Current work focuses on a wheeled industrial vehicle called Industrial Ro- bot. Four driving modules are present; each is equipped with two wheels. These modules properly align to the direction of the movement.
This vehicle was designed in order to meet the following central requirements:
• The ability to transport materials of a maximum mass of m=500[kg] (large transmissions, automotive engines, etc.)
• A minimal vehicle velocity of v =1[m/s];
• A minimal vehicle acceleration a=0.5[m/s2]
• Overall dimensions of the vehicle 1200[cm] x 800 [cm] (according to a Euro palette);
• Excellent maneuverability and high dynamics;
• Autonomous driving;
• Additional functions (e.g. scalability).
The robot is able to drive in any arbitrary direction, can perform slipless turning and rotation around its central point. These kinds of movements are essential while driving within limited spaces. The solution allows avoiding curved turns it may also influence positively the total battery usage as e.g. the heading direction can be changed in place.
The vehicle contains of four identical components called driving modules. These subsystems consist of two electrical motors units MCD EPOS, one of them is programmable - P (Programmable) and acts as master, the second one is not programmable and acts as slave - S (Slave). It contains of two wheels and two motors and thus it is similar to a differential drive. Thanks to the bearing in the upper part, the lower part of the module is able to rotate while the top of the module is mounted to a platform. A slip-ring is used to interconnect the in-module electronics with the rest of the vehicle in order to provide unlimited rotation.
The module consists also of an electromagnetic brake and an encoder, besides motors and motor controllers. Both of them work with regard to a vertical axis, the former is used to block the rotation while the latter measures the angle of rotation. This angle represents also the direction of movement of the vehicle.
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