Comparative study of chained systems theory and fuzzy logic as a solution for the nonlinear lateral control of a road vehicle

This paper presents a comparative study of different lateral controllers applied to the autonomous steering of automobiles. The nonlinear nature of vehicle dynamics makes it a challenging problem in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field, as long as a stable, accurate controller is compulsorily needed in order to ensure safety during navigation. The problem has been tackled under two different approaches. The first one is based on chained systems theory, while the second controller relies on fuzzy logic. A comparative analysis has been carried out based on the results achieved in practical trials. Real tests were conducted using a DGPS-driven electric Citroen Berlingo in a private test circuit located at the Industrial Automation Institute of the CSIC (Arganda del Rey, Madrid). The final results and conclusions are presented.