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Motion Control of a 6WD/6WS wheeled platform with in-wheel motors to improve its maneuverability

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  • Robotics and Automation
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Abstract

Multi-axle driving mobile platform that are favored in special environments require high driving performance, steering performance, and stability. Among these, six wheel drive and six wheel steering vehicles hereinafter called 6WD/6WS, gain structural safety by distributing the load and reducing the pitching motion during rapid acceleration and braking. 6WD/6WS mobile platforms are favorable for military use, particularly in off-road operations because of their high maneuverability and mobility on extreme terrains and obstacles. 6WD vehicles that use in-wheel motors can generate independent wheel torque without a need for additional hardware. Conventional vehicles, however, cannot generate an opposite driving force on wheels on both sides. In an independent steering and driving system six-wheel vehicles show better performance than conventional vehicles. This paper discusses the improvement of the cornering performance and maneuverability of 6WD/6WS mobile platform using independent wheel torque and independent steering on each wheel. 6WD/6WS vehicles fundamentally have satisfactory maneuverability under low speed, and sufficient stability at high speed. Consequently, there should be a control strategy for improving their cornering performance using the optimum tire forces that satisfy the driver’s command and minimize energy consumption. From the driver’s commands (i.e., the steering angle and accelerator/brake pedal stroke), the desired yaw moment with virtual steering, desired lateral force, and desired longitudinal force are obtained. These three values are distributed to each wheel as torque and steering angle, based on the optimum tire force distribution method. The optimum tire force distribution method finds the longitudinal/lateral tire forces of each wheel that minimize cost function, which is the sum of the normalized tire forces. This paper describes a 6WS/6WD vehicle with improved cornering performance and the results are validated through TruckSim simulations.

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Abbreviations

δ :

Virtual Steering Angle

δ :

Steering Wheel Angle

δ i :

Tire Wheel Angle of Each Wheel (i=1~6)

ω δ (V):

Steering Angle Gain according to Vehicle Velocity

n :

Gear ratio

T i :

Driving Shaft Torque of Each Wheel (i=1~6)

F xi, F yi :

Longitudinal and Lateral Force of Each Wheel (i=1~6)

F zi :

Vertical Force of Each Wheel (i=1~6) from TruckSim

F,R F L :

Longitudinal Force of Right and Left Side Wheels

F xdes, F ydes :

Desired Longitudinal and Lateral Force

M zdes :

Desired Yaw Moment

γ, γ a, γ des :

Yaw Rate, Actual Yaw Rate from TruckSim, and Desired Yaw Rate

β, β a,β des :

Sideslip Angle, Actual Sideslip Angle from TruckSim, and Desired Sideslip Angle

V x,V a :

Longitudinal Vehicle Velocity, Actual Vehicle Velocity from TruckSim

C af,C am,C ar :

Cornering Stiffness at Front, Middle, and Rear Wheels

l f :

Distance from Center of Gravity to Front Axle

l r :

Distance from Center of Gravity to Rear Axle

K v :

Understeer Gradient

a x,a y :

Longitudinal and Lateral Acceleration

m,m s :

Vehicle Mass and Sprung Mass

μ :

Friction Coefficient

J :

Cost Function

r :

Tire Radius

R :

Turning Radius

t :

Tread

M t,M z :

Moment by Lateral Forces, Moment by Longitudinal Forces

I z :

Yaw Moment of Inertia

h s :

Sprung Mass Height

g:

Gravity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIM and Robotics Lab, Hanyang University, Sa-3 dong, Ansan, Korea

    Changjun Kim

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Sa-3 dong, Ansan, Korea

    Sangho Kim

  3. Robotics R&BD Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Sa-3 dong, Ansan, Korea

    Jaeho Jang

  4. Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Hanyang University, Sa-3 dong, Ansan, Korea

    Ali Mian Ashfaq, Sunghoon Back, Youngsoo Kim & Soonwoong Hwang

  5. Department of Robot Engineering, Hanyang University, Sa-3 dong, Ansan, Korea

    Changsoo Han

Authors
  1. Changjun Kim
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  2. Ali Mian Ashfaq
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  3. Sangho Kim
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  4. Sunghoon Back
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  5. Youngsoo Kim
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  6. Soonwoong Hwang
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  7. Jaeho Jang
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  8. Changsoo Han
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Changsoo Han.

Additional information

Changjun Kim received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2004; an M.S. degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Hanyang University in 2006; and a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2012. He is currently doing Post Doctor at CIM and Robotics Lab. His research interests include robotic vehicle, electric vehicle with in-wheel motors, and vehicle dynamics (independent steering, active steering and driving, and hybrid driving).

Ali Mian Ashfaq received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from N.W.F.P University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar Pakistan, and his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2010. He is currently doing a Ph.D. degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Hanyang University. He is researching skid steering multi-axle vehicle, electric vehicle with in-wheel-motor drive, wheel dynamics and control.

Sangho Kim received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2010. He is currently working toward a M.S. leading to Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Hanyang University. His research interests include robotic vehicle, electric vehicle with in-wheel motor, and vehicle dynamics (independent driving, active steering, and hybrid steering).

Sunghoon Back received his B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Konkuk University in 1996 and his M.S degree in Mechanical Engineering from Konkuk University in 1998. He is working at Hyundai Rotem Company as senior research engineer since July 2003 and currently working toward a Ph.D. Degree in Mechatronics Engineering at Hanyang University. His research interests include advanced vehicle control, unmanned ground vehicle design and multi-sensorbased autonomous driving.

Youngsoo Kim received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Soongsil University in 1997 and his M.S degree in Mechanical Engineering from Korea University in 2005. He is currently doing Ph.D. degree in Mechatronics Engineering at Hanyang University. His research interests include multi-axle driving and control, sensor based motion planning.

Soonwoong Hwang received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University, in 2007 and his M.S. degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Hanyang University in 2009. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. degree in Mechatronics Engineering at Hanyang University. His research interests include intelligent service robot with 7 DOF arms and mobile platform, dynamic performance analysis, and analytical manipulator design.

Jaeho Jang received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2001; an M.S. degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Hanyang University in 2003; and a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in 2008. He is working at Korea Institute of Industrial Technology since 2008. His research interests include military robot and rehabilitation service robot.

Changsoo Han received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from University of Texas at Austin in 1983, 1985, and 1989, respectively. In March 1990, he joined Hanyang University, Ansan, Korea as an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering. Currently, he is a Professor with the department of robot engineering, Hanyang University. His research interests include intelligence service robot, high precision robotics and mechatronics, rehabilitation and biomechanics technology using robotics, automation in construction and advanced vehicle control.

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Kim, C., Ashfaq, A.M., Kim, S. et al. Motion Control of a 6WD/6WS wheeled platform with in-wheel motors to improve its maneuverability. Int. J. Control Autom. Syst. 13, 434–442 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-014-0039-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-014-0039-y

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