A Tube-Based Model Predictive Control for Path Tracking of Autonomous Articulated Vehicle

This paper presents tube-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) for the path and velocity tracking of an autonomous articulated vehicle. The target platform of this study is an autonomous articulated vehicle with a non-steerable axle. Consequently, the articulation angle and wheel torque input are determined by the tube-based MPC. The proposed MPC aims to achieve two objectives: minimizing path tracking error and enhancing robustness to disturbances. Furthermore, the lateral stability of the autonomous articulated vehicle is considered to reflect its dynamic characteristics. The vehicle model for the MPC is formulated using local linearization to minimize modeling errors. The reference state is determined using a virtual controller based on the linear quadratic regulator to provide the optimal reference for the MPC solver. The proposed algorithm was evaluated through a simulation study with base algorithms under noise injection into the sensor signal. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieved the smallest path tracking error, compared to the base algorithms. Additionally, the proposed algorithm demonstrated robustness to external noise for multiple signals.