Research on an all-axle active steering control strategy of articulated vehicles based on feedforward-feedback control

To improve the trajectory tracking ability of multi-module articulated vehicles, an all-axle active steering control strategy based on feedforward-feedback control is proposed. Based on the kinematics model, the expected steering angle is calculated as the feedforward control signal. The trajectory error of each axle is defined, a vehicle controller based on sliding mode control (SMC) algorithm is designed to obtain additional steering angle as the feedback control signal. The vehicle model is built and run in ADAMS. Compared with no control, the tracking error of each axle of the front and middle cars is reduced by about 50%, and that of the rear car is reduced by about 75%. It indicates the control strategy is more effective in improving the tracking ability of each axle of the rear car. In conclusion, the proposed control can reduce the tracking error of each axle and improve the trajectory tracking ability of the vehicle.