Stiffness matrix method for foot force distribution of walking vehicles

A general method, called the stiffness matrix method, is developed to determine the foot forces of walking vehicles, taking into account the elasticity of the leg structures, the actuating systems, and the terrain. Also derived are the analytical expressions of the stiffness matrix for the popular pantograph-type legs when only the leg elasticity is considered. The method is effective and well suited for real-time control by onboard microcomputers since the major computation involved is only the solution of a linear system of six equations. As an example of its application, a quadruped walking chair is analyzed in terms of this approach.>