Design of sliding mode controller on steering control of skid steering 6×6 unmanned vehicle

In this paper, a sliding mode controller is proposed for an electrical unmanned vehicle with skid steering mechanism by generating a direct yawing moment, aiming at improving the steering stability of vehicle. Based on Newton's second law, a set of dynamics model of vehicle is established, and dynamical behavior of vehicle is analyzed, in which requirements on the direct yawing moment is revealed explicitly. Subsequently, a slide mode controller to adjust the yawing moment is designed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. By numerical simulation, side-slip angles and the lateral forces of the each wheel can be obtained. Simulation results demonstrate that the generated direct yawing moment meet the control requirements perfect and the response on the lateral velocity of the vehicle and yaw rate show the effectiveness of the approach above.