Wheel Torque Control in Rough Terrain - Modeling and Simulation

This paper presents a method for wheel-ground contact angle measurement and a traction control strategy minimizing slip in rough terrain. The slip minimization algorithm has been tested and compared with a standard speed control in simulation, which allows to verify the validity of the assumptions taken during the modeling phase. The simulations show clearly the advantage of torque control versus speed control. Furthermore, the proposed method has the advantage to avoid relying on complex wheel-soil interaction models, whose parameters are generally unknown in challenging terrains.