AUTONOMOUS CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE WITH ACTIVELY ARTICULATED FRAME.

In this paper we suggest a structure of an autonomous control system for a six-wheeled vehicle with actively articulated frame that is traversing through cluttered spaces with undetermined placement of specified-type obstacles. Description of active frame transformation control strategies and algorithms also is given. Control algorithms utilize information that is provided by proprioceptive sensors (used in direct estimation of current vehicle configuration) and exterioceptive sensors (used in indirect estimation of the obstacle height and distance from it). These algorithms are active while vehicle overcomes random consequence of obstacles belonged to three classes: step (overcoming), step (descending) and ditch. For each obstacle type we suggest specific vehicle movement mode. Patterns of each feasible switching between modes and dependency between desired frame configuration and obstacle height are then discussed. Suggested strategies and algorithms are tested via complex virtual modelling of control system and vehicle dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]