Cooperative Control for Three Mobile Robots Transporting a Large Object.

Abstract

A control algorithm for transporting a large object by cooperation of multiple velocity-controlled mobile robots is discussed. Passive joints are installed into each robot as mechanical compliance to avoid excessive inner forces caused by mutual positioning errors among robots. Two cooperative systems consisting of three mobile robots are designed as cooperative mechanisms and their characteristics are analyzed from the control point of view. After choosing one type with more suitable performance for feedback control, a prototype system is developed. Experimental results of cooperative transportation with the system show the effectiveness of the proposed system.