Rough Terrain Rovers Dynamics Analysis and Optimization
In this paper a new approach to dynamics optimization of rough terrain rovers is introduced. Since rover wheels traction has a significant role in rover mobility, optimization is based on the minimization of traction at rover wheel-ground interfaces. The method of optimization chosen is Genetic Algorithm (GA) which is a directed random search technique along with the usual optimization based on directional derivatives. GA is a suitable and efficient method of optimization for nonlinear problems. The procedure is applied on a specific rough terrain rover called CEDRA-I Shrimp Rover. Dynamical equations are obtained using Kane’s method. Finally, the results are verified by modeling of the rover in ADAMS® software package.