This paper presents the modelling and simulation of an anti-tip-over control designed for a counterbalance forklift, a highly unstable vehicle in relation with roll and pith angles. The studied forklift is an automated guided vehicle and it does not depend on the human factor, being possible to enhance safety by improving stability. Therefore, the main purpose of this work is to design a control system that improves forklifts’ stability and, at the same time, reduces the transportation times with the subsequent operating cost savings. Firstly, an analytical study is developed, focused on the pitch movement, in order to analyze the stability conditions of the vehicle. Based on this analysis, an anti-tip-over control is designed. This control is based on Model Predictive Control, a robust control technique that is being successfully used in the design of autonomous vehicles. Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is to show the feasibility of the MPC control in this type of vehicles. Several simulations have been done in order to analyze the feasibility of concluding that with the proposed control, it is possible to guaranty the forklift stability without the risk of tip-over, obtaining also better operational results with faster maneuvers than when no control is used.
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