Analysis of Sojourner´s Six-Wheeled Rocker Suspension Appended with Driving Moment

Having good climbing obstacle capability is very important for the planet exploration vehicle to succeed the science investigation. The wheel form vehicle is one primary research area, while the Sojourner planet rover represents the leading level of this structure. The configuration analysis of Sojourner´s six-wheeled rocker suspension was introduced. The premise condition for crossing over the barrier, which was higher than the radius of the wheel, was also discussed. Meanwhile, the mathematic model of this process was researched. In order to reflect the practical circumstances, the rolling friction was introduced in the mathematic equations. Finally, the terminal obstacle capability was achieved and its sketch was drawn using Matlab, then an example was given to proof the necessity of considering the driving moment.