Guaranteed Tracking Controller for Wheeled Mobile Robot Based on Flatness and Interval Observer

This paper proposes a guaranteed tracking controller for a Wheeled Mobile Robot (WMR) based on the differential flatness theory and the interval observer. Using the flatness property, it is possible to transform the non linear WMR model into a canonical Brunovsky form, for which it is easier to create a state feedback controller. Since, in most real applications, the WMR is subjected to uncertainties such as slip, disturbance and noise, control algorithms must be modified to take into account those uncertainties. Therefore, based on the information of the upper and lower limits of the initial condition and all the uncertainties, an interval observer that generates an envelope enclosing every feasible state trajectory is developed. After that, based on the center of the obtained interval observer, a new control law is proposed to guarantee the tracking performance of the WMR despite the existence of un-measurable states and bounded uncertainties. The closed-loop stability of the system is proven analytically using the Lyapunov theorem. A lot of numerical simulation is realized in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the suggested guaranteed tracking control scheme.