A Novel Dynamic Three-Level Tracking Controller for Mobile Robots Considering Actuators and Power Stage Subsystems:...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Control Systems Engineering
• Mechatronics

Background:

• Trajectory tracking is crucial for wheeled mobile robot (WMR) applications.
• Existing controllers often overlook the integrated dynamics of mechanical, actuator, and power subsystems.
• Robustness against parametric disturbances remains a key challenge in WMR control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a dynamic three-level controller for WMR trajectory tracking.
• To integrate mechanical, actuator, and power stage dynamics into a unified control strategy.
• To compare the proposed controller's performance against a recently reported hierarchical tracking controller.

Main Methods:

• A high-level dynamic control for the WMR (differential drive).
• A medium-level PI current control for DC motor actuators.
• A low-level differential flatness-based control for DC/DC Buck power converters.
• Experimental validation on a DDWMR prototype using Matlab-Simulink, ControlDesk, and a DS1104 board.

Main Results:

• The proposed dynamic three-level controller demonstrated feasibility, robustness, and closed-loop performance.
• Experimental assessment confirmed the controller's effectiveness in trajectory tracking.
• The novel controller showed superior performance compared to a hierarchical tracking controller under parametric disturbances.

Conclusions:

• The dynamic three-level controller effectively addresses WMR trajectory tracking by considering multiple subsystems.
• The controller offers enhanced robustness and performance over existing hierarchical approaches.
• This work provides a validated, superior control solution for WMR trajectory tracking tasks.