Analysis of mobile robot acceleration for tip-over terrain prediction

The tip-over terrain can be analyzed by using a support polygon which is determined by contact points between the mobile robot and the ground. If the intersection between the extended line of the resultant force acting on the robot and the ground plane is located inside the support polygon, the tip-over does not occur. Otherwise, the tip-over must occur. However, when it comes to tip-over analysis with a support polygon, not only the position of the mobile robot but also the orientation should be considered. The tip-over under given terrain cannot be analyzed in advance unless the orientation of the robot on the terrain is determined beforehand. Thus, in this paper, the support polygon is approximated as an inscribed circle of it, which is defined as a support inscribed circle. The support inscribed circle has equidistance from its center. Therefore, it makes possible to analyze the tip-over without considering the orientation of the robot. At this time, the tip-over terrain is analyzed by considering the support inscribed circle and the acceleration of the mobile robot. Finally, the tip-over of a 4 wheeled mobile robot, ERP-42, is analyzed by using the support inscribed circle.