A Look-Ahead Approach to Mobile Robot Path Tracking Based on Distance-Only Measurements.

In this paper, a path tracking controller based on distance-only measurements for nonholonomic mobile robots is presented. First, a kinematic model of the robot appropriate for path tracking applications is derived. Using a look-ahead approach, a time-varying feedback controller is proposed. The stabilities properties of the closed-loop system are analyzed in case of circular and straight-line path tracking using the theory of Lyapunov, and asymptotic stability is proved. In particular, for straight-line tracking, the steady-state error is shown to be equal to zero. Numerical simulations and experiments are carried in order to validate the proposed feedback path tracking control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]