Simulation and Validation of a Steering Control Strategy for Tracked Robots

Tracked inspection robots have demonstrated their versatility in a wide range of applications. However, challenges arising from issues such as skidding and slipping have posed obstacles to achieving precise and efficient trajectory control. This paper introduces a method to determine the steering parameters of robot based on the surrounding obstacles and road information. The primary objective is to enhance the steering efficiency of tracked robots. The corresponding relationship between the track speed, driving force and track steering radius of the tracked robot is obtained. Considering the influence of track skid and slip, relationship models about the steering radius and traveling speed of the robot are established. The minimum and maximum steering radii in the obstacle avoidance process are analyzed, and a mathematical model of the relationship between the steering angle of the robot and the distance between the side obstacles is established. The trajectory deviation model of the tracked robot is established, and a principle analysis of the LiDAR ranging is completed. This lays the foundation for a steering measurement and control system for tracked robots. ADAMS(2020) software is used to establish the multi-body dynamics model of the tracked robot, and three different obstacle-avoiding steering control strategies are designed for the robot in a simulated environment with space obstacles. The simulation experiment demonstrates that the robot achieves more efficient obstacle avoidance steering through the use of differential steering, leading to a decrease in both track skid and slip rates. Through the simulation experiment, it can be seen that the robot uses differential steering to complete the obstacle avoidance steering movement more efficiently, and the track skid and slip rates are smaller. The simulation results are used to complete the steering control experiment of the tracked robot on different road surfaces. The results show that by adjusting the track driving parameters, the robot can effectively complete the obstacle-avoiding steering movement by using the differential steering control strategy, which verifies the accuracy of the steering control strategy.