On the Backward Path Tracking Control of N-Trailer Systems

This paper considers the lateral control of articulated wheeled vehicles in backward motion. The parameterized articulated vehicle is composed of a car-like truck and N passive trailers, resulting in one single steerable axle. First a nonlinear path tracking control law based on exact linearization of an offset model is reviewed and the general stability conditions of such systems is presented. Second, a stability analysis for some vehicle cases is performed and verified in simulation. The possible application of this path tracking control law in real world articulated vehicles is discussed, and its limitations are shown.