Simultaneous Control of Terrain Adaptation and Wheel Speed Allocation for a Planetary Rover With an Active Suspension System

Active suspensions are important features of many recent planetary rovers. For such a rover, the control strategy is crucial to its performance. This letter presents the control method for a planetary rover equipped with an active suspension system. The control algorithm is based on the estimation of terrain geometry and a mapping relation among the motions of rover body, suspension, and wheels. It realizes a simultaneous control of terrain adaptation and wheel speed allocation. The algorithm allows the posture and height of the rover body to be controlled and the slippage of driving wheels to be reduced while the rover traverse uneven, unstructured terrain. Another advantage of the proposed method is that the control system operates only based on proprioceptive sensors with improved efficiency and moderate memory allocation. The proposed control algorithm is applied to a rover prototype. The experiments conducted in a testing field of rovers validate the proposed algorithm and system.

Automated summary

This letter presents a control method for a planetary rover equipped with an active suspension system, which allows simultaneous control of terrain adaptation and wheel speed allocation, improving the performance and efficiency of the rover on uneven terrain.