The Development and Optimization of a Teleoperated Four-Wheel Drive/ Four-Wheel Steer Vehicle

A teleoperated four wheel drive/four wheel steer vehicle was developed. The vehicle was designed according to no slip conditions in which the wheels maintained zero velocity relative to the ground in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions. The vehicle was controlled with an intuitive interface (steering wheel and pedal). Video and command information were sent between a command station and the vehicle via two amateur radio transceivers.An empirical approach for determining the optimal handling characteristics for a four wheel steering vehicle is described. A two dimensional optimization is performed using Powell's method. The two parameters in question are the steering sensitivity gain and the gain to control instantaneous center of rotation coordinate Y (denoted y gain).Results concluded that the steering gain has a negligible effect on the handling characteristics while the y gain has a significant impact on the handling characteristics. It was also concluded that the main limitation in the testing method was the robustness of the test vehicle and the control software. To decrease experimental iterations a one dimensional optimization is recommended utilizing the speed and efficiency of the golden section search method