Stabilization control of non-holonomic systems with application to rider-motorcycle systems

Abstract

A design method is presented for fuzzy control to stabilize a system subject to non-holonomic constraints. Although a time-varying feedback law has been proposed for stabilizing non-holonomic systems, it results in slow convergence. By contrast, the current study employs fuzzy control designed with sliding modes to stabilize nonholonomic systems. The non-holonomic system becomes input-output linearizable via a proper choice of output function. Fuzzy control is formulated to become a class of variable structure system (VSS) control. Moreover, it is designed with the aid of sliding modes to ensure stability. A rider-motorcycle system, assuming rolling contact between tyres and ground, can be treated as a non-holonomic system. Owing to the motorcycle's static natural instability, stabilization control becomes an important task while riding. Using the proposed method, both hands-off and hands-on rider control are investigated. The effects of stabilization control exerted by the rider are examined according to simulation results.