Experimental Study of an Ultra-Mobile Vehicle for Off-Road Transportation

摘要

This research was concerned with the design and construction of an experimental six-legged vehicle for off-road transportation called the Adaptive Suspension Vehicle (ASV). Mechanical and electronic design of the ASV was driven by the following primary goals relating to vehicle performance: (1) The vehicle should be able to traverse a significant variety of terrain not negotiable by conventional wheeled or tracked machines; (2) The interior payload capacity should be at least 500 lb.; (3) The vehicle should exhibit a cruising speed of 5 mph. and top speed of 8 mph. in off-road locomotion; (4) The vehicle should carry its own prime mover and computer; (5) Provision should be made for a human driver to steer the vehicle by interaction with the on-board computer at a supervisory control level; (6) The vehicle should possess a vision system with sufficient capability to permit automatic selection of footholds without human intervention; and (7) The overall size and weight of the ASV should be comparable to that of a small truck or light helicopter. The AAV is expected to exhibit higher speed, smaller size, and greater agility in comparison to the ASV, and will represent a further step toward the realization of a new class of military vehicles with entirely unique mobility characteristics.