Experiments of backward tracking control for trailer system

Abstract

Trailer systems consist of a steering tractor and a passive trailer linked together with rigid free joint. The backward driving of a trailer system is more difficult than the forward driving, because the backward driving of the trailer system is unstable. We study the backward tracking control for trailer systems and implement the asymptotically stable tracking controller using the Lyapunov direct method. We perform some experiments using a visual feedback system. The experimental results show stable responses and the effectiveness of our method.