Systematic kinematics analysis and balance control of high mobility rovers over rough terrain

The paper proposes a systematic method for kinematics modeling, analysis and balance control of a general high mobility wheeled rover traversing uneven terrain. The method is based on the propagation of position and orientation velocities starting from the rover reference frame and going through various joints and linkages to the wheels. The concept of an extended DH table is introduced for rovers and mobile robots, and equations of the motion are set up in a compact form. Actuation kinematics and balance control are formulated for rovers traversing bumpy terrains. To illustrate the proposed kinematics modeling and balancing, the method is applied to a high mobility rover and simulation results with various terrains are presented. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.