Publication Details
Title: Dynamic Modeling of Wheeled Mobile Robots
Author/Presenter: Boyden, Demick; Velinsky, Steven A.
Publication Number: UCD-ARR-93-10-05-01
Abstract: A significant amount of research is being done and has been published on the subject of wheeled mobile robots (WMR's). A great deal of this work is dedicated toward the development of control strategies for tracking WMR's and for the generation of path planning techniques (mostly for the purposes of collision avoidance). A fundamental part of any research in this area involves some way to track the WMR's position and orientation. Most researchers have used kinematic models to accomplish this task arguing that because of low speeds, low accelerations, and lightly loaded conditions under which WMR's operate, these kinematic models are valid. However, as we advance to the future of WMR's, dynamic modeling of these vehicles becomes increasingly important as wheeled mobile robots are designed to perform heavy duty work and travel at higher speeds.
This research investigates the importance of dynamic modeling of differentially and conventionally steered wheeled mobile robots. The Tethered Mobile Robot (TMR) designed for the purposes of automated crack sealing operations is the vehicle which is modeled and simulated in this work. In this paper, a dynamic model including an accurate tire representation is developed for both differentially and conventionally steered TMR's. In addition to these dynamic models, kinematic and simplified dynamic models are also developed for each of the TMR configurations. The simplified dynamic model utilizes greatly simplified tire representations instead of the complex tire model used by the dynamic model. Through the use of simulation, the limits of validity of each of the models is found for the purposes of determining which model is appropriate for a given application. Additionally, the accuracy of the dead reckoning vehicle tracking process is investigated.
Publisher: Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Center
Publication Date: October, 1993
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