established for comparative simulations, which verify the superiority of the designed path-tracking controller.