Abstract
The energy requirements of a solar-powered exploration rover constrain the mission duration, traversability, and tractive capability under the given limited usable power. Thus, exploration rover design, more specifically, rover wheel design (related to considerable energy consumption in driving), plays a significant role in the success of exploration missions. This paper describes the modeling of an operational environment and a multi-body dynamics (MBD) simulation tool based on wheel-terrain interaction model to predict the dynamic behavior on a digital elevation model (DEM) map. With these simulation environments, a multidisciplinary optimal wheel design methodology, integrating the MBD simulation tool and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), is developed. Design parameters are chosen through sensitivity analysis. These multi-objective optimizations in dynamic states are conducted to obtain the optimal wheel dimension that meet the limited power condition with maximal tractive capability under the given operational environment. Furthermore, numerical and experimental verification using a single wheel testbed on lunar simulant are conducted to convincingly validate the derived optimization results. Finally, these results reveal that the proposed design methodology is an effective approach to deciding the best design parameter among a large variety of candidate design points considering the restricted power requirement.
Highlights
When a solar-powered exploration rover traverses the Moon and/or planetary surface on a scientific mission, it has a limited mission duration because of limitations regarding the available energy, and prediction on the power condition are key aspects of the success of the mission.In addition, the planetary and/or lunar surface are composed of a deformable terrain with various geometry ground composition; it is indispensable to improve the tractive capability of the exploration rover under the given limited energy resources [1,2]
The detailed multi-objective optimization design procedure combining multi-body dynamics (MBD) simulation environment based on the wheel-terrain interaction and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is as follows: First, the main parameters of NSGA-II, MBD simulation tool, and initial values of design parameters such as r and b, which are shared to the design parameters space of the optimization process, are input
An MBD simulation tool based on the rover wheel-terrain interaction model, which can deal with the longitudinal/lateral dynamic behavior of exploration rover with the path following the controller on a given digital elevation model map, is developed
Summary
When a solar-powered exploration rover traverses the Moon and/or planetary surface on a scientific mission, it has a limited mission duration because of limitations regarding the available energy, and prediction on the power condition are key aspects of the success of the mission.In addition, the planetary and/or lunar surface are composed of a deformable terrain with various geometry ground composition; it is indispensable to improve the tractive capability of the exploration rover under the given limited energy resources [1,2]. The tractive capability or traversability of an exploration rover, which is dictated by various factors, such as the tractive coefficient, sinkage, etc., is directly a function of the wheel and terrain interaction on the driving surface. Under these physical phenomena, the deformable terrain below the wheel is partially compacted, leading to improved terrain resistance, and the exploration rover has a source of substantial power loss and reduced tractive capability at that time. To 55% of the power delivered to the vehicle to drive wheels is wasted in the wheel-terrain interaction [3].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
