Steering Three-Input Nonholonomic Systems: The Fire Truck Example

In this paper we steer wheeled nonholonomic systems that can be represented in a so called chained form Su cient conditions for converting a multiple input system with nonholonomic velocity constraints into a multiple chain single generator chained form via state feedback and a coordinate transformation are presented along with sinusoidal and polynomial control algorithms to steer such systems Our example is the three input nonholonomic system of a re truck or tiller truck In this three axle system the control inputs are the steering velocities of both the rst and third or tiller axles and the forward driving velocity of the truck Simulation results are given for parallel parking left hand turning right hand turning and changing lanes Comparison is made to the same vehicle without tiller steering