The gait planning theory and technology research on the wheel-foot multi-joint mobile robot

Based on the excellent mechanical structure of the wheel-foot multi-joint mobile robot, we have strictly deduced the direct and inverse kinematical formulas of the robot´s legs. So the theoretical method and technology of gaits control for the wheel-foot multi-joint mobile robot have been explored out. By precisely analyzing the obstacle performance and the workspace of the robot´s feet, the constraints and efficiency of the robot have been illustrated clearly. After studying the features of various gaits, we also have designed four kinds of specific gaits for the wheel-foot multi-joint mobile robot, including the swing forward gait, the crab-lateral gait, the bent-knee forward gait and the wheel-turn gait, to verify the mobile ability and control effects of the robot. Then we research most fully on the control features, the attitudes of legs, the simulation effects and the fluctuation of the robot´s body when walking with these four kinds of gaits, in order to fully understand the performance of the robot. The results of simulations and actual prototype tests have proved that the wheel-foot multi-joint mobile robot, with special mechanical structure and reasonable gaits planning, can move fast and steadily with versatile gaits in various complex terrains. The effectiveness of the theoretical exploration and the technical implementation has been fully proved in this paper.