A High-speed Motion Control Method of Pendulum Driven Spherical Robot

Spherical robot is a kind of mobile robot with remarkable omnidirectional motion and strong resistance to the harsh environment compared to traditional mobile robots. However, the lack of high-speed locomotion prevents it from being used in practical applications. Firstly, this paper proposed a model simplification method based on ideal motion state of the robot. According to the simplified model, this paper deduced a speed-course double closed-loop controller based on energy based control method, making the spherical robot being able to track high moving speed up to 4 meters per second and target course angle. The vibration of the pendulum was reduced by the controller. The validity of the controller and the model simplifying method based on the ideal motion state condition are verified by real machine experiments.