Horizontal stabilization of the two-degree-of-freedom platform of a uniaxial wheeled module tracking a given trajectory over an underlying surface

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a structure of a uniaxial wheeled module (UWM) with an instrument platform having two degrees of freedom with respect to the wheelset axle, which moves without slippage over an underlying surface. The horizontal orientation of the platform from its small neighborhood is done by precessional motion with the one-axis powered gyroscopes installed on the platform. The horizontal stabilization of the platform is done by the reactive moments of flywheel motors and the gravitational moments of weights whose displacement is controlled by the function of the flywheels’ rotational speeds. The data on the horizontal deviations of the platform are provided by accelerometric sensors, which are not exposed to inertial forces. A mathematical model of the UWM is developed and control structures for its flywheels, weights, and gyroscopes are synthesized. The effectiveness of the structures proposed is confirmed by the numerical simulation of the UWM’s trajectory tracking behavior over the underlying surface.