A new family of omnidirectional and holonomic wheeled platforms for mobile robots

Abstract

Abstract-This paper presents the concepts for a new family of holonomic wheeled platforms that feature full omnidirectionality with simultaneous and independently controlled rotational and translational motion capabilities. We first present the "orthogonal-wheels" concept and the two major wheel assemblies on which these platforms are based. We then describe how a combination of these assemblies with appropriate control can be used to generate an omnidirectional capability for mobile robot platforms. Several alternative designs are considered, and their respective characteristics with respect to rotational and translational motion control are discussed. The design and control of a prototype platform developed to test and demonstrate the proposed concepts is then described, and experimental results illustrating the full omnidirectionality of the platform with decoupled rotational and translational degrees of freedom are presented.

The Development of the Omnidirectional Mobile Home Care Robot

“…The omnidirectional mobile robots can move in an arbitrary direction without changing the direction of the wheels. The three-wheeled omni-directional mobile robots are capable of achieving 3 DOF motions by driving 3 independent actuators (Carlisle, B., 1983) (Pin, F. & Killough, S., 1999), but they may have stability problem due to the triangular contact area with the ground, especially when traveling on a ramp with the high center of gravity owing to the payload they carry. ( 1) Where: V i =Velocity of wheel i i =rotation speed of motor i P = rotation speed of robot r=radius of wheel R=distance from wheel to center of the platform As shown in Fig.…”

Design of the Dual Offset Active Caster Wheel for Holonomic Omni-Directional Mobile Robots

“…A typical approach is to use a universal wheel which is composed of a series of rollers along the rolling direction, for example, see (Muir and Neuman, 1987). Since using a universal wheel causes many problems such as vertical vibrations and inaccurate positioning due to the discontinuity of contact, there have been many challenges to solve the problems, for example, see (Pin and Killough, 1994). A synchronous drive robot can be built by using centered orientable wheels or off-centered orientable wheels.…”

Design and Control of an Omnidirectional Mobile Robot with Steerable Omnidirectional Wheels

“…The omnidirectional mobile robots using omnidirectional wheels composed of passive rollers or balls usually have 3 or 4 wheels. The three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots are capable of achieving 3 DOF motions by driving 3 independent actuators (Carlisle, 1983) (Pin & Killough, 1999), but they may have stability problem due to the triangular contact area with the ground, especially when traveling on a ramp with the high center of gravity owing to the payload they carry. It is desirable, therefore, that four-wheeled vehicles be used when stability is of great concern (Muir & Neuman, 1987).…”