Design and implementation of a controller for navigating an autonomous ground vehicle

This paper describes the design and implementation of a heading controller for an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) taking into account the vehicle dynamics. The challenge in designing this control system is to choose a dynamic model that is sufficiently valid for a typical road vehicle. The well-known “bicycle model” approximation has been used that considers the vehicle slip angle and ground-wheel interaction for the wheeled ground vehicle. In this paper, both proportional and proportional-integral (PI) controllers have been designed, simulated and implemented to achieve the desired heading angle. Results from both simulation and experimental implementation are compared. It has been found that the vehicle controller can be tuned effectively to achieve the desired heading change of twenty degrees within six seconds when the vehicle is moving at a speed of 1 m/sec.