Practical Model for Energy Consumption Analysis of Omnidirectional Mobile Robot
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sensors Article Practical Model for Energy Consumption Analysis of Omnidirectional Mobile Robot Linfei Hou 1 , Fengyu Zhou 1, Kiwan Kim 2 and Liang Zhang 3,* 1 School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China; [email protected] (L.H.); [email protected] (F.Z.) 2 Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Chungnam State University, Cheongyang 33303, Korea; [email protected] 3 School of Mechanical, Electrical and Information Engineering, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-130-6118-7255 Abstract: The four-wheeled Mecanum robot is widely used in various industries due to its maneu- verability and strong load capacity, which is suitable for performing precise transportation tasks in a narrow environment. While the Mecanum wheel robot has mobility, it also consumes more energy than ordinary robots. The power consumed by the Mecanum wheel mobile robot varies enormously depending on their operating regimes and environments. Therefore, only knowing the working environment of the robot and the accurate power consumption model can we accurately predict the power consumption of the robot. In order to increase the applicable scenarios of energy consumption modeling for Mecanum wheel robots and improve the accuracy of energy consumption modeling, this paper focuses on various factors that affect the energy consumption of the Mecanum wheel robot, such as motor temperature, terrain, the center of gravity position, etc. The model is derived from the kinematic and kinetic model combined with electrical engineering and energy flow principles. The model has been simulated in MATLAB and experimentally validated with the Citation: Hou, L.; Zhou, F.; Kim, K.; four-wheeled Mecanum robot platform in our lab. Experimental results show that the accuracy of Zhang, L. Practical Model for Energy the model reached 95%. The results of energy consumption modeling can help robots save energy by Consumption Analysis of helping them to perform rational path planning and task planning. Omnidirectional Mobile Robot. Sensors 2021, 21, 1800. https:// Keywords: Mecanum mobile robots; minimum-energy control; energy modeling; energy measure- doi.org/10.3390/S21051800 ments; complex environment Academic Editor: Md Nazmul Huda Received: 31 December 2020 1. Introduction Accepted: 21 February 2021 The Mecanum wheel is the most common omnidirectional wheel structure used in Published: 5 March 2021 practical applications. Compared with other omnidirectional wheel structures, it has high complexity capabilities [1]. Mecanum wheel robots have the advantage when it comes to Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral stability, high load capacity, simple structure, and flexible movement. Therefore, they are with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- widely used in industrial production [2]. While Mecanum wheel robots have the advantage iations. of movement flexibility, they also consume more energy than ordinary wheeled robots [3]. In recent years, Mecanum wheel robots have been widely used in warehousing and logistics. With the increasing degree of automation of mobile robots, mobile robot energy models are becoming more complex. However, the energy modeling of Mecanum wheel mobile robots in complex environments has not been given enough attention. In this Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. paper, we mainly study the power consumption modeling of the Mecanum wheel robot Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. in upslope and downslope environments. A separate analysis of the effects of various This article is an open access article factors on power consumption is presented, and a power consumption model in a complex distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons environment of Mecanum wheel robots is proposed. Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// The special structure of the four-wheeled Mecanum wheel robot (FMWR) (see Figure1 ) creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ gives it the ability to move omnidirectionally and with high loads [4]. The particular struc- 4.0/). ture of the Mecanum wheel provides the robot with better flexibility than ordinary wheeled Sensors 2021, 21, 1800. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21051800 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors Sensors 2021, 21, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 19 Sensors 2021, 21, 1800 The special structure of the four-wheeled Mecanum wheel robot (FMWR) (see Figure2 of 18 1) gives it the ability to move omnidirectionally and with high loads [4]. The particular structure of the Mecanum wheel provides the robot with better flexibility than ordinary wheeledrobots. Therobots. omnidirectional The omnidirectional movement movement performance performance enables mobileenables robots mobile to robots carryout to carrybetter out transportation better transportation tasks in crowded, tasks in narrow, crowded, or highly narrow, dynamic or highly environments. dynamic However,environ- ments.the special However, structure the and special movement structure of theand Mecanum movement wheel of the also Mecanum increases thewheel energy also con-in- creasessumption the of energy the robot, consumption so, compared of the to ordinary robot, so, wheeled compared robots, to ordinary the Mecanum wheeled wheel robots, robot thehas Mecanum more energy wheel consumption. robot has more [5]. Almostenergy consum all robotsption. need [5]. the Almost energy all from robots the need batteries the energythey carry from [6 the]. The batteries energy they situation carry of[6]. the The battery energy dramatically situation of limits the battery the task dramatically completion limitsof the the robots task [completion7]. Energy-efficient of the robots strategies [7]. Energy-efficient for mobile robots strategies can expand for mobile the range robots of canuses, expand perform the morerangemissions, of uses, perform and accomplish more missions, more complexand accomplish operations more [8 –complex10]. Energy op- erationsmodeling [8–10]. has significance Energy modeling for battery has energy significance management for battery and rangeenergy estimation management of mobile and rangerobots estimation [11–13]. Accuracy of mobile of robots energy [11–13]. models A canccuracy help of robots energy with models task planning, can help energyrobots withprediction task planning, [14–18], sensorenergy setupprediction [19,20 [14–18],], and energy sensor optimal setup [19,20], path planning and energy [21– optimal23], and pathhave planning very significant [21–23], applications and have very in autonomous significant planning,applications autonomous in autonomous exploration planning, [24], autonomousand even robot exploration design. [24], and even robot design. YG YR Y2 Vy2 X2 Vx2 V 1 Y1 r Vy1 X1 Vx1 ϕ Vr2 XR O φ Y4 Vr4 Vy4 Vx4 X4 Y3 Ly V 3 y Vx3 X3 Vr3 Lx XG FigureFigure 1. 1. SchematicSchematic of of the the four-wheeled four-wheeled Mecanum Mecanum wheel wheel robot robot (FMWR). (FMWR). At present, the main research on the energy consumption of Mecanum wheel robots At present, the main research on the energy consumption of Mecanum wheel robots focuses on the energy consumption of the smooth-running phase of the Mecanum wheel focuses on the energy consumption of the smooth-running phase of the Mecanum wheel robot during the motion on the plane. The energy modeling for this part has been relatively robot during the motion on the plane. The energy modeling for this part has been rela- well developed [25,26]. However, there is a lack of analysis of the difference in energy tively well developed [25,26]. However, there is a lack of analysis of the difference in en- consumption of the Mecanum wheel robot between different terrains, and there is no ergy consumption of the Mecanum wheel robot between different terrains, and there is modeling analysis of the factors affecting the energy consumption of the robot, the energy no modeling analysis of the factors affecting the energy consumption of the robot, the consumption fluctuations in the transition phase between the two stable operation phases energy consumption fluctuations in the transition phase between the two stable operation are also only briefly explained [25,26]. This results in incomplete modeling scenes, and the phases are also only briefly explained [25,26]. This results in incomplete modeling scenes, model cannot adapt to the various environments in which the robot operates. Moreover, and the model cannot adapt to the various environments in which the robot operates. the accuracy of the modeling needs to be improved. Moreover, the accuracy of the modeling needs to be improved. The main contribution of this paper is to analyze and model the energy consumption of a MecanumThe main contribution wheel robot inof complexthis paper environments, is to analyze theand analysis model the of theenergy factors consumption that have a ofsignificant a Mecanum impact wheel on robot the robot’s in complex energy environmen consumption,ts, whichthe analysis are represented of the factors as parameters that have ain significant the modeling. impact Finally, on the the robot’s difference energy between consumption, the power which consumption are represented of Mecanum as param- wheel etersrobots in and the ordinary modeling. wheeled Finally, robots the due diff toerence their special between structure the ispower emphasized. consumption According of Mecanumto the previous wheel study, robots we and divided ordinary the wheeled energy consumptionrobots due to oftheir the special Mecanum