Modelling, control system design and simulation of an autonomous bicycle

This paper presents the mathematical modelling and control system design of an autonomous bicycle. The nonlinear equations of motion have been derived and the proposed control system has been used in the simulation of the dynamical behaviour of the bicycle. With the assumption of rolling without slipping condition for the wheels-ground interaction, the system is constrained by nonholonomic equations, and the equations of motion are highly nonlinear. Unlike many other approaches present in related literature, the dynamical model is preserved in simulations in its original nonlinear form without any simplifying assumptions and linearization. Numerical results of the simulations show that the proposed closed-loop control system is achievable. Design of the experimental system has been based on a commercially available bicycle. The mechanical modifications and control system hardware have been designed according to the simulation results.