Real‐Time Heading Correction Control for Mars Rovers Considering Travel Terrain Differences Between Two Sides of the Suspension

Abstract

Existing Mars rovers usually adopt a split suspension with a rocker‐bogie on each side of the body to improve terrain adaptability. However, when exploring the Martian surface with complex terrain distribution, differential traveling conditions of the wheel sets on both sides can cause the Mars rover to deviate from its desired heading. This paper presents a coordinated wheel speed control method for Mars rovers that combines fuzzy control with active disturbance rejection control. This method can realize real‐time heading correction while compensating for the effects of differences in terrain shape and terrain type on both sides. Another advantage of the proposed method is that the control system does not rely on the motion model of the Mars rover's suspension and avoids real‐time acquisition of suspension attitude data, which improves the algorithm efficiency and portability. Finally, a series of experimental tests of multiterrain travel were conducted on a six‐wheeled Mars rover prototype deploying the control system. The experimental results show that the control system can effectively guarantee that the Mars rover tracks the desired heading while traveling, and can obtain beneficial effects in reducing the internal force between the wheels and facing some special driving scenes.