Mechanical Sciences (Aug 2024)

Stability analysis and control method of a variable structure detection robot for underground rescue

  • H. Tian,
  • A. Wang,
  • M. Lu,
  • M. Zhang,
  • Z. Zhang,
  • W. Zhang,
  • X. Su

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-15-487-2024
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15
pp. 487 – 500

Abstract

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To meet the needs of drilling rescue, a variable structure detection robot for underground rescue was designed for the motion requirements of a small crawler robot in underground unstructured environments. The robot can improve the stability and anti-overturning ability of the system through its own configuration changes. The existing stability criteria are computationally complex and cannot meet the requirements of real-time control. Therefore, a stability criterion based on the contact force between the robot and the ground is proposed, and a robot adaptive stability control system was established based on back propagation (BP) neural network. The system can change the robot configuration in real time to ensure the overturning stability. The criterion is analyzed and compared with the existing stability methods, and the influence of the control system on the dynamic stability of the robot in three typical terrains is discussed. The robot simulation test model is established to simulate the robot's driving process on unstructured road and the process of adjusting the arm configuration on the slope. Finally, the stability control processes of the robot on a longitudinal slope and a transverse slope are experimentally analyzed. The analysis results show that the stability criterion is accurate and efficient, and the adaptive control system can improve the stability of the robot.