Multi-domain model of steering system for an omnidirectional mobile robot

This work focuses on the steering model of an outdoor and omnidirectional robot with an over-actuated traction system. The robot is a heavyweight called RobuTAINeR, used for carrying 40 feet containers inside confined spaces of maritime terminals. It is equipped with four decentralized steered and twinned wheels for stability purpose during the steering tasks. In this class of robots, the steering system plays an important role for the autonomous navigation, hence there is a necessity to understand its multi-domain dynamic behaviors: electrical, mechanical, hydrodynamic, etc. For this aim, a graphical power exchange modeling is used, based on Bond Graph (BG), in order to describe all the considered dynamics present in the motor-wheel steering system of this class of omni-drive robot. The model is a switched hydraulic based-control system. The validation of this model has been done with real-time simulation, based on real-data integrated into the professional simulator SCANeR Studio^©.