Power modeling of a skid steered wheeled robotic ground vehicle

Analysis of the power consumption of a robotic ground vehicle (RGV) is important for planning since it enables motion plans that do not violate the power limitations of the motors, energy efficient path planning, prediction of the ability to complete a task based upon the vehicle's current energy supply, and estimation of when the vehicle will need to refuel or recharge. Power modeling is particularly difficult for skid steered vehicles because of the complexities of properly taking into account the skidding that is used for vehicle turning. This paper begins with a 2-dimensional, second order differential equation of a skid steered, wheeled RGV and shows that the power model is terrain dependent and is a function of both the turning radius and linear velocity of the vehicle. This model was verified experimentally, and a comprehensive set of experiments was performed to describe the power consumption of a skid steered RGV on asphalt.