PI(t)D(t) Control and Motion Profiling for Omnidirectional Mobile Robots

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel PI(t)D(t) control architecture and motion profiling techniques for omnidirectional robots, aiming to enhance speed, efficiency, and accuracy in human-servicing autonomous mobile robots.

Contribution

The research presents a new PI(t)D(t) controller with time-varying gains and motion profiling methods, improving the performance of omnidirectional mobile robots.

Findings

Potential for faster robot motion with high accuracy

Enhanced efficiency in autonomous mobile robot operations

Proof of concept for improved motion control

Abstract

Recently, a trend is emerging toward human-servicing autonomous mobile robots, with diverse applications including delivery of supplies in hospitals, hotels, or labs where personnel are scarce, or reacting to indoor emergencies. However, existing autonomous mobile robot (AMR) motion is slow and inefficient, a foundational barrier to proliferation of human-servicing applications. This research has developed a motion control architecture that demonstrates the potential of several algorithms for increasing speed and efficiency. These include a novel PI(t)D(t) controller that sets integral and derivative gains as functions of time, and motion-profiling applied for holonomic motion. Resulting performance indicates potential for faster, more efficient AMRs, that maintain high levels of accuracy and repeatability. The hope is that this research can serve as a proof of concept for faster motion-control, to remove a key barrier to further use of human-servicing mobile robots.