Real-time control of an automated guided vehicle using a continuous mode of sliding mode control

This paper proposes a tracking control method for a certain type of differential-drive wheeled mobile robot, called automated guided vehicles (AGVs), using a continuous mode approach of sliding mode control (SMC). The SMC applied produces a continuous signal in between the U and –U control signals instead of discrete ones. The controller is applied to control the velocity and direction angle of the vehicle in order to keep it on a desired path. The obtained algorithm is applied to the experimental system under load and disturbance to show its robustness. The experimental results are satisfactory and verify the performance of the control algorithm.