Abstracts: The Rocker-Bogie system is the suspension arrangement used in the Mars rovers (mechanical robot) introduced for the Mars Pathfinder and also used on the Mars Exploration Rover and Mars Science Laboratory missions. It is currently NASA's favoured design. The term “rocker” comes from the rocking aspect of the larger on each side of the suspension system. These rockers are connected to each other and the vehicle chassis through a differential. Relative to the chassis, when one rocker goes up, the other goes down. The chassis maintains the average pitch angle of both rockers. One end of a rocker is fitted with a drive wheel and the other end is pivoted to a bogie. The term “bogie” refers to the links that have a drive wheel at each end. Bogies were commonly used as load wheels in the tracks of army tanks as idlers distributing the load over the terrain. Bogies were also quite commonly used on the trailers of semi-trailer trucks. Both applications now prefer trailing arm suspensions.
can you please upload the ppt of this suspension system
The Rocker-Bogie suspension system from last year remains relatively the same from last year. This system allows for better maneuverability both during motion and in place. One design characteristic that was important is that each side of the suspension can be placed on the other side without alteration. This allows for less extra parts to be made since only one set can replace any broken piece on either side.
Stepper motors mounted above the outside four wheels will allow the rover to turn. The central wheels are pinned in place to prevent rotation. In the future, pending on funding and time, the middle wheels will also have stepper motors, allowing for maximum maneuverability.
All six wheels are independently driven. This allows for maximum traction and also allows for the wheel motors to be slightly smaller, saving weight of the overall design.
The wheels this year are also made in house. This allows for weight savings as well as making the wheels very customizable in terms of traction and mounting. They are made of 1/8" wall thickness 8" diameter aluminum tubing. Spokes are welded on the inside of the wheel to provide stability.