Design and Lateral Stability of an Attitude Adjustment Wheeled Platform in the Hilly Terrain

To address the problems of low stability, poor ride comfort, insufficient safety, and limited suitability for ridge farming in complex terrains like hilly and mountainous regions, a novel wheeled platform is presented featuring variable wheel track, adjustable ground clearance, and lateral attitude levelling. A lateral attitude adjustment method is proposed based on the balance-rocker suspension. This paper presents the principles and configuration of the platform, including its attitude adjustment mechanisms and the variable wheel track mechanism featuring the dual-articulated bridge. A mathematical model is developed to analyze the impact of wheel track and attitude adjustments on the stability of a mobile platform on side slopes. Based on the evaluation method of stability pyramid theory, the lateral stability evaluation index of the platform is derived. The analysis focuses on the impact of the wheel track, changing ground clearance, and lateral attitude levelling on the lateral stability of the platform. The results show that when adjusting the attitude of the body to keep it level, there was a considerable gain in lateral stability, minimum roll angle, and maximum levelling angle at various wheel track and ground clearances. The maximum leveling angle is significantly enhanced, improving from an initial 7.24° to 17.3°. Although a slight reduction in lateral stability is observed, amounting to a 2.82% decrease, the overall performance is markedly improved. Furthermore, the mathematical model proposed here presents optimization guidance and a theoretical framework for the design and control of wheeled platforms with attitude adjustment.