MOBILITY ANALYSIS OF ROBOT SYSTEMS BY MEANS OF SIMULATION
The article explains reasons for using computer simulation for mobility enhancement of mobile robot systems. The authors focus on the study of the chassis with adaptable configuration of the tracks with the use of the multi-body dynamics software. This approach is asserted to be the most suitable for assessing the cross-country ability and selection of the required characteristics of the drive of vehicles with unconventional running gear. The article also discusses the driving simulator developed at BMSTU for studying the dynamics of mobile robot systems and remotely controlled vehicles. The simulator is based on a mathematical model of the vehicle motion adapted for performing calculations in real time mode. The paper presents a brief description of the model and its main differential equations. In addition to this, a necessary component of the simulator is the software that provides the synthesis of the driving routes based on the known pre-defined statistical characteristics. Thus, the developed simulator allows solving the following main problems: calculating the attainable speed of vehicles and obtaining the load characteristics of the traction drive, as well as debugging control algorithms and studying the interaction of the driver-operator with the vehicle and the environment in the conditions of control signal delay and interference. The simulation method also has an important application in the field of improving the motor-transmission systems of robot systems and remotely controlled machines. Due to the fact that at the moment the most common transmission layout of such vehicles is an individual drive of the driving wheels, increasing the speed of movement of mobile robots requires the use of more powerful, and therefore more expensive and heavy electric motors. Thus, the article proposes an approach based on simulation and full-scale and mathematical modeling, which allows to collect the necessary statistical data about the loading modes of the vehicles and determine the required characteristics of electric motors in short-term and long-term operation modes, as well as the desired operating range of the maximum efficiency.