Estimation of track-soil interactions for autonomous tracked vehicles

Real time estimation of soil parameters is essential in achieving precise, robust autonomous guidance and control of a tracked vehicle. The paper shows that the slip of the tracks over the terrain can be identified from trajectory data using an extended Kalman filter. The use of a suitable soil model can then allow key soil parameters to be estimated as the vehicle passes over the soil. Knowledge of the soil parameters may in turn be used to allow reference trajectories and control algorithms to be adjusted to suit the soil conditions