Robot Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Illustrated - Profe Saul

Chapter 5 Tracked Vehicle Suspensions and Drivetrains 173
usually mounted directly to the chassis through some common suspension
system, but the idler wheel is mounted on an arm that can move
through an arc that changes the shape of the front ramp. A second tensioning
idler must be incorporated into the track system to maintain tension
for all positions of the main arm.
This variability produces very good mobility when system height is
included in the equation because the stowed height is relatively small
compared to the negotiable obstacle height. The effectively longer track,
in addition to a cg shifting mechanism, gives the vehicle the ability to
cross wider crevasses. With simple implementations of this concept, the
variable geometry track system is a good choice for a drive system for
mobile robots. Figure 5-6 (a–b) shows one layout for a variable geometry
track system. Many others are possible.
Figure 5-5d
Figure 5-6a–b
system
Variable track