A hydraulic drive-based self-propelled photovoltaic panel cleaning robot was developed to tackle the challenges of harsh environmental conditions, difficult roads, and incomplete cleaning of dust particles on the photovoltaic panel surface in photovoltaic power plants. The robot has the characteristics of the crawler wheel drive, rear-wheel-independent turning and three-point-independent suspension design, which makes it adhere to the walking requirements of complex environmental terrains, more flexible in turning and automatically levelling so that the stability of the boom mechanism during walking can be ensured. The kinematics model of the upper arm structure equipped with the end cleaning device was built, and the optimized Circle chaotic map and nonlinear weight factor were introduced to enhance the search ability and convergence speed of the sparrow algorithm. Furthermore, the boom running track was optimized in combination with the seven-order non-uniform B-spline curve. Through optimization, the running time of the boom was reduced by 18.7%, and the cleaning efficiency of photovoltaic panel surface was increased. The effectiveness of self-propelled photovoltaic panel cleaning robot cleaning and the reliability of time-optimal trajectory planning were confirmed through simulation and experiment.

Three-wheeled agricultural robots possess the advantages of high flexibility, strong maneuverability, and low cost. They can adapt to various complex terrains and operational environments, making them highly valuable in the fields of crop planting, harvesting, irrigation, and more. However, the horizontal stability of the three-wheeled agricultural robot chassis is compromised when working in harsh terrain, significantly impacting the overall operational quality and safety. To address this issue, this study designed a leveling system based on active suspension and proposed a stepwise leveling method based on an adaptive dual-loop composite control strategy (ADLCCS-SLM). Firstly, in the overall control of the three-wheeled chassis, a stepwise leveling method (SLM) was introduced. This method allows for rapid leveling by incrementally adjusting one or two suspensions, effectively avoiding the complex interactions between suspension components encountered in traditional methods involving the simultaneous linkage of three suspensions. Next, in terms of suspension actuator control, an adaptive dual-loop composite control strategy (ADLCCS) was proposed. This strategy employs a dual-loop composite control both internally and externally and utilizes an improved adaptive genetic algorithm to adjust critical control parameters. This adaptation optimizes the chassis leveling performance across various road conditions. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed ADLCCS-SLM was validated through simulation and experimental testing. The test results showed that the control effect of the proposed method was significant. Compared to the traditional multi-suspension linkage leveling method based on PID, the peak values of pitch angle and roll angle were reduced by 31.8% and 33.3%, respectively.

When the landing position of a shipborne helicopter on the deck does not meet the requirements for towing it into the hangar, its position must first be corrected before towing can proceed. This paper studied the methods for using Shipborne Rapid Carrier Robots (SRCRs) to correct helicopter positions on the deck and proposed two correction methods, the stepwise correction method and the continuous correction method, aiming to improve the efficiency of the position adjustment process. Firstly, the actual helicopter landing position deviation was divided into two components—lateral offset and fuselage yaw angle—to quantitatively assess the deviations. Then, a mathematical model of the SRCR traction system was established, and its traction motion characteristics were analyzed. The kinematic characteristics and control processes of the two proposed position correction methods were subsequently studied, revealing the coordinated control relationships between key control elements. Finally, simulations were conducted to validate the feasibility of the proposed correction methods and compare their efficiencies. The results indicated that both the stepwise and continuous correction methods effectively achieved the position correction objectives. The stepwise method was more efficient when the initial yaw angle was small, while the continuous method proved more efficient when the initial yaw angle was large and the lateral offset was minimal. The results of this study may provide a valuable reference for correcting the positions of helicopters on deck.

In marine hot–humid and salt spray environments, shipborne snap-action limit switches operating under micro-current loads are prone to triggering failures caused by the accumulation of heterogeneous films on electrical contact interfaces, which can induce abnormal behavior in electromechanical systems. To address this issue, this study systematically investigates the failure mechanisms of micro-current limit switches using multimodal diagnostic approaches. The results demonstrate that the migration and accumulation of corrosion products and foreign contaminants within the microswitch unit promote the formation of high-resistance heterogeneous films at the electrical contact interfaces, severely impairing reliable electrical conduction. Electrical contact experiments further reveal that the contact behavior is strongly dependent on the current magnitude. When the current exceeds 2A, arc discharge generated during contact closure can effectively disrupt and remove the heterogeneous films, thereby restoring the electrical functionality of previously failed switches under subsequent micro-current operating conditions. Based on the identified failure mechanism, and inspired by the natural eye-cleaning behavior of crabs, a biomimetic press-and-wipe self-cleaning dual-redundant limit switch design is proposed. The design enables autonomous surface cleaning through controlled reciprocal wiping between the moving and stationary electrical contacts, effectively suppressing the formation and accumulation of high-resistance films at the source. Comparative salt spray and damp heat storage tests demonstrate that the proposed self-cleaning limit switch maintains stable and reliable electrical contact performance in simulated marine environments, significantly improving operational reliability and service life under micro-current loads. This work provides both mechanistic insights and a practical structural solution for enhancing the reliability of electrical contact components operating under low-current conditions in harsh marine environments.