Adaptive Fixed-time Path-following Control for Autonomous Ground Vehicles with Unknow Parameters via Sliding Mode Method

This paper proposed an adaptive fixed-time controller for path-following problems of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs). By adopting the fixed-time method, the controller ensures the convengence of the tracking error with any initial states and maintaining a fixed settling time. To address the singular issues and achieve control objectives, a nonsingular fixed-time sliding mode manifold based on the Lyapunov theorem is designed. The accurate determination of vehicle parameters and precise modeling of vehicle dynamics is often challenging. Therefore, the proposed approach includes an adaptive law to ensure stability and performance in the presence of model inaccuracies or external disturbances. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed controller, closed-loop simulations are conducted in CarSim-Simulink by applying various driving scenarios.