Universal Path-Following of Wheeled Mobile Robots: A Closed-Form Bounded Velocity Solution.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• Path-following is crucial for autonomous navigation in Wheeled Mobile Robots (WMRs).
• Existing controllers often struggle with the diverse kinematic constraints of different WMR categories (holonomic and nonholonomic).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nonlinear, universal path-following controller applicable to all common WMR types.
• To address and simplify the kinematic and nonholonomic constraints of WMR wheels.

Main Methods:

• A two-stage control strategy is proposed: platform path-following and wheel kinematic constraint management.
• The controller generates asymptotic paths and simplifies wheel velocity constraints into proportional functions.
• A closed-form trajectory generation scheme is derived to manage wheel steering and driving velocities within bounds.

Main Results:

• The controller demonstrates universal applicability across holonomic and nonholonomic WMRs (omnidirectional, unicycle, car-like).
• Wheel kinematic constraints are effectively simplified, enabling precise trajectory generation.
• Experimental and simulation results validate the controller's performance and efficacy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed controller offers a generalized and effective solution for WMR path-following.
• This approach significantly simplifies the handling of complex kinematic constraints in mobile robot navigation.