Search Results (8)

Autonomous navigation on unknown uneven terrain remains a critical challenge for unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) deployed in unstructured environments such as disaster relief, wilderness exploration, and off-road logistics. Existing motion planning methods for such environments suffer from three key limitations: under-utilization of the solution space due to discretized terrain assessment, difficulty in transforming complex terrain safety constraints into optimization-compatible forms, and the inherent trade-off between environmental modeling accuracy and real-time performance. This paper presents a hierarchical motion planning framework that enables safe and fast navigation of UGV on unknown uneven terrain. We first construct a traversability map based on terrain slope, roughness, and sparsity extracted from ground point cloud clusters. Non-traversable points are then transformed via spherical inversion and inverse mapping to generate terrain safety corridors composed of a series of convex polygons. The geometric containment relationship between the vehicle’s convex hull and the corridor is reformulated as continuously differentiable Control Barrier Function (CBF) constraints to ensure driving safety. The front-end employs a kinodynamic Hybrid A* algorithm with a traversability-aware node pruning strategy, while the back-end trajectory optimization embeds the CBF constraints as hard constraints within the optimization loop to guarantee forward invariance of the safety set under the linearized dynamics. The proposed framework achieves full-shape collision avoidance without sacrificing the solution space, while maintaining real-time performance for autonomous navigation on complex terrain. Full article

This work presents a study of the performance of prime mover and hydraulic implement electrification in a backhoe loader. The results are validated through simulation and experimental tests. The construction and agriculture sector has grown in recent years with the aid of compact non-road mobile machines. However, as is common in fossil fuel-powered vehicles, they significantly contribute to increasing emissions. Previous research has primarily relied on powertrain electrification to address the low-efficiency drawbacks. Notably, compact off-road vehicles comprise implements less discussed in the literature. A hybrid series topology is employed, where the rear implement is driven by an electrical drive and the Diesel engine is coupled to a generator. A rule-based energy management strategy is applied. The operation of the Diesel engine and electrical machines in optimal points of the efficiency maps are the basis of the analysis. The design is validated using simulations and experimental tests in a commercial backhoe loader as a benchmark. Experimental and simulation results obtained from the hybrid series backhoe loader applied to the hydraulic implement show a 33% reduction in fuel consumption, demonstrating the effectiveness of electrification in reducing emissions and fuel consumption of compact non-road mobile machines. Full article

This work focuses on developing a mobility control system for high-speed series-hybrid electric tracked vehicles, which operate with independent traction motors for each track. The scope of this research includes modeling a series-hybrid powertrain specific to military tracked vehicles and conducting an in-depth analysis of its dynamic behavior. Subsequently, this study conducts a critical review of mobility control approaches sourced from the literature, identifying key techniques relevant to high-inertia vehicular applications. Building on foundational models, this study proposes a robust closed-loop mobility control system aimed at ensuring precise and stable off-road vehicle operations. The system’s resilience and adaptability to a variety of driving conditions are emphasized, with a particular focus on handling maneuvers such as steering and pivoting, which are challenging operations for tracked vehicle agility. The performance of the proposed mobility control system is tested through a series of simulations, covering a spectrum of operational scenarios. These tests are conducted in both offline simulation settings, which permit meticulous fine-tuning of system parameters, and real-time environments that replicate actual field conditions. The simulation results demonstrate the system’s capacity to improve the vehicular response and highlight its potential impact on future designs of mobility control systems for the heavy-duty vehicle sector, particularly in defense applications. Full article

Off-road vehicles and transportation are vital for agricultural economics, yet the transition to green energies is challenging. To make this transition easier, a tool that enables the testing of heavy-duty off-road vehicles in various scenarios was created. Based on the methods of the World Harmonized Transient Cycle (WHTC), a new Hybrid Operational Cycle (HOC) that reflects the features of agricultural work was created and applied in a graphical model simulation. This was a newly developed methodology. The cycle and the model were based on gathered research data. A numerical model of a medium-power tractor with an internal combustion engine and a series-hybrid setup was created, and simulations were performed in Matlab and AVL Cruise. Both diesel and hybrid vehicles were compared in terms of their power production, fuel consumption, and efficiency in fieldwork and transportation scenarios. The results showed that a series-hybrid transmission can achieve an efficiency similar to that of a tractor with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but because it uses an electric powertrain, it still provides the opportunity to exploit energy regeneration during transportation and under low-load conditions. The designed model may also be used to develop control algorithms for hybrid drives and improve their efficiency. Full article

Heavy duty off-road vehicle (HDOR) duty cycles are very different than passenger car cycles. HDOR duty cycles are characterized by heavy transient loads and highly varying constant power demands. Straddle carriers and mine loaders can operate 20 hours per day while cars are most of the time idle. Batteries and supercapacitors have different qualities in terms of power and energy density and cyclic life time. Hybridization of HDOR driveline reduces fuel consumption and contributes to cleaner workspace environment due to reduced emission. This paper presents new load sharing control method for battery & supercapacitor series hybrid heavy-duty off-road vehicle. Both energy storages have separate DC/DCconverters. Control strategy ensures that both energy storages are used optimally based on their characteristic strengths. Implications of this control strategy are reduced consumption and more importantly improved battery lifetime. Control strategy is presented; simulation results for control performance are presented and discussed. Full article

The U.S. Army TACOM-TARDEC developed and validated a high-fidelity six-degree-of-freedom model to use in a trade study for the development of a prototype autonomous vehicle. The model captures realistic dynamics of the six-wheeled, skid-steered vehicle along with the electrical, thermal, and mechanical response of a detailed series hybrid-electric power system with in-hub drive motors, lithium-ion battery, and generator linked to a diesel engine. These components were modeled and integrated via extensive power and energy component libraries developed for use with a high-fidelity software tool for dynamics modeling. Further, the vehicle model’s entire complement of components was integrated in a flexible configuration that allowed them to be readily adjusted or swapped out so the user could use the model to ascertain the relative effects of modifying the vehicle’s structural or power system components on specific vehicle evaluation criteria. Such criteria include the vehicle’s performance with high-speed stability, skid steering stability, body pitch/roll/dive/squat characteristics, braking capability, road/soft-soil traversal, and steering maneuverability.
The model captures both the on- and off-road mobility for the vehicle via use of an extensive library of various terrains including hard surface, sand, sandy loam, clay soil, and snow. Further, detailed waypointbased path navigation routines automate the vehicle’s traversal over a number of user-selectable courses including some established military courses such as Churchville-B, Perryman 1, 3, and A, and Munson with user-defined vehicle velocities. The model functions as an executable file run independent of any proprietary or close-source software; the user utilizes a simplified interface to vary any of the variables associated with the vehicle’s geometry, power system, course and speed to navigate, and terrain type applied to the course. The graphical view for the vehicle traversing the selected terrain is shown with an open source 3D graphics tool. The model was validated by applying the specifications in the model for the prototype vehicle of the first-generation of autonomous six-wheeled skid-steered vehicle, simulating the model in maneuvers identical to those the prototype vehicle performed, and comparing the simulated and actual results; the data matched and the model was successfully validated.
The vehicle model was designed primarily for the trade study for the design of a specific vehicle, but was created with sufficient flexibility and capability for modeling future vehicles as well. The interchangeability of the vehicle models’ components and environments allow a user to modify or replace the vehicle’s power system components, chassis masses, tires, transmission, duty cycles, courses to traverse, and many other aspects of the vehicle. Thus the user can essentially model any vehicle with similar types of components or structures and use that model to determine the impact of those elements upon many vehicle design considerations such as mass requirements, volume constraints, power system requirements, wheels design, suspension characteristics, and controls. Several new vehicle models are already being developed using this model’s flexibility and capability. Full article

Interest to hybridize mobile work machines has increased substantially during ongoing decade. Reasons for increasing interest are mainly tightening emission regulations and trend of rising fuel prices. To get better understanding for the benefits of hybridization, Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) has started 5 years project to research different aspects, how to improve fuel economy in mobile work machines. For case work machine is chosen an underground mining loader which will be first researched as conventional version and then it will be converted to a hybrid version. The tests for conventional version were done in the early 2009 and for hybridized version till the end of 2010. The results will be then compared to each other. Full article

Electrovaya’s Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® based battery is a cost-effective solution for long-range, ultrasafe zero-emission (battery electric) and low-emission (plug-in hybrid) vehicles. Optimized for transportation, Electrovaya has developed fully integrated power system solutions with large-format cells, large-format modules, and integrated an intelligent battery management system for safe and effective scale-up. Electrovaya’s proprietary SuperPolymer® technology is independent of the composition of the positive electrode active material and so multiple chemistry solutions are available, including the MN-Series, a Lithiated Manganese Oxide based system, with up to 50% higher energy density and comparable safety characteristics to Electrovaya’s Phosphate-Series solution.
This paper details the design approach and recent test results of Electrovaya’s solutions for (1) plug-in hybrids, with its program with New York State on a Ford Escape platform; (2) passenger vehicles, as demonstrated in a 30kWh ZEV in Norway; (3) fleet vehicles, such as an 80kWh delivery vehicle in partnership with Unicell, Purolator and the Canadian Government; and (4) off-road vehicles, such as its project with New York State Parks.
Electrovaya’s scalable power train solution is easily tailored to the demands of passenger, fleet, off-road, and heavy-duty applications. This solution is cost-competitive to ICE-based vehicles and superior in performance, safety and operating cost. Electrovaya’s SuperPolymer® technology gives superior safety and performance and is exceptionally suited to large format systems necessary for transportation applications.
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