An approach to path control design for nonholonomic unicycle-type mobile robots based on linear control theory

In this paper, a path following controller for nonholonomic unicycle-type mobile robots is presented. First, a kinematic model in error coordinates appropriate for path following applications is developed. Using the classical linear control theory, a feedback path control based on distance-only measurements is proposed. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed and the performance of the control system is studied for rectilinear and circular path with unknown curvature. Numerical simulations and experiments are conducted to validate the synthesized feedback path following control scheme.