The purpose of this thesis is to develop a generic control law for unmanned-trail
vehicles as they follow a manned lead vehicle. The development of this semi-robotic
convoy control law begins with a model of an individual vehicle. Two methods are
then explored of coupling these into a model of the column. A relationship between
these two methods is derived. The model is then expanded to n vehicles. Utilizing
a digital simulation, a three-vehicle convoy is controlled in one degree-of-freedom
(DOF) using pole-placement, state-feedback control theory. The analysis shows
this to be an unacceptable method of control due to the steady-state error. The 1
DOF model is then controlled with series compensation. Simulations verify that the
steady-state error is eliminated. The system is then expanded into a 2 DOF system.
Using the same series compensator, a 2 DOF simulation is developed. It is shown
that the only additional requirement of the 2 DOF system is that the trail vehicles
need to determine their orientation. This is accomplished by first saving the position
and velocity profile of the lead vehicle and then developing a search algorithm to find
the appropriate information. The simulation verifies that the convoy is controlled
within the specifications of the system.
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