Coordinated Motion and Force Control of Multi-Rover Robotics System with Mecanum Wheels

This paper presents a novel optimal control algorithm for coordinated force and motion control of multi rover robotics system with mecanum wheels while manipulating a common payload. Such a system with kinematical rolling conditions lead to non-holonomic constraints. The proposed control algorithm focuses on the minimization of joint torques, the rover-mecanum wheel moments as well as the contact force / moments made with the payload. A quadratic cost function in terms of the joint torques, the wheel moments and the contact forces and moments are minimized to overcome the so called joint torque saturation problem commonly seen while manipulating a common payload and also to provide an optimum solution for such an underdetermined system with non-holonomic constraints Furthermore, the proposed control algorithm provides an on-line trajectory generation capability while manipulating a common payload for both the rovers and the arms simultaneously. The computer simulation results show that the control algorithm works efficiently and the minimum joint torques, and the contact forces and moments can be obtained while the end-effectors are manipulating and tracking a desired payload trajectory.