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工程设计学报
Chinese Journal of Engineering Design  2025, Vol. 32 Issue (1): 42-50    DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1006-754X.2025.04.127
Robotic and Mechanism Design     
Research on environmental sanitation robot formation based on leader-follower and artificial potential field
Yuming XIE1(),Hanfeng YIN2(),Huihui XIAO1
1.Hunan Engineering Research Center of Control Technology and Equipment of Special Robot in Complex Environment, Xiangtan 411104, China
2.College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
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Abstract  

Aiming at the problem of poor formation stability of environmental sanitation robots during cluster operations, an innovative formation control method combining the leader-follower strategy and artificial potential field algorithm is proposed. Firstly, according to the structural characteristics of the environmental sanitation robot, its kinematics model was constructed based on the leader-follower strategy. Then, in view of the complex operation environment of environmental sanitation robots, the artificial potential field algorithm was employed for formation obstacle avoidance, and a novel formation transformation strategy was proposed to enable robots to smoothly pass through the working scenarios such as back streets and alleys, so as to realize the cooperative operation of multi-robots. Finally, the simulation experiments were conducted by MATLAB software and the experimental test was carried out in the actual operation scenario. The results showed that the proposed method could effectively facilitate the formation of environmental sanitation robots to avoid obstacles and pass through narrow passage in complex operation scenarios, while achieving stable formation maintenance and flexible transformation. The tracking error of the following robot remained below 0.1 m when the formation was stable, and the experimental results verified the effectiveness of the formation control method. The research results provide reference for the formation control of environmental sanitation robots in different operation scenarios.

Key words： environmental sanitation robot      leader-follower strategy      artificial potential field algorithm      formation control method     
Received: 28 March 2024      Published: 04 March 2025
CLC:  TP 24  
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Yuming XIE
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Cite this article:

Yuming XIE,Hanfeng YIN,Huihui XIAO. Research on environmental sanitation robot formation based on leader-follower and artificial potential field. Chinese Journal of Engineering Design, 2025, 32(1): 42-50.

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https://www.zjujournals.com/gcsjxb/10.3785/j.issn.1006-754X.2025.04.127     OR     https://www.zjujournals.com/gcsjxb/Y2025/V32/I1/42


基于领航-跟随及人工势场的环卫机器人编队研究

针对环卫机器人集群作业时存在编队稳定性差的问题，创新性地提出了一种结合领航-跟随策略与人工势场算法的编队控制方法。首先，根据环卫机器人的结构特点，基于领航-跟随策略构建了其运动学模型。然后，针对环卫机器人的复杂作业环境，采用人工势场算法进行编队避障，并提出了全新的编队变换策略，以使机器人能够顺利通过背街小巷等作业场景，从而实现多机器人的协同作业。最后，利用MATLAB软件开展仿真实验并在实际作业场景中开展实验测试。结果表明，所提出的方法可使环卫机器人编队在复杂作业场景中有效避障及通过狭窄通道，同时实现队形的稳定保持与灵活变换；编队稳定时跟随机器人的跟踪误差保持在0.1 m以下，实验结果验证了该编队控制方法的有效性。研究结果为环卫机器人在不同作业场景下的编队控制提供了参考。


关键词： 环卫机器人,  领航-跟随策略,  人工势场算法,  编队控制方法 
Fig.1 Kinematics model of a single environmental sanitation robot
Fig.2 Actual operation formation of environmental sanitation robots
Fig.3 Environmental sanitation robot formation model
Fig.4 Obstacle avoidance process of environmental sanitation robot
Fig.5 Transformation of environmental sanitation robot formation
Fig.6 Motion state of environmental sanitation robot formation during obstacle avoidance
Fig. 7 Motion trajectory of environmental sanitation robot formation during obstacle avoidance
Fig.8 Speed and angular velocity curves of environmental sanitation robot formation during obstacle avoidance
Fig.9 Motion state of environmental sanitation robot formation during transformation
Fig.10 Motion trajectory of environmental sanitation robot formation during transformation
Fig.11 Speed and angular velocity curves of environmental sanitation robot formation during transformation
Fig.12 Tracking error of following robots
Fig.13 Formation of environmental sanitation robots
Fig.14 Structure of environmental sanitation robot
Fig.15 Experimental results of environmental sanitation robot formation operation
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