Active control of independently-rotating wheels with gyroscopes and tachometers - simple solutions for perfect curving and high stability performance

Although a passive independently-rotating wheel-pair (IRW) is not well suited for curve negotiation due to an inability to provide the necessary steering, an active IRW system offers the potential to realise perfect curving with a satisfactory running stability. Simple control solutions to realise automatic steering and stability of the IRW system are proposed in this paper. In this control approach, only gyroscopes and tachometers are adopted for the measurements. Associated with a prototype of a two-axle IRW vehicle, the active control strategies for both motor-driven and actuator-driven solutions are illustrated. The simulation results demonstrate significant alleviations in the wheel/rail interactions with perfect-curving performances and superior running stabilities owing to the proposed control strategies.