On the Effects of Functional Parameters of Mechanical Guidance upon Behaviors of a Vehicle

In design of a transportation system with guidance, it is important to give quickly the specifications of the lateral control system in accordance with the vehicle, its velocity and the guideway given by the transportation plan. This paper concerns the mechanical guidance which stress the front wheels of a pneumatic-tired vehicle by contacting the guide-followers with the guide-track. A mathematical model of the running vehicle which includes the coupled dynamics of the steering mechanism and the guideway is developed, and the validity of it is proved by the test data. And applying the model, the effects of the four functional parameters d, g, k and γ of the guidance on the behaviors of the vehicle are examined theoretically from the "design" point of view.