A passive multiple trailer system for indoor service robots

It is shown how a passive multiple trailer system is designed and controlled for practical applications. The main focus is reducing the trajectory tracking error and the scope of the paper is limited to the passive systems due to the cost and simplicity of the trailer mechanism. Three kinds of passive trailers are introduced, and then the analysis of path tracking performance is carried out, in order to show that the proposed off-hooked trailer is advantageous in a practical sense. Stability, issues are discussed with constant reference velocity. Numerical simulation results and experimental results are presented.