On tip-over situation of mobile platforms via impact effects

Mobile platform tip-over problems can be very dangerous to humans and environment. Once the tipping event starts, strategies must be taken to stop further tipping over before the system collapses. As the platforms are forced to turn back over an edge to reverse tipping, it collides with the ground and it is important to predict the subsequent contact events. This paper presents an approach based on the concept of impact to studying the contact events of a class of mobile platforms after the tipping situation is reversed. Impact dynamic equations are formulated and the conditions for various contact events are identified. The impact equations are then utilized to investigate how the system parameters and states affect the tipping situation through examples. We found that the tipping situation may be stopped and the platform can remain on the ground by regulating the system configuration properly