Automatic Stair-Climbing Algorithm of the Planetary Wheel Type Mobile Robot in Nuclear Facilities

Abstract

A mobile robot, named KAEROT, has been developed for inspection and maintenance operations in nuclear facilities. The main feature of locomotion system is the planetary wheel assembly with small wheels. This mechanism has been designed to be able to go over the stairs and obstacles with stability. This paper presents the inverse kinematic solution that is to be operated by remote control. The automatic stair climbing algorithm is also proposed. The. proposed algorithms generates the moving pathes of small wheels and calculates the angular velocity of 3 actuation wheels. The results of simulations and experiments are given for KAEROT peformed on the irregular stairs in laboratory. It is shown that the proposed algorithm provides the lower inclination angle of the robot body and increases its stability during navigation.