Title: Longitudinal control of an autonomous vehicle using fixed-time optimal fast terminal sliding mode on Arduino

Authors: Najlae Jennan; El Mehdi Mellouli; Rachid Naoual

Addresses: Laboratory of Engineering, Systems and Applications, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco ' Laboratory of Engineering, Systems and Applications, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco ' Laboratory of Innovation in Management and Engineering, Higher Institute of Engineering and Business ISGA, Fez, Morocco

Abstract: This study proposes a fixed-time optimal fast terminal sliding mode control (OFTSMC) for precise and robust longitudinal control of an autonomous vehicle. The controller ensures fast convergence and improved performance, with its parameters optimised using particle swarm optimisation (PSO). The approach begins with modelling the vehicle's longitudinal dynamics, followed by the design of the proposed controller. Stability is ensured through a Lyapunov - based fixed-time convergence analysis. The proposed method is validated through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and real-world experiments on a four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle using an Arduino Uno. Both results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed controller, demonstrating accurate tracking and strong robustness, with up to 76% reduction in error variance compared to traditional methods, for practical applications in vehicle dynamics control.

Keywords: Arduino; longitudinal control; autonomous vehicle; fast terminal sliding mode controller; particle swarm optimisation; PSO; fixed-time convergence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVP.2025.149504

International Journal of Vehicle Performance, 2025 Vol.11 No.4, pp.483 - 508

Received: 21 Mar 2025
Accepted: 10 Aug 2025
Published online: 04 Nov 2025 *

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