The Autonomous Robotic Vehicle Project (ARVP) club at the University of Alberta is building a new robot for the RoboNation RoboSub Competition.
For the 2023 competition, we are outfitting a new robot frame with updated subsystems, and some new subsystems. The 'Torpedoes' team is responsible for redesigning the torpedo launchers.
The current design has a few issues:
Torpedoes are too buoyant
Torpedoes are restricted to minimum size because it relies on control rods that enter the back of the torpedo
The control rods are mounted by glue at one end which is not reliable
The re-design aims to fix this.
The torpedo launcher design must meet the following criteria:
Torpedoes should be neutrally buoyant to ensure they fire straight
Torpedoes should be as small as possible
System should be able to fire 2 torpedoes
Must be controlled autonomously via a single servo motor
So far the has finished the conceptual design, this is the conceptual release mechanism (designed by me) that the team selected:
This video outlines a rough concept of how the release mechanism could work.
For interpretation of the video, make the following assumptions:
inside each chamber behind the blue plates are compressed springs
there is a servo with a gear mounted on top of the box to move the yellow plate from side to side
the yellow plate would have involute gear teeth
the box/casing would be made in two parts, split at the yellow plate to allow for assembly.
Moving on to detailed modeling for the first prototype, the torpedo itself was redesigned to a more hydrodynamic shape as well as having fins that maintain the outer profile of a cylinder to make them easier to stabilize within the launcher.
The torpedoes team is now moved forward making two prototypes with slightly different designs, both of which use the release mechanism highlighted above. I have since stepped down from this team to be more involved with other commitments.