The instantaneous turn radius of an Ackermann steering vehicle is the distance to a point in space about which the vehicle will travel in an arc during a turn. There are at least six ways to estimate instantaneous turn radius and each method uses different inputs and has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, six different methods will be used to estimate the instantaneous turn radius of a vehicle traveling on a closed circuit. This testing will clarify similarities and differences between the methods. This thesis clarifies which method will be the most appropriate for a given set of available inputs. The testing will be conducted with commonly available sensors. The research in this thesis will allow developers to choose the best method for their sensor suite.
","abstract_html":"<p>The instantaneous turn radius of an Ackermann steering vehicle is the distance to a point in space about which the vehicle will travel in an arc during a turn. There are at least six ways to estimate instantaneous turn radius and each method uses different inputs and has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, six different methods will be used to estimate the instantaneous turn radius of a vehicle traveling on a closed circuit. This testing will clarify similarities and differences between the methods. This thesis clarifies which method will be the most appropriate for a given set of available inputs. The testing will be conducted with commonly available sensors. The research in this thesis will allow developers to choose the best method for their sensor suite.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stutts, Kenneth Gennaro"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-12-07T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-12-07T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:10Z","subjects":["Instantaneous Turn Radius","Ackermann Steering","GPS","Instrumentation","IMU","Encoder","Navigation, Guidance, Control, and Dynamics","Other Mechanical Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/781","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stutts, Kenneth Gennaro"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Instantaneous Turn Radius","Ackermann Steering","GPS","Instrumentation","IMU","Encoder","Navigation, Guidance, Control, and Dynamics","Other Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/781"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The instantaneous turn radius of an Ackermann steering vehicle is the distance to a point in space about which the vehicle will travel in an arc during a turn. There are at least six ways to estimate instantaneous turn radius and each method uses different inputs and has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, six different methods will be used to estimate the instantaneous turn radius of a vehicle traveling on a closed circuit. This testing will clarify similarities and differences between the methods. This thesis clarifies which method will be the most appropriate for a given set of available inputs. The testing will be conducted with commonly available sensors. The research in this thesis will allow developers to choose the best method for their sensor suite.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Comparison of Methods for Estimating Instantaneous Turn Radius of Ackermann Steering Vehicles"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Stutts, Kenneth Gennaro"],"dc:description.abstract":["The instantaneous turn radius of an Ackermann steering vehicle is the distance to a point in space about which the vehicle will travel in an arc during a turn. There are at least six ways to estimate instantaneous turn radius and each method uses different inputs and has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, six different methods will be used to estimate the instantaneous turn radius of a vehicle traveling on a closed circuit. This testing will clarify similarities and differences between the methods. This thesis clarifies which method will be the most appropriate for a given set of available inputs. The testing will be conducted with commonly available sensors. The research in this thesis will allow developers to choose the best method for their sensor suite.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/781"],"dc:subject":["Instantaneous Turn Radius","Ackermann Steering","GPS","Instrumentation","IMU","Encoder","Navigation, Guidance, Control, and Dynamics","Other Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:title":["Comparison of Methods for Estimating Instantaneous Turn Radius of Ackermann Steering Vehicles"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:10Z"}