MOBILE ROBOTICS course

KINEMATICS MODELS OF
MOBILE ROBOTS

Maria Isabel Ribeiro

Pedro Lima

mir@isr.ist.utl.pt pal@isr.ist.utl.pt
Instituto Superior Técnico (IST)
Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica (ISR)
Av.Rovisco Pais, 1
1049-001 Lisboa
PORTUGAL

April.2002

All the rights reserved

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 References

• Gregory Dudek, Michael Jenkin, “Computational Principles of

Mobile Robotics”, Cambridge University Press, 2000 (Chapter 1).

• Carlos Canudas de Wit, Bruno Siciliano, Georges Bastin (eds),

“Theory of Robot Control”, Springer 1996.

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Kinematics for Mobile Robots

• What is a kinematic model ?

• What is a dynamic model ?
• Which is the difference between kinematics and
dynamics?

• Locomotion is the process of causing an autonomous

robot to move.
– In order to produce motion, forces must be applied to the
vehicle

• Dynamics – the study of motion in which these forces are

modeled
– Includes the energies and speeds associated with these
motions

• Kinematics – study of the mathematics of motion withouth

considering the forces that affect the motion.
– Deals with the geometric relationships that govern the system
– Deals with the relationship between control parameters and
the beahvior of a system in state space.

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Notation

Yb

Ym
Xm

θ
y
P

x Xb

• {Xm,Ym} – moving frame

• {Xb, Yb} – base frame

x
  robot posture in base frame
q = y
 
θ

 cos θ sin θ 0
  Rotation matrix expressing
R(θ) = − sin θ cos θ 0
  the orientation of the base
 0 0 1 frame with respect to the
moving frame

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Wheeled Mobile Robots

• Idealized rolling wheel

y axis

x axis
y axis

z motion

• If the wheel is free to rotate about its axis (x axis), the

robot exhibits preferencial rollong motion in one direction
(y axis) and a certain amount of lateral slip.

• For low velocities, rolling is a reasonable wheel model.

– This is the model that will be considered in the kinematics
models of WMR

Wheel parameters:
• r = wheel radius
• v = wheel linear velocity
• w = wheel angular velocity

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Differential Drive

ICC
• 2 drive rolling wheels

R
L
θ
y

ICC = ( x − R sin θ, y + Rcosθ)

• vr(t) – linear velocity of right wheel

control variables
• vl(t) – linear velocity of left wheel
• r – nominal radius of each wheel
• R – instantaneous curvature radius of the robot trajectory, relative
to the mid-point axis

L
R− Curvature radius of trajectory
2 described by LEFT WHEEL

L Curvature radius of trajectory

R+
2 described by RIGHT WHEEL

v r (t)
w(t ) = v r (t) − v l (t)
R+L w(t ) =
2 L
1
v( t ) = w ( t )R = ( v r ( t ) + v l ( t ))
w( t ) =
vl (t) L ( v l ( t ) + v r ( t )) 2
R=
R−L 2 ( v l ( t ) − v r ( t ))
2

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Differential Drive

• Kinematic model in the robot frame

v x ( t )  r 2 r 2
     w l (t) 
v y ( t ) =  0 0  
!     w r ( t )
 θ( t )  − r L r L 
• wr(t) – angular velocity of right wheel
• wl(t) – angular velocity of left wheel

Useful for velocity control

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Differential Drive

Kinematic model in the world frame

1
v( t ) = w( t )R = ( v r ( t ) + v l ( t ))
2
v (t) − v l (t)
w(t ) = r
L

t
x( t ) = ∫ v(σ) cos(θ(σ))dσ
x! ( t ) = v( t ) cos θ( t ) 0
t

y! ( t ) = v( t ) sin θ( t ) y( t ) = ∫ v(σ) sin(θ(σ))dσ

0

θ! ( t ) = w( t ) t
θ( t ) = ∫ w(σ )dσ
0

 x! ( t ) cos θ( t ) 0 q! ( t ) = S(q)ξ( t )
     v( t ) 
 y! ( t ) =  sin θ( t ) 0 
control
 variables

!     w( t )
θ( t )  0 1

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Differential Drive

• Particular cases:

– vl(t)=vr(t)

• Straight line trajectory

v r ( t ) = v l ( t ) = v( t )
w( t ) = 0 ⇒ θ! ( t ) = 0 ⇒ θ( t ) = cte.

– vl(t)=-vr(t)

• Circular path with ICC (instantaneous center of curvature) on

the mid-point between drive wheels

v( t ) = 0
2
w( t ) = vR (t)
L

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Synchronous drive

• In a synchronous drive robot (synchro drive) each wheel is

capable of being driven and steered.
• Typical configurations
– Three steered wheels arranged as vertices of an equilateral
triangle often surmounted by a cylindrical platform
– All the wheels turn and drive in unison
• This leads to a holonomic behavior

• Steered wheel
– The orientation of the rotation axis can be controlled

y axis

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Synchronous drive

• All the wheels turn in unison

• All of the three wheels point in the same direction and turn
at the same rate
– This is typically achieved through the use of a complex
collection of belts that physically link the wheels together
• The vehicle controls the direction in which the wheels point
and the rate at which they roll
• Because all the wheels remain parallel the synchro drive
always rotate about the center of the robot
• The synchro drive robot has the ability to control the
orientation θ of their pose diretly.

• Control variables (independent)

– v(t), w(t)

t
x( t ) = ∫ v(σ) cos(θ(σ))dσ
0
t
y( t ) = ∫ v(σ) sin(θ(σ))dσ
0
t
θ( t ) = ∫ w(σ )dσ
0

• The ICC is always at infinity

• Changing the orientation of the wheels
manipulates the direction of ICC

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Synchronous Drive

• Particular cases:

– v(t)=0, w(t)=w=cte. during a time interval ∆t

• The robot rotates in place by an amount w ∆t

– v(t)=v, w(t)=0 during a time interval ∆t

• The robot moves in the direction its pointing a distance

v ∆t

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Tricycle

• Three wheels and odometers on the two rear wheels

• Steering and power are provided through the front wheel

• control variables:
– steering direction α(t)
– angular velocity of steering wheel ws(t)

The ICC must lie on

the line that passes
through, and is
perpendicular to, the
fixed rear wheels

ICC ICC

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Tricycle

Yb

α
d If the steering wheel is set to
R an angle α(t) from the
θ straight-line direction, the
y
tricycle will rotate with
angular velocity w(t) about a
point lying a distance R along
the line perpendicular to and
x passing through the rear
Xb
wheels.

r = steering wheel radius

v s (t) = w s (t) r linear velocity of steering wheel

(
R( t ) = d tg π − α( t )
2
)
w s (t) r
w(t ) = angular velocity of the moving frame
d + R( t )
2 2 relative to the base frame

v s (t)
w( t ) = sin α( t )
d

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Tricycle

Kinematic model in the robot frame

v x ( t ) = v s ( t ) cos α( t )
v y (t) = 0 with no splippage

!θ( t ) = v s ( t ) sin α( t )
d

Kinematic model in the world frame

x! ( t ) = v s ( t ) cos α( t ) cos θ( t )
y! ( t ) = v s ( t ) cos α( t ) sin θ( t )
v (t)
θ! ( t ) = s sin α( t )
d

 x! ( t ) cos θ( t ) 0
     v( t )  v( t ) = v s ( t ) cos α( t )
 y! ( t ) =  sin θ( t ) 0   v s (t)
!     w( t ) w(t ) = sin α( t )
θ( t )  0 1 d

Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models

 Omnidireccional

Ym
L

30º
Yf

2
3
θ
Xf
Xm

Swedish wheel
Kinematic model in the robot frame

 1 1 
 0 − r r
 x
V 3 3   w1 
   2 1 1  
 Vy  = − r r r w 2 
!   3 3 3   w1, w2, w3 – angular
θ  r r r  w 3  velocities of the three
 3L 3L 3L  swedish wheels


Robótica Móvel 2002 - © Pedro Lima, M. Isabel Ribeiro Kinematics Models