An improved sliding mode control method for omnidirectional mobile robots based on motion characteristics

Abstract

An improved sliding mode control (SMC) method for omni-directional mobile robots (OMRs) is proposed in this paper. Due to the motion characteristics of OMRs, the driving torque acting on each axis while the robot moves in different directions is distinct. Accordingly, a novel concept of anisotropy characteristics for OMRs is proposed here. In order to achieve a coordinated motion in a multi-axis system such as an OMR, the anisotropy characteristics are introduced into SMC system to coordinate the driving torque. The improved motion control method can guarantee that each driving wheel will reach the target speed with proper driving torque. Owing to the advantage of SMC, the control system of OMRs is insensitive to parametric vibration and external disturbances. To validate the performance of the improved motion control method, experiments have been carried out.