• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.80-86
• /
• 2013

KIOST developed a deep-sea mining robot called "MineRo" to collect manganese nodules in 2007. MineRo operates on flat ground. SMS (seafloor massive sulfide) deposits are shaped like undulating mountains. This paper deals with a numerical analysis model of a mining robot for SMS deposits. The mining robot consists of a tracked vehicle, chassis structure with a turntable, boom arm with 2 articulations, excavation tool, discharging unit, hydro-electric system, and sensing-and-monitoring system. In order to compare and analyze the dynamic responses of the driving mechanism, various tracked vehicles are modeled using commercial software. Straight driving simulations are conducted under undulating ground conditions. A conceptual design of a mining robot with four track systems for SMS deposits is modeled on the basis of these results.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.9 s.174
• /
• pp.155-161
• /
• 2005

Up to now, a lot of unmanned demining systems have been developed. However, some inferiority surely exist by reason of their large platform and explosive mechanism. To settle this inferiority, non-explosive demining system adaptable to a mobile robot already has been developed. Brief experiment indoors showed that developed demining system can remove landmines well. But, out of doors, several problems are detected. In this research, a study on the performance improvement of developed non-explosive demining system is mainly discussed. To overcome downhill effect, mechanical sensor composed of shaft and spring is used. It is confirmed that clearance depth control using the mechanical sensor is a good solution for the inclination of the system.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.676-682
• /
• 2009

The idler wheel installed at the front side of the newly developed tracked vehicle didn't meet the durability requirement by showing the crack failure near the jointed region at the wheel during the field test. To find the crack developing mechanism we constructed finite element model for the idler wheel representing the behavior of interface between each suspension units, material properties from the material test data and actual loading conditions. This paper shows a result that maximum von Mises stress near the bolt hole on the outer rim is higher than inner idler coressponding to the actual test result and that result was reversed by adopting the reinforcement outside of the outer rim.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.9
• /
• pp.117-122
• /
• 1999

Track rubber parts has heat built-up as long as dynamic loading is applied from running tracked vehicles. Durability is required for rubber part to sustain the heat accumulation and heat exchange between rubber-metal assembly and environmental air and ground. For this research, the track assembly was divided into four parts i.e., bottom track shoe, upper track pad, pin busing and metal structure. Three rubber parts and metal structure were modelled and analyzed with MARC package program to obtain time-temperature data which was induced form mechanical work of tracked vehicles. heat accumulation data was obtained from special experiments under the room temperature of 25$^{\circ}C\;and\;35^{\circ}C$ to simulate the actual environmental conditions. From this research, it is cleared that the environmental temperature does not affect to the heat accumulation speed in rubber parts. Also, the heat built-up mechanism was clarified from the thermo-mechanical work based on numerical analysis and experiments.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.3-7
• /
• 2007

There have been numerous studies directed toward the development of driving mechanisms for off-road mobility and rescue robots. To achieve surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue, it is necessary for robots to have a driving mechanism that can handle off-road environments, We propose a new type of single-track driving mechanism with a variable geometry for a rescue robot, This mechanism has a symmetric configuration so that the robot can advance in two directions and also remain operable when overturned. By transforming its geometry, the robot can reduce energy consumption in steering and rotating as well as maximize its ability to climb obstacles such as stairs. The robot is also designed to have a compact size and low center of gravity to facilitate driving when on a set of stairs. In this paper, we analyzed the design parameters of the robot for the four phases of climbing stairs and determined the specifications needed to enhance its adaptability.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.720-724
• /
• 2004

This paper introduces a new type of driving mechanism for rescue robot that has a variable geometry single-track which satisfies the pre-conditions of rescue robot. This mechanism is a symmetric configuration that has dual directions and prepares against overturn. By using transformation, it can reduce the energy consumption in steering and rotating. And also it maximizes the ability to overcome obstacles, like steps. It is designed to make the size of robot compact and to have the low center of gravity in driving on steps. Finally, we optimized the design variables of components determining the shape of reverse-trapezoid frame to enhance the adaptability to 4 phases of climbing steps.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.1834-1847
• /
• 2006

A robust minimum-time control (RMTC) strategy is addressed and it is extended to the dual-stage servo design. Rather than conventional switching type sub-optimal controls, it is a reference following control approach where the predetermined minimum-time trajectory (MTT) is tracked by the perturbation compensator based feedback controller. First, the minimum-time trajectory for a mass-damper system is derived. Then, the perturbation compensator to achieve robust tracking performance in spite of model uncertainty and external disturbance is suggested. The RMTC is also applied to the dual-stage positioner which consists of coarse actuator and fine one. To best utilize the actuation redundancy of the dual-stage mechanism, a null-motion controller to actively regulate the relative motion between the two stages is formulated. The performance of RMTC is validated through simulation and experiment.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.198-202
• /
• 2009

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) involves locating, rescuing (extricating), and medically stabilizing victims trapped in confined spaces. In this paper we state the current approach to USAR, address the limitations and discuss the way for moving in rugged topography. To achieve objectives such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue, it is necessary to develop a driving mechanism that can handle rugged geographical features. We propose a new type of driving mechanism for a rescue robot that has a variable shape single-track. By using a variety shapes, it can get the gain of steering and rotating and the ability to overcome stairs. In this paper, we analyzed the design parameters for making variable transform shapes and determined the specifications of the robot to enhance adaptability to stairs.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.113-123
• /
• 2000

In the navigation for a mobile robot, the collision avoidance with unexpected obstacles is essential for the safe navigation and it is independent of the technique used to control the mobile robot. This paper presents a new collision avoidance algorithm using neural network for the safe navigation of the autonomous mobile robot equipped with CAN and ultrasonic sensors. A tracked wheeled mobile robot has a stability and an efficiency to move on a rough ground. And its mechanism is simple. However it has difficulties to recognize its surroundings. Because the shape of the tracked wheeled mobile robot is a square type, sensor modules are generally located on the each plane surface of 4 sides only. In this paper, the algorithm using neural network is proposed in order to avoid unexpected obstacles. The important character of the proposed algorithm is to be able to detect the distance and the angle of inclination of obstacles. Only using datum of the distance and the angle, informations about the location and shape of obstacles are obtained, and then the driving direction is changed. Consequently, this algorithm is capable of real time processing and available for a mobile robot which has few sensor modules or the limited sensing range such as a tracked wheeled mobile robot. Effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is illustrated through a computer simulation and an experiment using a real robot.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.12-17
• /
• 2017

In this paper, causes of wear on high pressure seals for suspension are analyzed, and the result of reproduction test and verification on improved design are described. First, by performing the observation of worn surfaces and its failure analysis, the primary cause of wear on the seals are analyzed. The result of analysis shows that the main failure mechanism of wear is a fatigue wear, and test criteria for failure reproduction are set up with consideration for frequency condition, surface roughness and pressure. Durability comparison test on the condition of low amplitude and high frequency is carried out. And, it is found that the durability of wear on seals by increasing hardness of cylinder and managing for surface roughness is enhanced.