Speaker: Mostafa I. Yacoub and D.S. Necsulescu
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 4, 2012/15:00 to 16:00
Location: 2014 Minto Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
Parking: no free parking
Registration: free
Organizer: The IEEE Ottawa Robotics Automation(RA) and Control Systems (CS) Chapter
Organizer email:Professor J. Z. Sasiadek at jsas@connect.carleton.ca

Abstract: Energy consumption optimization is applied to a mobile robot to
benefit from the kinetic energy gained along downhill slopes, in the
off-road environment, to overcome the uphill slopes. Predictive control
is used, assuming that the robot knows the environment map ahead of time
before reaching a ditch. The energy consumed as well as the motors’ speed
profiles during the operation are investigated. The simulation results
obtained are compared to those of a PID speed controller and to those of
an open-loop control of the DC motors. The results obtained with
predictive controller showed a noticeable reduction in the energy
consumption over the PID controller and the open-loop control which
failed to overcome the ditch. An experimental work was conducted using
wood made ramps to represent the ditch in a laboratory environment. A
mobile robot is required to attempt crossing the ditch. The experimental
results showed good agreement with the simulation results for open-loop,
PID and predictive controllers. Predictive controller proved the most
efficient solution.