Kinematic analysis and control of an omnidirectional mobile robot in rough terrain

Abstract

An omnidirectional mobile robot is able, kinematically, to move in any direction regardless of current pose. To date, nearly all designs and analyses of omnidirectional robots have considered the case of motion on flat, smooth terrain. This paper presents a kinematic analysis and control method for an omnidirectional mobile robot driven by active split offset casters operating on rough, uneven terrain. Robot average isotropy is analyzed as a function of wheel module geometry on both flat and rough terrain. A simple kinematic control scheme that considers the effects of terrain unevenness is presented. The performance of the algorithm in rough terrain is studied in simulation. It is shown that with knowledge of terrain conditions, near- omnidirectional mobility is achievable in rough terrain.