Peaked Track Deflection for Robotic Crawler Turning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small unmanned ground robotic vehicles face challenges with mobility due to varying terrain, as traditional skid steering methods are inefficient, especially for lightweight vehicles, leading to difficulties in sharp turns and stress on suspension components.
Innovation Solution
A suspension system for a flexible endless track that includes a frame with a forward guide, rearward guide, and a deflector, allowing the ground-engaging portion of the track to be downwardly deflected to form a peaked area, altering load distribution and enabling improved traction and turning radius.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If skid steering is used for turning, then the vehicle can change direction, but significant friction and stress on suspension components occur
Solution Approach 1:
The track is divided into multiple independently controllable segments or sections. By segmenting the track, different portions can be steered at different angles, allowing the vehicle to turn without requiring the entire track to skid, thereby reducing friction and suspension stress while maintaining turning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension to track control by allowing the track to be deflected upward to form a peaked area. This dimensional change enables the track to accommodate lateral forces during turning by creating a three-dimensional configuration, reducing the harmful friction and stress that would occur with traditional planar skid steering.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the track is made flexible to accommodate terrain, then adaptability improves, but maintaining traction and stability becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The track system is designed to be dynamically adjustable, allowing it to change its configuration from flat to peaked based on operational needs. This dynamic capability enables the track to adapt to varying terrain conditions while maintaining reliable traction and stability through active control of the track's three-dimensional shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the track by deflecting it upward to form a peaked area with specific angular relationships (e.g., 30-60 degree angles). This parameter change allows the flexible track to maintain adequate rigidity for traction and stability while still accommodating terrain variations through controlled deformation.
3Ease of operation
If sharp turns are executed, then maneuverability improves, but stress on suspension components increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the track into controllable sections, sharp turns can be achieved through differential steering of track segments rather than through high-stress skid steering of the entire track. This reduces the peak stresses transmitted to suspension components while maintaining high maneuverability.
Solution Approach 2:
The upward deflection of the track to form a peaked area introduces a vertical dimension that helps absorb and distribute the stresses generated during sharp turns. This three-dimensional track configuration reduces the lateral stress transmitted to suspension components while enabling tight turning radii.
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension system for a lightweight robotic crawler is disclosed. The suspension system provides for mounting of a flexible endless track thereon. The suspension system includes a forward guide and a rearward guide around which the endless track can be looped. A deflector positioned between the forward guide and the rearward guide downwardly deflects a ground-engaging portion of the endless track to form a peaked area. The peaked area can support the lightweight robotic vehicle allowing alteration of a distribution of load over the ground-engaging portion of the endless track with respect to a supporting surface.