Robust oscillation control of wheeled mobile robots

In cases where a wheeled mobile robot runs fast on a rough surface, the sensors mounted on the robot’s body may be destroyed due to the body acceleration and oscillation. In this article, we propose a new scheme to reduce the body acceleration at any specified location for mobile robots with the actuators set on the wheel axes. To achieve this, a combined ideal robot model is designed. In the combined ideal robot model, the location where the acceleration performance is at its best can easily be moved by setting only two design parameters. Next, a robust model tracking controller is developed so that the behavior of an actual mobile robot can track the combined ideal robot model. The developed controller has the following useful properties. (1) The body acceleration at any specified location can easily be improved. (2) The developed controller has good robustness for uncertainties in robot mass, pitch and roll moment of inertia of the robot’s body, and the position of the center of gravity.