2009:Robot Design Details

Main Robot Design

General layout design of the robot, Dimensions ARE NOT exact.

  

Drivetrain

• 4-wheel drive
• Banebots Transmissions
• 4 2.5" CIM motors
• Victor 884 [Drive] Speed Controllers
• Fixed wheels (slip-style steering)
  
• Banebots encoders on each wheel (http://banebots.com/pc/ELECTRONICS/EN-G0561-KT) -- mounted at transmission outputs.
• 27.25” LONG x 37.25” WIDE
  
• Rear wheel axis at 5.625 from most rear surfaces (adjustable down to 4.625 corner brace regime permitting)
  
• Front wheel axis at 11.625 from front most surfaces (adjustable ± 2.00”)

• Still need to determine a few hardware items but I think we could use a few PEM fasteners to further minimize fastener system weight
• We will need to design a few spacers “on the fly” as we determine the best approach while building
• The 6-hole patterns in the wheels need to be tapped for 10-32 Depth TBD
• Need to add the stiffener element between the wheels (1/side 1”x1” ext. Al stock is light and will work well and can be welded)
• Need to cut necessary smaller frame elements from stock
• Need to design in provisions for front “dummy wheels” biased 1/8” up for roll over protection

Front Ball Entry/Exit

• Ball intake/expulsion power provided by "chicken pluckers" on front conveyor - see conveyor.
• Passage controlled by "door" (TBD - need details)
• Front opening dimensions (TBD)

• Powered by same motor, speed controller as ball hopper trap door (see below).
  
• Two Limit Switches to tell when door is in open/closed position

Ball Hopper

• Open top entry for human player introduction
• Entry from conveyor at top of robot; entry controlled by upper ejector
• Exit is a "trap door" at the bottom of the hopper down to the area behind the lower ball collector and at the base of the conveyor system.
• Trap door powered by Nippon Denso Window motor (along with lower collection blocker; possibly a rack & pinion arrangement?)
• Two Limit Switches to tell when door is in open/closed position
• Two Q10RP6R Recievers and Q106E Sources mounted at the top to determine when the hopper is full
  
• Jaguar speed controller

Ball Conveyor

• Two conveyors opposite each other, working together to move balls from ball intake and/or below the ball hopper up to the upper ball ejector/hopper entry point.
• Front conveyor also acts as collector to bring outside balls in via "chicken pluckers" on lower roller of conveyor
• Powered by two independent motors (RS-545 Banebots motors with 25:1 reduction gearboxes)
• Likely NOT direct drive, will likey be chain/sprocket to save space and move weight back on robot
• Banner Sensors (photoelectric): [Q10RP6R]Reciever and Q106E Source Mounted at the top of conveyor to detect ball "ready to fire"
• 2 Omron photoelectric sensors arranged with a small wheel used to determine conveyor speed.  One disk/sensor per conveyor.
• Jaguar speed controller

Upper Ball Ejector

• Spinning ejector directs, based on direction, balls out of robot or in to hopper entry point.
• Powered by Fischer Price 00968-2910 motor with plastic gearbox removed and 25:1 reduction gearbox added (same Banebots units as on conveyor drives)
  
• Will be chain/sprocket to save space and move weight back on robot, and to allow optimization of ejector speed without loss of motor power
• Shaft encoder sensor (E7P-180-375-S-H-G-3) to monitor rotational speed (180 CPR).  Requires 3/8" shaft.  If we can't get E7P in time, we may have to use E4P model which requires 1/4" shaft.
  
• Jaguar speed controller