Skip to main content
Log in

Path-tracking control of a tractor-aircraft system

  • Published:
Journal of Marine Science and Application Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An aircraft tractor plays a significant role as a kind of important marine transport and support equipment. It’s necessary to study its controlling and manoeuvring stability to improve operation efficiency. A virtual prototyping model of the tractor-aircraft system based on Lagrange’s equation of the first kind with Lagrange mutipliers was established in this paper. According to the towing characteristics, a path-tracking controller using fuzzy logic theory was designed. Direction control herein was carried out through a compensatory tracking approach. Interactive co-simulation was performed to validate the path-tracking behavior in closed-loop. Simulation results indicated that the tractor followed the reference courses precisely on a flat ground.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • De Santis RM (1994). Path-tracking for a tractor-trailer-like robot. Int J Robot Res, 13(6), 533–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Santis R (1997). Modeling and path-tracking for a load-haul-dump vehicle. J. Dynam. Syst. Meas. Contr., 119, 40–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Wit C, Khennouf H, Samson C, Sordalen OJ (1993). Nonlinear control design for mobile robots, recent trends in mobile robots. World Scientific Series in Robotics and Automated Systems, 11, 121–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott AS (2000). A highly efficient, general purpose approach for cosimulation with ADAMS. MDI North Amer, User Conf., MI.

  • Han F, Yang BH, Wang HD, Bi YQ(2010). The optimizing research on aircraft handling workflow. Science Technology and Engineering, 10(22), 5602–5604.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirose S. Fukushima E, Tsukagoshi S (1995). Basic steering control methods for the articulated body mobile robot. IEEE Contr. Syst. Mag., 4, 5–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanayama Y, Kimura Y, Miyazaki F, Noguchi T (1990). A stable tracking control method for an autonomous mobile robot. IEEE Int Conf on Robotics and Automation, Cincinnati, OH, 384–389.

  • Kanayama Y, Kimura Y, Miyazaki F, Noguchi T (1991). A stable tracking control method for a non-holonomic mobile robot. Int Conf on Intelligent Robotics Systems, Osaka, Japan, 1236–1241.

  • Lamiraux F, Laumond JP (1997). A practical approach to feedback control for a mobile robot with trailer. IEEE Int Conf on Robotics and Automation, leuven, Belgium, 3306–3311.

  • Lamiraux F, Sekhavat S, Laumond J (1999). Motion planning and control for Hilare pulling a trailer. IEEE Trans. Robot. Automat, 15, 640–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane J, King R (1994). Computer-assisted guidance of an underground mine truck. IEEE Int. Conf. Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, 420–425.

  • Larsson U, Zell C, Hyppa K, Wernesson A (1994). Navigating an articulated vehicle and reversing with a trailer. IEEE Int. Conf. Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, 2398–2404.

  • Murray RM, Sastry S (1993). Nonholonomic motion planning: Steering using sinusoids. IEEE Trans Automat Contr, 38(5), 700–716.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura Y, Ezaki H, Tan Y, Chung W (2001). Design of steering mechanism and control of nonholonomic trailer systems. IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 17(3), 367–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabinovitch J, Leitman J (1996). Urban planning in Curitiba. Sci. Amer., 274( 3), 46–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rifford L (2008). Stabilization problem for nonholonomic control systems. Geometric Control and Nonsmooth Analysis, Series on Advances in Mathematics for Applied Sciences, 76, 260–269.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Rifford L (2006). The stabilization problem on surfaces. Control Theory and Stabilization II, 64(1), 55–61.

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Rifford L (2004). The stabilization problem: AGAS and SRS feedbacks. Optimal Control, Stabilization, and Nonsmooth Analysis. Lectures Notes in Control and Information Sciences, 301, 173–184.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Samson C, Ait-Abderrahim K (1991a). Feedback stabilization of a nonholonomic wheeled mobile Robot. Int Conf on Intelligent Robotics Systems, 1242–1247.

  • Samson C, Ait-Abderrahim K (1991b). Feedback control of a nonholonomic wheeled cart in cartesian space. IEEE Int Conf on Robotics and Automation, 1136–1141.

  • Sekhavat S, Lamiraux F, Laumond JP, Bauzil G, Ferrand A (1997). Motion planning and control for Hilare pulling a trailer. IEEE Int Conf on Robotics and Automation, Leuven, Belgium, 3306–3311.

  • Shukla S, Tiwari M (2010). Fuzzy logic of speed and steering control system for three dimensional lines following of an autonomous vehicle. International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, 7(3), 101–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y (1994). Development of aircraft-towing tractor. Inter-national Aviation, 11(9), 18–20.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Huang YL (2006). Path following control for tractor-trailer mobile robots with two kinds of connection structures. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing, China, 2533–2538.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hongbo Liu.

Additional information

Foundation item: Harbin Technological Innovation Research Fund(NO:2012RFXXG039)

Nengjian Wang was born in 1962. He has been a professor at Harbin Engineering University since 2003. He has been a supervisor for decades. His research covers a wide range of problems in modern manufacturing systems theory, workshop and logistics scheduling and optimization, computer-aided process planning and mechanical dynamics.

Hongbo Liu was born in 1987. She is working on doctoral degree at Harbin Engineering University. She mainly engages in computer simulation, analysis of aircraft traction system dynamics and stability control study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, N., Liu, H. & Yang, W. Path-tracking control of a tractor-aircraft system. J. Marine. Sci. Appl. 11, 512–517 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-012-1162-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-012-1162-x

Keywords

Navigation