DanShope.com: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Putting the Colony Scout robot through its paces

The new Colony Scout platform was up and running for a few hours today as I continued testing the AWD system. Scout is a prototype platform for swarm robotics at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Club.

We remade the baseplate out of 6061 aluminum on the CNC mill as the previous handcut plate was too soft and imprecise. I wanted the alignment of all the motors/wheels to be as consistent as possible for straight tracking with minimal correction from software.

The headers you see sticking up beside each wheel are for quadrature encoders - the encoders give the robot about 3mm linear resolution, which is decent for a vehicle of this size.

Another exciting component added today was the rocker, which allows the front and rear axles to swivel (vertically). This allows all four wheels to contact the ground during most terrain crossing, improving traction. The updated platform outperforms the Scout of two days ago, which featured a rigid baseplate.

The new components have a high degree of polish accomplished by good design and machining practices. Our club machine shop allows us to turn out quality parts and have a fast turn around time from concept to prototype.

Click through to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaPGyjW2uk to watch the video in HD.

There's also some great tests on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyRmg570KJw from a few days ago.

Keep tuned for more updates this week!

Labels: carnegie mellon, cmu robotics club, colony, colony scout, news, robot, robot platform, swarm robotics, testing, updates

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Quick Gear Reduction Design Reference

A properly designed gear train is very important for effective power transmission and efficient usage of your power supply. Often overlooked for hobby robotics, putting a little thought into your gear train can go a long way toward a successful design.

Many factors need to be taken into consideration, such as gear material, gear manufacturing method, speed, loading, and space considerations, as well as desired noise level and configuration (offset, concentric, etc). There are books of equations governing tooth profiles and gearing efficiency but for most work you’ll find an involute tooth profile governed by the Lewis formula with an American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) dynamic correction factor.

The following information is provided as a generalized reference to gear train design and assumes you are familiar with basic gear geometry and types. For serious work use the linked references as they are more comprehensive and thorough.

Spur Gears

High efficiency, high power (98-99% eff)
Lowest cost for machining
Exert high radial loads on bearings
Offset drive

Helical Gears

High efficiency, very high power (97-99% eff)
Loses some efficiency due to high axial load and tooth slipping
Geometry allows full tooth contact à good for high power transfer
Quiet running (increase helix angle for quieter transmission)
Offset drive

Planetary/Epicyclical Gearbox

Fairly high efficiency, high power
Low radial loading from concentric design
Complicated assembly and varying torque outputs
Concentric drive

Harmonic Drive

Moderately efficient
Very high gear reduction in a compact size (30:1 to 350:1)
Zero backlash (30% of teeth always in contact)
Concentric drive

Bevel Gears

High efficiency (97-99%)
Used where right angle drive is required
Typically 1:1 to 6:1 ratios used
Complex tooth profile can be difficult to machine

Worm Mesh

Poor efficiency
High gear reduction in a compact size
Non back-driveable
Unsuitable for low velocity ratios
Offset drive (90deg)

See http://www.engineersedge.com/gear_design.htm for a detailed table on different gear setups.

Notes:

1) Higher pressure angle increase radial loading on bearings (called separation force), but decreases stress on gear teeth and minimizes bending. A higher pressure angle results in a lower contact ratio and thus a noisier gear train.

2) The most common pressure angle is 20deg. Case hardened 25deg teeth can carry about 20% more torque than a 20deg form. Because of factors discussed in Note 1, a 22.5deg form is a good compromise that provides about 11% more torque carrying capacity.

3) Gear efficiency in multiple stages (spur gear) is calculated by the product of the efficiency of each stage: E_stage1*E_stage2*100=E_total à 0.98*0.98*100=96.04% efficiency.

4) Hunting ratio: non-integer ratio where a given pinion tooth will touch every tooth on the gear before touching the same gear tooth twice (13:48 is a hunting ratio, 12:48 is not). This design reduces wear and tear on individual teeth as the gear teeth mesh at different points from revolution to revolution.

References:
1. Dudley, Darle W. Handbook of Practical Gear Design. CRC Press. 1994.
2. RoyMech Engineering Reference. http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Drive/Gear_Efficiency.html
3. SDP/SI Tech Library. http://www.sdp-si.com/Sdptech_lib.htm.
4. Epicyclic Gearing. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicyclic_gearing
5. Basics of Harmonic Drives. http://www.powertransmission.com/issues/0706/harmonic.htm

Labels: bevel, CAD, gear design, gear efficiency, gears, miter, planetary gears, power transmission, robot

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

SolidWorks Models

If you're not familar with 3DContentCentral.com, hop on over and check it out -- it's a great warehouse for 3D parts from both official manufacturers and common users like you and me.

I have a bunch of "robotics" parts -- gearmotors, brackets, battery packs, motor controllers, etc, as well as some miscellaneous furniture/electronics.

You can view my feed at http://www.3dcontentcentral.com/RssSubscription.aspx?pageFrom=ContribSumm&profileId=248781&userName=Daniel%20Shope

Labels: CAD, news, SolidWorks, website

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