Quasi-static motion simulation and slip prediction of articulated planetary rovers using a kinematic approach

Faïz Ben Amar (1) , Christophe Grand (1)

1 ISIR - Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique

Wheel slips are unavoidable when moving on a 3D rough surface. They are mainly due to geometrical features of contact surfaces. In this paper, we propose a model for predicting rover motion and contact slips by using a kinetostatic model coupled with a linear contact model derived from semi-empirical tire/terramechanics approaches. The paper introduces also a coherent approach for motion simulation of uneven articulated rovers which is computationally efficient and can then be used for autonomous on-line path planning. Model results are compared to another numerical model based on a multi-body dynamic model including frictional contacts. The well-known rocker-bogie chassis, a highly articulated structure, is chosen to illustrate results and their comparison. Results demonstrate that for a slow motion, the proposed model approximates with a good accuracy the general behavior of the robot with a minimal time computation.

Domaines: Automatique / Robotique

Faïz Ben Amar, Christophe Grand. Quasi-static motion simulation and slip prediction of articulated planetary rovers using a kinematic approach. Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, 2013, 5 (2), pp.021002. ⟨10.1115/1.4023873⟩. ⟨hal-03177962⟩