Design and application of finite‐time tracking control for autonomous ground vehicle affected by external disturbances

Abstract Path tracking plays a critical role in autonomous driving for autonomous ground vehicle (AGV). However, AGV faces challenges in accurate tracking and chatter reduction due to external disturbances, making it difficult to meet the tracking performance requirements. Currently, sliding mode control (SMC) and disturbances observer are primarily employed for disturbance estimation. However, ensuring finite‐time robust control remains a significant challenge. To ensure rapid convergence of tracking errors and effective disturbance rejection, this paper proposed a novel non‐singular fast terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) control scheme based on finite‐time disturbance observation (FDO). First, a novel NFTSM controller based on AGV dynamic model is developed to achieve fast convergence of tracking errors. Then, to mitigate disturbances effects and suppress chatter, an innovative FDO method is employed. Finally, based on FDO, the NFTSM‐FDO establishes a control scheme that enhances disturbances suppression and accelerates convergence. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate the innovation of the proposed method. Compared with other SMC methods, the results validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed approach, exhibiting fast convergence and superior tracking performance.