Optimization Design and Obstacle Climbing Performance Research of a Transformable Wheel-leg Hybrid Robot

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.11.045

Abstract

Abstract: To improve the adaptability of small mobile robots in complex environments, an innovative wheel-leg hybrid robot with passive transformable wheels is proposed, which retains the steady motion and simple control of conventional wheeled robots. The wheel’s configuration can transforme passively relying on the constraint force between the wheel and obstacle terrain with a transformation ratio of more than 2.3. A force analysis is conducted during the wheel’s transformation and restoration process, and multi-objective optimization design method is used to optimize the wheel’s structural parameters with the goal for transformation capacity and maximum obstacle climbing height. Based on the passively transformable wheels, the robot can realize active and passive switching between wheeled and legged mode based on changes in the friction state between the wheels and terrain, or by controlling the relative speed of the front and rear wheels. By establishing a mechanical model for robot obstacle climbing, the influence of robot parameters on obstacle climbing stability is studied, and the results show the robots can climb relatively high obstacle relying on wheel’s transformation.

Key words: mobile robot, transformable wheel, structure design, parameter optimization, obstacle climbing analysis

CLC Number:

TG242

SHI Yusheng, ZHANG Minglu, ZHANG Xiaojun, JIAO Shilong, JIAO Xin, LI Manhong. Optimization Design and Obstacle Climbing Performance Research of a Transformable Wheel-leg Hybrid Robot[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(11): 45-56.

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