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Robot Drive Systems: Key Concepts To Help You Choose Motors, Wheels and Gearboxes

This document discusses key concepts for choosing robot drive systems including different types of motors, gearboxes, wheels, and calculating power, efficiency, torque, friction, and weight distribution. It focuses on differential drive systems with brushed DC motors and provides examples of calculating mechanical power needs, motor specifications, gear ratios, and reverse engineering an example robot's drive system.

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rgopi_83
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© © All Rights Reserved
70 views

Robot Drive Systems: Key Concepts To Help You Choose Motors, Wheels and Gearboxes

This document discusses key concepts for choosing robot drive systems including different types of motors, gearboxes, wheels, and calculating power, efficiency, torque, friction, and weight distribution. It focuses on differential drive systems with brushed DC motors and provides examples of calculating mechanical power needs, motor specifications, gear ratios, and reverse engineering an example robot's drive system.

Uploaded by

rgopi_83
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Robot Drive Systems

Key Concepts to help you choose


Motors, Wheels and Gearboxes
Types of Drive Systems and Motors
Differential Drive Holomonic / Mecanum Turn Steer

Brushed DC Brushless Stepper

This presentation will focus on differential drive systems with brushed DC motors
Key Concepts
Power Learn More:
Efficiency https://curriculum.vexrobotics.com/curriculum.html
Torque
Coefficient of Friction
Motor Curves
Dead Band
Cogging
Friction and Drag
Calculating Power
Mechanical Power = Drag Force * Linear Speed

Mechanical Power = Torque * Angular Speed

Electrical Power = Voltage * Current

Hydraulic Power = Pressure * Flow Rate


Efficiency WASTED OUTPUT
Heat
INPUT Plant or
Volts * Amps Process
USEFUL OUTPUT
Torque * Angular
Speed

Useful Output Power


Efficiency =
Input Power

Input Power = Useful Output Power + Wasted Power Power is Conserved!


Torque is a Twisting Force

TORQUE = FORCE * DISTANCE

50 oz Force

100 oz Force
Motor Torque Example:
100 oz*in

100 oz*in = 100 oz * 1 in


1 in OR
2 in
100 oz*in = 50 oz * 2 in
Calculating Weight Distribution Move your battery around until the
center of mass is right above the
TORQUE = FORCE * DISTANCE wheels for Max pushing force!
Center of Mass is the location
4oz 6 oz 3 oz 1 oz
where all the Torques balance out

Sum of Torque = (4oz*1in) +


(6oz*3in) + (3oz*4in) + (1oz*8in) =
Battery
42 oz-in
Sum of Mass = 14 oz Wheel + Frame
Motor
Location of center of mass = 1in Sensor
Torque/Mass = 42/14 = 3 in 3in

3 in is right above the wheels! 4in


8in
Gearbox - Trading Speed for Torque

Ideal Gearbox

Input Speed / Ratio = Output Speed

Input Torque * Ratio = Output Torque

If gear ratio = 10, the output will have 10x


the torque and 1/10 the speed of the input.

Gearboxes are never ideal. Some power


will be lost as heat, maybe 10% to 40% is
lost.
Wheels - Convert Torque to Pushing Force

FORCE = TORQUE / DISTANCE

Distance = Wheel Radius

Torque = Output torque of gearbox


Weight
Coefficient of Friction
Why do wheels slip?

T=F*d F ≤ μs * N

T = Torque
d = Tire Radius
F = Pushing Force
μs = Tire Coefficient of Static Friction Static
N = normal force, weight on the tire Friction

Example:
1 kg robot, 2 wheels, ∅5cm Tire, 0.5 μ
Max Pushing Force per Tire = 0.5 * (½ * 1kg) = 0.25 kg
Torque at slip = 0.25 kg * (½ * 5 cm) = 0.63 kg*cm = 8.7 oz-in
Motor Curves
At a given Voltage, higher
Torque or “Load” on the
Motor will cause the
Speed to drop

Lowering the Voltage will


cause both Speed and
Torque to drop

Speed vs Torque is linear


for Brushed DC Motors
Motor Curves
At a given Voltage, higher No Load
Torque or “Load” on the Speed
Motor will cause the
Speed to drop Stall
Torque
Lowering the Voltage will
cause both Speed and
Torque to drop

Speed vs Torque is linear


for Brushed DC Motors
Motor Output Power

Speed * Torque = Output Power

0 Speed * Max Torque = 0 Power

Max Speed * 0 Torque = 0 Power

½ Speed * ½ Torque = Max Power


Motor Output Power

Speed * Torque = Output Power

If the voltage is cut in half,

the Max Power is one fourth


Motor Current
Stall
High Torque Low Speed
Current
Low Speed High Current

No Load
Current
Intermittent
Motor Current Continuous Danger

High Torque Low Speed

Low Speed High Current

High Current High Heat

Too Hot Dead Motor

Motor Manufacturer should


specify safe operating zones

Use a gearbox of appropriate


ratio to convert motor speed to
higher torque for the wheels
Motor Efficiency

Efficiency = Output / Input

Max Efficiency is typically


at 75-80% of Max Speed
Dead Band
Voltage vs Speed is Linear

At low voltages, motor torque is too


small to overcome static friction,
motor doesn’t turn.

Very low speeds may not be


possible.

Dead Bands can cause robot to


overshoot or undershoot when
attempting to drive to an exact
location or angle.
Cogging
Some motors have magnetic
poles that want to jump to
certain angles.

Controlling the motor’s angle to


a specific value may not be
possible with this kind of motor.

Cogging can cause robot to


overshoot or undershoot when
attempting to drive to an exact
location or angle.
Friction and Drag
Wheel deformation

Carpet/Floor deformation

Bearings

Gears

Caster or Skid
Selecting Components
Start with the Motor - How much Power?

Select a Wheel

Select a Gearbox

Hub Adapter

Put it Together!
Designing a Robot
Estimate Robot Weight = 1 kg, 2.2 pounds
Desired Top Speed = 1.3 meter/sec, 4 ft/s
Power = Speed * Drag Force
Estimating Drag Force
Typically between 5% to 50% of the robot’s weight
Wheels, Carpet, Casters, Bumps
Assume Drag Force is 25% of robot weight
Mechanical Power = 1.3 meter/sec * (25% * 1 kg) * 9.81 = 3.2 Watts
Assume efficiency of Drive Train (gearbox, bearings etc.) is 60%
Motor Output Power = Mechanical Power / Efficiency = 3.2 W / 60% = 5.3 W
2 Motors, each motor provides half the power, or 2.6 W per motor is required
How Much Power does the Motor provide?
Don’t run a motor at Max Power all the time, better to run it in the safe
zone at 80% Max Speed and 20% Max Torque.

Micro Motor MP 6V: (80% * 730 RPM) * (20% * 8 oz-in) = 0.7W

20D 12V Motor: (80% * 570 RPM) * (20% * 26 oz-in) = 1.7W

25D 12V MP Motor: (80% * 7,800 RPM) * (20% * 2.7 oz-in) = 2.4W

25D 12V HP Motor: (80% * 10,200 RPM) * (20% * 5.5 oz-in) = 6.6W

37D Motor: (80% * 11,000 RPM) * (20% * 5 oz-in) = 6.5W

Faulhaber 2342S012: (80% * 8,100 RPM) * (20% * 11.3 oz-in) = 10.8W


Reverse Engineering the 3pi Robot
Robot Weight = 7 ounces, centered on the wheels
Motors = Micro Metal Gearmotor 6V MP w/ 30:1 Gearbox
Stall Torque = 8 oz-in
Max Speed = 730 RPM
Wheel Diameter = 34mm, 1.34 in

Max Robot Speed = Wheel Circumference * Wheel Speed


= (3.14 * 0.034m) * (730 RPM / 60) = 1.3 m/s = 4.2 ft/s
Max Push Force = Torque / Wheel Radius * Num Motors
= (8 oz-in) / (½ * 1.34in) * 2 = 12 oz
Is 12 oz of push force reasonable for a 7oz robot? This would require μs of 1.7
Assume, μs is only 1.2, so the maximum useful torque per motor is
T = F * d = (μs * N) * d = 1.2 * (½ * 7oz) * (½ * 1.34) in = 2.8 oz-in

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