Trajectory of a Multi-segment Wheeled Vehicle*
Sunil Kumar Agrawal, Song Chang · Mechanics of Structures and Machines · 1996
In this paper, the movement of a vehicle that consists of many moving segments supported on wheels is investigated. The objective of the study is to develop algorithms for path following of the vehicle, where paths are described analytically by curves in Cartesian space. Simultaneously, a reference point on the end-effector of the vehicle is made to follow another given path. It is assumed that the wheels maintain pure rolling contact with the path during motion. The joint variables of the segments of the vehicle are limited in range of motion. Two algorithms are developed in this paper, based respectively on position kinematics and rate kinematics of the system. An interesting aspect of these algorithms is the selection of wheel velocities so that the joints of the vehicle do not exceed their respective limits. The algorithms are implemented in simulation for vehicles consisting of an arbitrary number of segments. These algorithms are designed for three-dimensional paths, as well as for paths in horizontal and vertical planes. Based on this theoretical model, a four-segment robotic vehicle is currently being built to verify the motion planning algorithms experimentally.