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Robot Structure
Djoko Purwanto
Dept. of Electrical Engineering ITS
Email: djoko@ee.its.ac.id
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Introduction
Bottom-Up Approach
Top-Down Approach
Bottom-Up and Top-Down
Budget
Robot Design Consideration
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Bottom-Up Approach
A simple method
Detail design is unnecessary
Start from robot body construction
The use of power and weight is not balance
Final implementation does not fit robot contest
requirements
Top-Down Approach
A relative complex scientific method
Detail design is necessary
Overall robot functions has been defined
Possible to construct in modular
Difficult to rebuild and redesign
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Robot Materials Consideration
Light in weight
Strong
Easy to manufacture
Inexpensive
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Robot Structure
1. Plastic Robot Platform
2. Basic Wooden Platform
3. Building a Metal Platform
Acrylic can be used to
build the foundation and
frame of the Mini Robot
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The best overall wood for robotics use, especially for foundation
platforms, is plywood.
Attaching the motor
The wooden platform you have constructed so far is perfect for a
fairly sturdy robot, so the motor you choose should be too. Use
heavy-duty motors, geared down to a top speed of no more than
about 75 rpm; 30 to 40 rpm is even better.
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If you have the right tools, working with metal is only slightly
harder than working with wood or plastic.
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Robot Materials
Types of Batteries
NICKEL-CADMIUM
When you think rechargeable battery,you undoubtedly think
nickel-cadmiumor Ni-Cadfor short. Ni-Cads arent the only
battery specifically engineered to be recharged, but they are
among the least expensive and easiest to get. Ni-Cads are
ideal for most all robotics applications.
Note that Ni-Cads can suffer from memory effectwhereby
the useful capacity of the battery is reduced if the cell is not
fully discharged before it is recharged.
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NICKEL METAL HYDRIDE
Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries represent one of the best
of the affordable rechargeable battery technologies. NiMH
batteries can be recharged 400 or more times and have a low
internal resistance, so they can deliver high amounts of current.
Nickel metal hydride batteries are about the same size and
weight as Ni-Cads, but they deliver about 50 percent more
operating juice than Ni-Cads. In fact, NiMH batteries work best
when they are used in very high current situations.
Unlike Ni-Cads, NiMH batteries do not exhibit any memory
effect, nor do they contain cadmium, a highly toxic material.
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LEAD-ACID
The battery in your car is a lead-acid battery. It is made up of
not much more than lead plates crammed in a container thats
filled with an acid-based electrolyte. When the battery goes
dead, recharge it, just like a Ni-Cad. Although lead-acid
batteries are powerful, they are heavy.
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Representative discharge curves for several common battery types.
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The charge/discharge curves of a typical rechargeable
battery. Note that the charge time is longer than the discharge
time.
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You can obtain higher voltages and current by connecting several
cells together. There are two basic approaches:
(1). To increase voltage, connect the batteries in series. The
resultant voltage is the sum of the voltage outputs of all
the cells combined.
(2). To increase current, connect the batteries in parallel. The
resultant current is the sum of the current capacities of all
the cells combined.
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Memory effect in Ni-Cad battery can be altered in two ways:
The dangerous way. Short the battery until its dead.
Recharge it as usual. Some batteries may be permanently
damaged by this technique.
The safe way. Use the battery in a low-current circuit, like a
flashlight, until it is dead.
Recharge the battery as usual. You must repeat this
process a few times until the memory
effect is gone.
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Battery Monitor
Quick! Whats the condition of the battery in your robot? With a battery
monitor, youd know in a flash. A battery monitor continually samples
the output voltage of the battery during operation of the robot (the best
time to test the battery) and provides a visual or logic output.
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Gears and Gear Reduction
The normal running speed of motors is far too fast for most
robotics applications. Locomotion systems need motors with
running speeds of 75 to 150 rpm. Any faster than this, and the
robot will skim across the floor and bash into walls and people.
Arms, gripper mechanisms, and most other mechanical
subsystems need even slower motors.
The motor for positioning the shoulder joint of an arm needs to
have a speed of less than 20 rpm; 5 to 8 rpm is even better.
There are two general ways to decrease motor speed
significantly: build a bigger motor (impractical) or add gear
reduction.
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Pulleys, Belts, Sprockets, and RollerChain
Akin to the gear are pulleys, belts, sprockets, and roller chains.
Pulleys are used with belts, and sprockets are used with roller
chain. The pulley and sprocket are functionally identical to the
gear. The only difference is that pulleys and sprockets use belts
and roller chain, respectively, to transfer power. With gears,
power is transferred directly.
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ABOUT PULLEYS AND BELTS
Pulleys come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Youre probably
familiar with the pulleys and belts used in automotive applications.
These are likely to be too bulky and heavy to be used with a robot.
Instead, look for smaller and lighter pulleys and belts used for
copiers, fax machines, VCRs, and other electronic equipment.
These are available for salvage fromwhole units or in bits and
pieces from surplus outlets.
Pulleys can be either the V type (the pulley wheel has a V-shaped
groove in it) or the cog type. Cog pulleys require matching belts.
You need to ensure that the belt is not only the proper width for the
pulley you are using but also has the same cog pitch.
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ABOUT SPROCKETS AND ROLLER CHAIN
Sprockets and roller chain are preferred when you want
to ensure synchronism. For large robots you can use 3/8-
inch bicycle chain. Most smaller robots will do fine with
1/4-inch roller chain, which can frequently be found in
surplus stores. Metal roller chain is commonly available in
preset lengths, though you can sometimes shorten or
lengthen the chain by adding or removing links. Plastic
roller chain, while not as strong, can be adjusted more
easily by using snap-on links.
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The Clapper
The clappergripper is a popular design, favored because of its
easy construction and simple mechanics. You can build the clapper
using metal, plastic, or wood, or a combination of all three.
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Two-Pincher Gripper
The two-pincher gripper consists of two movable fingers,
somewhat like the claw of a lobster.
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Build A Robot
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