1994 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development of Mars Exploration Four Wheeled Rover (MARS Rover)
| Project/Area Number |
05452170
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
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| Research Institution | Tokyo Institute of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
HIROSE Shigeo Tokyo Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Professor, 工学部, 教授 (70108215)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1993 – 1994
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| Keywords | Mars Rover / Quadra-Rhomb / Space Robot / Passive Suspension / ロボット / 4輪走行車 |
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| Research Abstract |
In this research we have made a fundamental considerations for a planetary rover. First, shapes which utilize limitless rotation such as wheels and drawlers, legged shapes, and articulated body shapes were compared, and it was found that the wheel type is currently the optimum for a planetary rover. Next, we studied specific methods for configuring a planetary rovers with one, two, and three wheels, which is a topic that has not been studied much before, and in particular, we indicate that it is effective to equip these vehicles with manipulator arms and make joint use of the arm for movement. We have also studied a four-wheel rover, and have proposed a rhomboid four wheels vehicle arrangement as a mechanism to manifest terrain adaptability comparative to the six wheels.
In oder to demonstrate the validity of the proposed vehicle concept, a new quadra rover for Mars exploration has been designed and manufactured. The rover is designed to show high terrain adaptability with simple mechanism so as to be lightweight and reliable. The undercarriage mass of the rover is 35 Kg. To overcome obstacles, the rover has a passive front suspension with two degrees of freedom, and four spherical wheels located in a rhomb shape. DC servo motors are built in the spherical-shaped wheels for high road clearance.
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