General Model of an Omnidirectional Mobile Robot Suitable for Uneven Ground

Abstract

Mecanum wheels are used when omnidirectional movability of a vehicle is desired. For achieving the movability it is important to have a model of this omni-directional platform. In order to apply the omni-directional vehicle with four Mecanum wheels both to plane ground and to uneven ground, this paper presents a general model. Firstly the kinematics and the dynamics of the model on plane ground are presented. Then it is presented that there are mainly four types of uneven ground and four classes of touch states between the Mecanum wheels and the uneven ground in common buildings. A kinematical model which is suitable for the uneven ground is illustrated. It is proved that this model is also suitable for plane ground. A mobile robot control system was established by using Simulink module of MATLAB.