• This paper presents a tracking control of tractor and trailer system in the presence of model uncertainties. The position of the trailer is controlled by steering the tractor. Since tractor-trailer system has a nonlinear multi-input and multi-output model with strong couplings, accurate linearization algorithm is employed to overcome unknown nonlinearities and uncertain parameters. Two kinematic models of tractor and trailer system are developed, making a turn in polar coordinate system and tracking straight path in Cartesian coordinate system. Sliding mode variable structure control is employed for linearized tractor and trailer system. To determine the poles to obtain the transition performances preserving the system stability, Ackerman’s formula is used to improve traditional pole placement algorithm and further design the control law. Then the path tracking algorithm controls the system to follow a straight line and a circle path in real time. Finally, simulation results suggest that the simulated tractor and trailer system’s tracking path is smooth and almost identical to the reference path.

CICTP