Modeling and Simulation of Planetary Rover Using Modelica

It is one of the main ways for human to carry out deep space exploration by using the planetary rover to roam and detect the extraterrestrial bodies. However, as the technology of planetary rover often involved many disciplines, it is difficult to be developed effectively in a unified computer simulation platform. At the same time, Modelica language has become one of the mainstream methods for modeling multidisciplinary system with its ability to describe the behavior of multi-domain elements with unified mathematical equations to solve, verify and optimize them uniformly. In this paper, Modelica language is used to program the models of the components related to the movement process of the planetary rover, including the on-board computer, inertial measurement unit, wheels mechanism and other components. Their models include circuit models, kinematics models, input/output logic models, heat dissipation models, etc. After the completion of the models’ construction, this paper uses these models to develop the research of the planetary rover under different motion modes, and gives the analysis of the results.