Measurement of wheel-terrain contact angle for WMRs on rough terrain using laser scanning sensor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore a novel measurement approach for wheel-terrain contact angle using laser scanning sensors based on near-terrain perception. Laser scanning sensors have rarely been applied to the measurement of wheel-terrain contact angle for wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) in previous studies; however, it is an effective way to measure wheel-terrain contact angle directly with the advantages of simple, fast and high accuracy. Design/methodology/approach First, kinematics model for a WMR moving on rough terrain was developed, taking into consideration wheel slip and wheel-terrain contact angle. Second, the measurement principles of wheel-terrain contact angle using laser scanning sensors was presented, including “rigid wheel - rigid terrain” model and “rigid wheel - deformable terrain” model. Findings In the proposed approach, the measurement of wheel-terrain contact angle using laser scanning sensors was successfully demonstrated. The rationality of the approach was verified by experiments on rigid and sandy terrains with satisfactory results. Originality/value This paper proposes a novel, fast and effective wheel-terrain contact angle measurement approach for WMRs moving on both rigid and deformable terrains, using laser scanning sensors.