Track Robot Wheel Pair Synchronization for Smooth Grid Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems moving on tracks face challenges in maintaining smooth movements due to differences in wheel rotation speeds caused by factors like spinning, gliding, and loading, which can lead to off-lead angles.
Innovation Solution
A method and controller system that synchronizes pairs of wheels by setting up speed driving sequences based on current wheel speeds and positions, global robot position, and start/stop positions, ensuring consistent wheel rotation and smooth robot movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If each wheel is driven separately with individual driving means, then the robot achieves high control of acceleration and deceleration, but the wheels rotate at different speeds due to spinning, gliding, and loading, causing off-lead angle movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of wheels into synchronized pairs, where wheels in the same pair are controlled together to maintain equal rotation speeds. This pairing approach combines individual wheel control capabilities with collective synchronization, resolving the contradiction between high acceleration control and consistent rotation speeds by operating wheels in coordinated pairs rather than completely independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the rotation speeds of wheels and adjusting the driving forces to maintain synchronized rotation. The system detects speed differences between wheels and applies compensatory control actions, enabling the robot to maintain stable movement without off-lead angles while preserving high acceleration and deceleration control capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wheels are controlled individually to respond to disturbances like spinning and gliding, then the robot can adapt to track conditions, but the movements become uneven and the robot may be driven in an off-lead angle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines individual wheel adaptability with pair-wise synchronization control. Each wheel can independently respond to local track conditions like spinning and gliding, but the control system merges these individual responses by coordinating wheels in pairs to maintain synchronized rotation and prevent off-lead angle movements, thus achieving both adaptability and smooth operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system uses feedback to detect disturbances such as spinning and gliding on individual wheels, then applies compensatory control actions while maintaining pair synchronization. This feedback mechanism allows the robot to adapt to track conditions while preserving smooth movement by continuously adjusting wheel speeds to maintain consistency within each pair.
3Stability of the object's composition
If similar sized wheels rotate at the same speed during robot movement, then the robot moves smoothly, but separate driving of each wheel causes different rotation speeds due to various operational factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of wheels into synchronized pairs, ensuring that wheels within the same pair rotate at the same speed despite separate driving means. This pairing strategy combines the reliability of synchronized rotation with the flexibility of individual wheel control, maintaining smooth robot movement while accounting for operational variations through coordinated pair control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control to continuously monitor and adjust wheel rotation speeds, detecting deviations caused by separate driving and applying compensatory forces. This feedback mechanism ensures that wheels in the same pair maintain consistent rotation speeds, preserving both smooth movement and reliable consistent rotation despite individual wheel operational variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling movement of a robot on a plurality of tracks laid out on a frame structure forming a grid includes detecting a current speed and an angular position for one wheel in a pair of wheels of the robot; tracking a current position of the robot relative to at least a portion of the frame structure; and setting a driving sequence for the pair of wheels, based on a position information of the robot.