Track–Stair Interaction Analysis and Online Tipover

Prediction for a Self-Reconfigurable Tracked Mobile

Robot Climbing Stairs

NYUST ME
Robotic Embedded Systems Lab

陳明辰
• Provenance :
Yugang Liu and Guangjun Liu, Senior Member,
IEEE
• Index Terms :
Stair climbing,
tipover prediction,
Tracked mobile robot,
track–stair interactions.
Why track
• floatation and traction than the wheeled ones
- explosive ordnance disposing,
searching,
rescuing,
mining,
logging,
farming,
earth moving,
and planetary exploring among others.
• Traditionally, most of the tracked vehicles wer
e designed to be bulky and heavy to suit for fie
ld operations on natural terrain

• As one of the most omnipresent artificial envir

onments, stairway represents a serious challe
nge to robotics, which has to be addressed for
robots to operate efficiently in urban environ
Related Research
• 把攀爬過程分三步驟 , 收集樓梯攀爬影響設計參數分
析

• 利用三軸陀螺儀和相機圖片推斷參數

• 利用 feedback system 發展 automatic heading control

• tipover stability criteria

(zero moment point method ,the force-angle measure , a
nd the supporting force criterion)
• A real-time tipover prevention algorithm is de
veloped for redundant nonholonomic mobile
modular manipulators by online adjusting self-
motions, so that the primary task at the end-e
ffector can be unaffected .

• An online tipover prediction algorithm is prop

osed and the robot is controlled to return back
to the initial configuration in case of tipover in
stability.
• Tipover stability is studied without considering
track–stair interactions

• In this paper, the track–stair interactions, inclu

ding slippage of a self-reconfigurable tracked
mobile robot (SRTMR) in stair climbing are ana
lyzed systematically.
SRTMR • Planetary wheels
• Driving wheels
• Flippers
• Grousers
• Supporting wheels
• Chassis
• Tracks
• RLMA consists of a chassis, two tracks, two dri
ving wheels, two supporting wheels, and two
planetary wheels
• The two driving wheels can be controlled inde
pendently to realize steering
• 兩個行星輪是附屬在 flippers 頂端 ; 兩個 flippers 安裝在底盤側邊 , 由
一個 pitch motor 控制 以確保同步
• if 0 < θp < π, the flippers and the planetary w
heels will be raised
• 當 θp =0 或 θp = π flippers 和行星輪會放置在前端或後端 , 而 RLMA 可
實現最大接觸地面之面積 ,
• 如果 flippers 旋轉向下 -90<θp <0 或 π <θp <270 支撐輪或驅動輪會
被提高 , 底盤將會傾斜
General Procedure for
RLMA Climbing Stairs
Step 1: Climbing onto the stairs and setting b
ack the flippers.
Step 2: Climbing onto the stairs with the flippers in the back.
Step 3: Going on the nose line.
Step 4: Landing on the top floor.
Stair-Parameters Identification
• From Fig. ,the trajectory of planetary wheel ce
nters is an ellipse, and the flippers’ length can
be determined by
• where Lp (0) and Lp (π/2) can be determined b
y the track length Lt and the wheel radius r by
• In Fig. ,the incline angle of the track segment bet
ween the supporting and planetary wheels ψ0 ca
n be determined by applying the sine’s theorem t
o the triangle OmSP as follows:
• Furthermore, the stair height can be calculate
d

• hg is the grousers’ height

• r is the radius of the wheels
• In Fig,the difference between the incline angle
of the stairs and that of the chassis can be det
ermined by applying sine’s theorem to OmSP a
s follows:
• Furthermore, the tread width can be calculate
d as follows:

• With the stair height h and tread width b iden

tified, the incline angle of the stairs can be easi
ly determined as follows
SLIPPAGE AND TRACK–STAIR INTERACTIVE M
OTIONS
• The sufficient and necessary condition for non
slipping can be given by −fs ≤ (F1/N1 ) ≤ fs ,
• where fs is the coefficient of static friction,
• If fs < cot θs ,
• If fs < tan θs
• Slippage and interactive motion analysis for th
e first two steps.