Load distribution control for cooperative transportation by multiple mobile robots

Abstract

This paper addresses the theme of cooperative transportation by multiple mobile robots. There are some cases where robots are in overload by the influence of environment and the trajectory of a carrying object. In such cases the transportation becomes unstable. Thus, in this paper, the control system to prevent this problem is proposed. The proposed system consists of three control layers and the information on the system's load condition is transmitted among these layers. Based on this, the means for realizing stable transportation are performed. The system can be applied when there is various number and capability of robots. The validity of the proposed control method is checked by the simulation.