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The main focus of the feeder design was to
allow for a variety of snake robot shapes and sizes. The design
of the feeder actually occurred in parallel with the design and
development of the next generation snake robot in the Sensor Based
Planning Lab. As a result, the overall dimensions of the snake were
not completely known. Thus the design of the feeder incorporates
features that allow it to adjust to different robot diameters, lengths
and profiles.
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Figure 1: The
complete feeder mechanism
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The main structure of the feeder is a square
frame on which the other components are mounted. The frame completely
encloses the snake and can act as both a storage box when the snake
is not in use and a carrying case that protects the robot when it
is transported. The frame also allows us to easily modify the location
of existing components, and leaves room for the addition of new
components in the future.
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Figure 2: Looking
down the center of the feeder. Open wide.
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The snake is actually propelled by a single
motor attached to a belt drive system. Each bay of the feeder has
at least three rollers, two underneath the snake and one above it.
One the first roller on the bottom is connected to the motor while
the other two are idle. A wide, double sided timing belt is used
to propel the snake forward. The teeth on the belt are able to grip
the snake regardless of the surface smoothness or profile. The position
of each roller sub-assembly can be vertically adjusted to provide
constant contact with robots of different diameters.
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Figure 3: A
side view of the feeder holding a section of the double angular
bevel joint design.
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