Motion Control of a 4WS4WD Path-Following Vehicle: Further Studies on Steering and Driving Models

Further research on motion control of a 4WS4WD path-following vehicle is carried out in this paper. Focuses are placed on understanding and testing the vehicle path-following control models developed previously at a deep level. Control models are in relation to parameters introduced, and the effects of these parameters are discovered. Control models are interpreted by dynamic simulation using a 3DOF vehicle model with three cases. Three kinds of planned paths are considered in these cases to test control performances, which include the straight, circular, and sinusoidal paths. Interesting dynamic results are obtained and analyzed qualitatively, e.g., various steering modes. Simulation studies are extended with consideration of a fine vehicle dynamic model established in CarSim and a complex path composed of straight and curved segments. Control models are examined in a complex problem, and results obtained show that they are validated with robustness in dynamic environment.