Motion generation and adaptive control method of automated guided vehicles in road following

Dynamics of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are described by a nonlinear nonholonomic model with two inputs: the rear axle torque and the steering angle torque. This model uses integrated longitudinal and lateral behavior. The first part of this paper is concerned with motion generation, taking into account kinodynamics and motor's constraints. Usual kinematics constraints are not always sufficient to provide feasible trajectories; thus, we focus on velocity limitation and the motor's current and slew rate constraints. Optimal velocity is determined for AGVs along a specified path with a known curvature. The main result concerns the realistic situation when the parameters of the model describing the movement of the vehicle are not well known. A nonlinear strategy is proposed to ensure control of the vehicle even if the knowledge of the AGV's constant parameters is not perfect. The proof of the main result is based on the Lyapunov concept and the proposed results are illustrated by simulations and some comments.