Dimensional optimization of rocker-bogie suspension for planetary rover based on kinetostatics and terramechanics

Abstract

Dimensional optimization is important for planetary rovers to reach good performance, such as high mobility, stability, and low energy consumption. The paper presents a dimensional optimization for a planetary rover with rocker-bogie suspension. During the optimization process, the influence of dimensions on the actuation requirements is studied based on kinetostatics and terramechanics. The objective function is built considering the average driving torque requirements in the most common type of windblown terrain in Mars called megaripples. The optimal dimension design is reached through the genetic algorithm, and the influences of dimensional parameters on rover performances are studied by drawing performance atlases. This work realizes the consideration of energy consumption in the design phase of a planetary rover. Finally, the results guide the design of a rover prototype and are validated by a series of experiments.