Bond Graph Model-based Control of a Wheeled Mobile Robot

Mobile robots have applications in many areas for transportation of goods and passengers. Mobile robots with wheels for the ground applications are the most commonly used class of mobile robots. Wheeled mobile robots may have one or more number of wheels according to the requirement of a particular application. In the present paper, a two-wheeled differential drive mobile robot is analyzed based on its dynamic model. The dynamic model of the robot is developed using a graphical modeling tool called bond graph, which enables to build a multi-domain model of the mobile robot by considering the chassis and motors' dynamics. Furthermore, the developed bond graph model is utilized to develop a model-based control strategy for the control of the mobile robot by regulating its orientation and position. Indeed, a model-based controller performs better to avoid various disturbances such as parametric uncertainties. Finally, to verify the developed model, simulation of the dynamic model is performed using a software called SYMBOLS, which is dedicated for the bond graph modeling and simulation.