A Novel Tilting Mechanism for Personal Mobility Robot Platform: Mathematical Modeling and HILS-Based Control Verification
Sunyeop Lee, Wonchang Yang, Yongseob Lim, Kanghyun Nam
AI summary
Problem
Narrow-track personal mobility platforms suffer from a low rollover threshold due to their compact footprint, compromising both safety and rider comfort during turns.
Approach
The authors introduce a suspension-integrated tilting mechanism that creates a two-degree-of-freedom roll path, paired with a dual-layer control scheme that generates target tilt angles from steering inputs and tracks them using a disturbance observer, all validated via hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
Key results
- Linearized state-space dynamic model for the 2-DOF mechanism
- Dual-layer tilt control with steering-based reference and disturbance observer
- HILS validation confirming reduced lateral load transfer and perceived acceleration
- Passive self-centering and robust stability against model uncertainties
Why it matters
Offers a practical, mechanically simple solution to enhance rollover safety and comfort in compact urban mobility robots.
Abstract
This paper introduces a suspension-integrated tilt- ing mechanism for narrow-track mobility robot platforms, of- fering a novel means of achieving commanded body tilt without departing from conventional suspension layouts. The architec- ture provides a two-degree-of-freedom roll path with inherent passive self-centering, thereby reconciling mechanical simplic- ity with enhanced motion capability. A linearized dynamic model forms the foundation for a dual-layer control scheme, consisting of a reference generator and a high-bandwidth tracking loop. The proposed approach is rigorously evaluated through hardware-in-the-loop simulations that combine a real- time driving simulator with a physical hardware bench. Relative to a non-tilting baseline, the platform demonstrates substantial reductions in perceived lateral acceleration and lateral load transfer, signifying improved ride comfort and rollover stabil- ity. These findings establish suspension-integrated tilting with model-based control as a compelling pathway toward safe and stable next-generation mobility robot platforms.