Vector-field guided constraint-following control for path following of uncertain mechanical systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a vector-field guided control method for path following in uncertain mechanical systems, effectively handling various actuation and uncertainty types, demonstrated through simulations.

Contribution

It presents a novel control approach that operates at the dynamics level for uncertain, possibly underactuated systems following complex paths.

Findings

Effective path following in uncertain systems demonstrated

Handles both fully-actuated and underactuated systems

Works with complex, self-intersecting paths

Abstract

This note proposes a general control approach, called vector-field guided constraint-following control, to solve the dynamics control problem of geometric path-following for a class of uncertain mechanical systems. More specifically, it operates at the dynamics level and can handle both fully-actuated and underactuated mechanical systems, heterogeneous (possibly fast) time-varying uncertainties with unknown bounds, and geometric desired paths that may be self-intersecting. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.