Traction Control of a Rocker-Bogie Field Mobile Robot

Abstract

A method for kinematics modeling of a six-wheel Rocker-Bogie mobile robot is described in detail. The forward kinematics is derived by using wheel Jacobian matrices in conjunction with wheelground contact angle estimation. The inverse kinematics is to obtain the wheel velocities and steering angles from the desired forrr"'ard velocity and turning rate of the robot. Traction Control is also developed to improve traction by comparing information from onboard sensors and wheel velocities to minimize slip of the wheel. Finally, a small robot is built and tested in various conditions of surfaces including verlical obstacle, inclined surface and uneven terrain outdoor conditions.