Active Coordination of Robotic Terrain-Adaptive Wheeled Vehicles for Power Minimization

An active coordination scheme is developed for articulated wheeled vehicles equipped with redundant actuation, for the minimization of power consumed during locomotion on soft terrain. A detailed soil-mechanics model is used to incorporate the effects of sinkage, slip and soil resistance at the wheel-terrain contact. The coordination scheme determines the optimal actuator torques to perform vehicle guidance and is consistent with the kinematic and dynamic constraints imposed on the vehicle system due to the non-holonomic nature of the wheel-terrain contact. The key feature in the coordination scheme is the optimal allocation of the wheel plane contact forces in response to the differences in the soil condition at the different wheel contacts.