• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.372-378
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• 2009

For effective mobility control of unmanned ground vehicles in outdoor off-road environments, terrain cover classification technology using passive sensors is vital. This paper presents a novel method far terrain classification based on color and texture information of off-road images. It uses a neural network classifier and wavelet features. We exploit the wavelet mean and energy features extracted from multi-channel wavelet transformed images and also utilize the terrain class spatial coordinates of images to include additional features. By comparing the classification performance according to applied features, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a promising result and potential possibilities for autonomous navigation.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.883-895
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• 2007

In this work, we present the development of a patrol robot which is intended to navigate outdoor rough terrain. Proposed mechanism consists of six legs for overcoming an obstacle, and six wheels for traveling. Also, in order to absorb vibration in rough terrain effectively, the slide-spring system and tubed type tire are adopted to each leg and each wheel. The control system of robot consists of several imbedded boards for management of lots of diverse devices such as sensors designed for rough terrain, motor controllers, camera, micro controller and so on. And the base system of the robot is designed to operate in real time and to surveille in the vicinity of the robot, and the robot system is controlled by wireless LAN connected to GUI-based remote control system, while CAN communication connects the control board and the device controllers for sensors and motor controllers. For operating this robot system efficiently, we propose the control algorithms for autonomous navigation using GPS, stabilization maintenance by posture control, obstacle-avoidance by impedance control, and obstacle-overcoming with interference-avoidance between wheels. The performance of the robot and the proposed algorithms are tested and proved by a set of experiments in outdoor rough terrain.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.58-69
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• 2014

This paper proposes a method for predicting maximum friction coefficients and optimal slip ratios as optimal control parameters for traction control or slip control of autonomous mobile robots on rough terrain. This paper focuses on strength of ground surface which indicates different characteristics depending on material types on surface. Strength of various material types can be estimated by Willoughby sinkage model and by a developed testbed which can measure forces, velocities, and displacements generated by wheel-terrain interaction. Estimated strength is collaborated on building improved Brixius model with friction-slip data from experiments with the testbed over sand and grass material. Improved Brixius model covers widespread material types in outdoor environments on predicting friction-slip characteristics depending on strength of ground surface. Thus, a prediction model for obtaining optimal control parameters is derived by partial differentiation of the improved Brixius model with respect to slip. This prediction model can be applied to autonomous mobile robots and finally gives secure maneuverability on rough terrain. Proposed method is verified by various experiments under similar conditions with the ones for real outdoor robots.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.356-360
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• 2015

In this paper, we design and implement a mobile robot with variable structure for tip-over prevention. The mobile robot is designed for the purpose of stable drive and work in outdoor terrain. The outdoor terrain is rough and uneven. In this terrain, the tip-over of the mobile robot can occur while driving and working. Therefore, the structure of the mobile robot must be designed in consideration of stable drive and work. The proposed structure is defined as an X-shape for overall balance of the mobile robot. The shape is designed by using a multi-level structure for reducing the size of the robot. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed design, we analyze the tip-over characteristics according to the height of gravitational center and the extension length of the robot. Finally, we develop a prototype of the mobile robot with variable structure, taking the results of the tip-over analysis into consideration.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.292-300
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• 2011

Global positioning system (GPS) is widely used to measure the position of a vehicle. However, the accuracy of the GPS can be severely affected by surrounding environmental conditions. To deal with this problem, the GPS and odometry data can be combined using an extended Kalman filter. For stable navigation of an outdoor mobile robot using the GPS, this paper proposes two methods to evaluate the reliability of the GPS data. The first method is to calculate the standard deviation of the GPS data and reflect it to deal with the uncertainty of the GPS data. The second method is to match the GPS data to the traversability map which can be obtained by classifying outdoor terrain data. By matching of the GPS data with the traversability map, we can determine whether to use the GPS data or not. The experimental results show that the proposed methods can enhance the performance of the GPS-based outdoor localization.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2011

Terrain recognition ability is crucial to the performance of legged robots in an outdoor environment. For instance, a robot will not easily walk and it will tumble or deviate from its path if there is no information on whether the walking surface is flat, rugged, tough, and slippery. In this study, the ground surface recognition ability of robots is discussed, and to enable walking robots to recognize the surface state and changes, a central moment method was used. The values of the sensor signals (load cell) of robots while walking were detected in the supported section and were analyzed according to signal variance, skewness, and kurtosis. Based on the results of such analysis, the surface state was detected and classified.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.339-348
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• 2010

One of the requirements for autonomous vehicles on off-road is to move stably in unstructured environments. Such capacity of autonomous vehicles is one of the most important abilities in consideration of mobility. So, many researchers use contact and/or non-contact methods to determine a terrain whether the vehicle can move on or not. In this paper we introduce an algorithm to classify terrains using visual information(one of the non-contacting methods). As a pre-processing, a contrast enhancement technique is introduced to improve classification of terrain. Also, for conducting classification algorithm, training images are grouped according to materials of the surface, and then Bayesian classification are applied to new images to determine membership to each group. In addition to the classification, we can build Traversability map specified by friction coefficients on which autonomous vehicles can decide to go or not. Experiments are made with Load-Cell to determine real friction coefficients of various terrains.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.637-646
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• 2013

In order to model a variety of natural trees that are appropriate to outdoor terrains consisting of multiple trees, this study proposes a modeling method of new growth rules(based on the convolution sums of divisor functions). Basically, this method uses an existing growth-volume based algorithm for efficient management of the branches and leaves that constitute a tree, as well as natural propagation of branches. The main features of this paper is to introduce the theory of convolution sums of divisor functions that is naturally expressed the growth or fate of branches and leaves at each growth step. Based on this, a method of modeling various tree is proposed to minimize user control through a number of divisor functions having generalized generation functions and modification of the growth rule. This modeling method is characterized by its consideration of both branches and leaves as well as its advantage of having a greater effect on the construction of an outdoor terrain composed of multiple trees. Natural and varied tree model creation through the proposed method was conducted, and using this, the possibility of constructing a wide nature terrain and the efficiency of the process for configuring multiple trees were evaluated experimentally.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.171-181
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• 2012

Outdoor mobile robots are faced with various terrain types having different characteristics. To run safely and carry out the mission, mobile robot should recognize terrain types, physical and geometric characteristics and so on. It is essential to control appropriate motion for each terrain characteristics. One way to determine the terrain types is to use non-contact sensor data such as vision and laser sensor. Another way is to use contact sensor data such as slope of body, vibration and current of motor that are reaction data from the ground to the tire. In this paper, we presented experimental results on terrain classification using contact sensor data. We made a mobile robot for collecting contact sensor data and collected data from four terrains we chose for experimental terrains. Through analysis of the collecting data, we suggested a new method of terrain feature extraction considering physical characteristics and confirmed that the proposed method can classify the four terrains that we chose for experimental terrains. We can also be confirmed that terrain feature extraction method using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) typically used in previous studies and the proposed method have similar classification performance through back propagation learning algorithm. However, both methods differ in the amount of data including terrain feature information. So we defined an index determined by the amount of terrain feature information and classification error rate. And the index can evaluate classification efficiency. We compared the results of each method through the index. The comparison showed that our method is more efficient than the existing method.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.438-446
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• 2022

In this paper, we propose an intelligent three-legged landing system that can maintain stability and level even on rough terrain than conventional four-legged landing systems. Conventional landing gear has the limitation that it requires flat terrain for landing. The 3-leg landing system proposed in this paper extends the usable range of the legs and reduces the weight, allowing the quadcopter to operate in various environments. To do this, kinematics determine the joint angles and coordinates of the legs of the two-link structure. Based on the angle value of the quadcopter detected via the IMU sensor, the leg control method that corrects the posture is determined. A force sensor attached to the end of the leg is used to detect contact with the ground. At the moment of contact with the ground, landing control starts according to the value of the IMU sensor. The proposed system verifies its reliability in various environments through an indoor landing test stand. Finally, in an outdoor environment, the quadcopter lands on a 20 degree incline and 20 cm rough terrain after flight. This demonstrates the stability and effectiveness of the 3-leg landing system even on rough terrain compared to the 4-leg landing system.