Crawler Robot Attitude Control for Direction Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robots with crawler devices struggle to change directions at right-angle corners and on uneven ground, and cannot move linearly to oblique destinations due to ground resistance and dead zones in crawler units.
Innovation Solution
The robot incorporates crawler units with movable and dead zones, attitude sensors, and a control device that adjusts the crawler units' attitudes to ensure contact with ground at movable zones for stable crawler moving, allowing direction changes and oblique movement by controlling the crawler and rolling actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot uses traditional crawler devices for movement, then it can move forward and backward, but it cannot change directions at right-angle corners or on uneven ground due to ground resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The crawler device is segmented into multiple independent crawler units, each capable of rotating about its rotational axis. This segmentation allows individual units to adapt their orientation independently, enabling the robot to navigate right-angle corners and uneven ground by adjusting which units contact the ground and in what orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The crawler units are made dynamically adjustable through rolling actuators that rotate each unit about its rotational axis. This dynamic adjustment allows the robot to change from crawler moving mode to moving by rolling mode, and to oblique moving mode, providing adaptability for different terrain conditions and direction-changing requirements.
2Device complexity
If the robot uses crawler units with dead zones, then it can simplify the structure, but it cannot perform crawler moving when contacted with ground at dead zones
Solution Approach 1:
Before initiating crawler moving, the control device performs attitude control by driving rolling actuators to position crawler units in movable attitudes where they contact the ground at movable zones. This preliminary action ensures that crawler units are properly oriented before crawler actuators are activated, preventing the problem of inability to move when contacted at dead zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device uses feedback from sensors to monitor the position and orientation of crawler units, determining whether they are in movable attitudes or dead zone attitudes. Based on this feedback, the control device adjusts rolling actuators to achieve proper contact orientation before activating crawler actuators, ensuring reliable movement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot moves in oblique directions, then it can reach oblique destinations, but it may not be able to move linearly to the destination due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The crawler units serve multiple functions: they can contact the ground for crawler moving, rotate about their rotational axes for moving by rolling, and combine both modes for oblique moving. This multi-functionality allows the robot to reach destinations in any direction (forward, oblique, or right-angle) using the same hardware configuration, reducing the need for additional specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
A traveling apparatus that can be moved in two directions includes a body 1, a pair of crawler units 5, crawler actuators 40 and rolling actuators 60. The crawler units 5 are supported by the body 1 such that the crawler units 5 are rotatable about a rotational axis L1. The traveling apparatus performs crawler moving in a direction of the rotational axis L1 by the crawler actuator 40 driving pairs of crawler structures 20A, 20B of the crawler units 5. The traveling apparatus performs moving by rolling in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis L1 by the rolling actuator 60 making the crawler units 5 roll about the rotational axes L1. To prepare for the crawler moving, the crawler units 5 are made to roll to take a movable attitude based on attitude information of the crawler units 5 from rotary encoders 72.