Fixed-Time Approach for Automated Ground Vehicles Path Following Subject to Prescribed Error Constraints and Completely Unknown Steering Dead Zone

This article focuses on the problem of fixed-time path following control for the automated ground vehicles subject to the error constraints and steering dead zone. First, the mean value theorem is employed to extract the input signal embedded in the dead zone function, converting the function into an unknown time-varying control coefficient for the input signal. Then, the Nussbaum-type function is adopted to address this control coefficient in the steering system, eliminating the requirement for prior knowledge of the dead-zone property. By combining with the adaptive law, the path-following performance can be ensured even when the vehicular parameters are unknown. In addition, a fixed-time prescribed performance function is designed to constrain the preview error. Through the homeomorphic mapping transformation technique, the preview error can converge to a small region around the origin within a fixed time. Finally, the experimental studies demonstrate the superior tracking performance of the proposed control scheme.