A Comprehensive Multistage Average Controller for Trajectory Tracking in Solar‐Powered Mobile Robots: Analysis of Actuator‐Driver and Power Stage Integration

ABSTRACT This work addresses the challenge of bidirectional trajectory tracking in solar‐powered wheeled mobile robots (WMRs), considering the mechanical structure, actuator‐driver, and power stage subsystems. Notably, this is the first study to explicitly model and control the actuator‐driver subsystem within this context. The proposed solution relies on a comprehensive three‐stage average controller scheme: the top‐stage applies an input–output linearization strategy to ensure accurate bidirectional tracking; the mid‐stage employs a control based on differential flatness theory to manage the dynamic behavior of the actuators and their driver, represented by an H‐bridge; and the low‐stage, also based on flatness theory, regulates the power stage, modeled as a Buck converter. The proposed multistage control strategy is experimentally validated using a differential‐drive WMR prototype, where a B&K Precision PVS60085MR source is used to replicate the operational characteristics of a commercial photovoltaic panel. System integration is achieved through a DS1104 control board, with real‐time implementation carried out in MATLAB/Simulink. Experimental results demonstrate that the controller successfully fulfills the bidirectional trajectory tracking task, even in the presence of system parameter variations and disturbances in the variable‐voltage source.