Modeling and evaluation of terrain negotiation performance for AGVs facing gaps and obstacles

With the continuous progress of global industrial automation and the rapid proliferation of intelligent logistics technologies, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) have emerged as essential components in modern automated material handling systems. Research on AGV systems carries substantial theoretical significance and practical value for advancing the development of intelligent logistics infrastructures. Nevertheless, the majority of existing studies predominantly focus on AGV operations in structured and flat environments, often under idealized assumptions, while investigations into AGV performance in complex, unstructured, or uneven terrains remain relatively limited and are still at an early stage of research. This study addresses the locomotion characteristics of AGVs over uneven ground conditions from the perspective of energy consumption and mechanical efficiency. Several motion strategies for obstacle-surmounting and trench-crossing are proposed, and their corresponding mechanical models are formulated to analyze the traversal mechanisms. A heavy-load AGV platform is selected as a representative case for experimental validation, where empirical testing is conducted to assess its terrain adaptability and to obtain performance metrics. The modeling techniques and evaluation methodologies presented in this work aim to provide a solid theoretical framework and practical engineering references for the design of AGV drivetrain systems and the enhancement of their operational stability in non-ideal, real-world environments.