On the Backward Maneuverability of Articulated Vehicles

SUMMARY This study deals with the establishment of a theory of backward motion of multi-articulated vehicles and their control. First, a theory of backward motion of multi-articulated vehicles was studied under geometrical motion, and verified by experiments. Then, the conditions which design specifications had to satisfy were given from controllability, and control limits from the maximum steering angle. Using the optimal control theory, the maneuverability of multi-articulated vehicles was discussed, and the difficulty of backward maneuverability with an increase in the number of articulated vehicles was shown. On the basis of these study results, the effectiveness of an auxiliary operation system was suggested.