Bumper Designs

[Jengles]

Last year was my team's rookie season, and something we realized after it was too late was the difficulty of the bumpers. Some teams seemed to have no trouble with the ability to make a quick change, whether it was a new set of bumpers or just a new cover, and now with the possibility of a third set I was wondering what are some of the successful designs teams used for their bumpers?

[z_beeblebrox]

A similar thread is here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=110150

[Adam.garcia]

There are a few options that I would like to point you to:

1. Reversible Bumpers (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2437?)

-This is the method that our team used this year, and it turned out to be a huge success. My only word of advice is to make sure that your velcro mounts are secured firmly on (we ended up stapling the velcro to the fabric.

2. Quick Release Pins

-This has also worked very well for some teams. Check out this current thread here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=110150

3. Latches
-This seems like a very innovative idea. I was talking to a mentor of Team 254, however, and he said that this tended to get annoying for the team to use. However, this is a great idea nonetheless to get your ideas flowing. You can find a picture of it here:
http://2013.team254.com/wp-content/u...fire-small.jpg
Also, check out their team's website for other ideas.

I hope I have helped. If you have any further questions, I will do my best to answer them or somebody else will be quick to respond.

Good luck!

[FrankJ]

I think the big problem with bumpers is waiting to the last minute & giving them no design consideration. Everybody wants to work on the cool stuff. So here is a cook book from painless bumper design.

1) Read and understand the rules about frame perimeter, bumper zone & bumper construction. Don't try to force your interpretation of the rules. The robot inspector will win this one & you will be graciously rebuilding your bumpers.
2) Decide how you are going to change colors quickly. If it is changing bumpers then then the attachment points need to be designed for quick change. Lots of other threads on this. If you are using a slip covers, how you are attaching the alternate cover needs to be thought out.
3) Gather the material. You should have the noodles now. No reason not to have bumper backing & covers the first week of build. You even put your team number on the covers before you know the exacts dimension of the robot.
4) When the frame is built, go ahead and build the bumpers. Two solid attachment points per bumper will hold up to anything First can dish out.

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by Adam.garcia

There are a few options that I would like to point you to:

1. Reversible Bumpers (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2437?)

-This is the method that our team used this year, and it turned out to be a huge success. My only word of advice is to make sure that your velcro mounts are secured firmly on (we ended up stapling the velcro to the fabric.

2. Quick Release Pins

-This has also worked very well for some teams. Check out this current thread here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=110150

3. Latches
-This seems like a very innovative idea. I was talking to a mentor of Team 254, however, and he said that this tended to get annoying for the team to use. However, this is a great idea nonetheless to get your ideas flowing. You can find a picture of it here:
http://2013.team254.com/wp-content/u...fire-small.jpg
Also, check out their team's website for other ideas.

I hope I have helped. If you have any further questions, I will do my best to answer them or somebody else will be quick to respond.

Good luck!

Why were the latches annoying. It seems to me they would be faster and cleaner. This year we used the pins and we had them fall out a couple of times.(We hand drilled the holes for the pins however, so that could have been the problem. Lesson learned: bumpers are not an afterthought)

[Adam.garcia]

Originally Posted by MICHAELABICK

Why were the latches annoying.

I may have misspoke. I heard the bumper system that was employed in the 2012 robot (with the extended frame) was a design that they were not going to keep for next year's robot, as there may be other "better" ways of mounting. It does look like a very quick and easy bumper system. I would definitely like to hear from some of the mentors on 254 pitch in to this thread directly.

I have designed the extended frame on solidworks, and from my dimensioning, I do not think that system would work for a robot with 6" (or larger) Wheels or so. I know that, for this coming season, we are going to definitely prototype this system and see how it works for us.

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by Adam.garcia

I may have misspoke. I heard the bumper system that was employed in the 2012 robot (with the extended frame) was a design that they were not going to keep for next year's robot, as there may be other "better" ways of mounting. It does look like a very quick and easy bumper system. I would definitely like to hear from some of the mentors on 254 pitch in to this thread directly.

I have designed the extended frame on solidworks, and from my dimensioning, I do not think that system would work for a robot with 6" (or larger) Wheels or so. I know that, for this coming season, we are going to definitely prototype this system and see how it works for us.

I really like 254's old system of mounting as long as there aren't any special needs(this year's higher bumpers). You can see it here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_WD...hIUExBQmc/edit. Easy to machine. Also, based on the bumper rules, you may be able to run something like 973 did in 2011, which is even lighter and easier to machine.

[Adam.garcia]

Originally Posted by MICHAELABICK

I really like 254's old system of mounting as long as there aren't any special needs(this year's higher bumpers). You can see it here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_WD...hIUExBQmc/edit. Easy to machine. Also, based on the bumper rules, you may be able to run something like 973 did in 2011, which is even lighter and easier to machine.

Can you please give a description about how the poofs use that system to mount their bumpers? How do they quickly take off the bumpers?

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by Adam.garcia

Can you please give a description about how the poofs use that system to mount their bumpers? How do they quickly take off the bumpers?

They use vertical pins on the front and back parts of their two piece bumpers. I'm not 100% how their left and right sides work, but if I were to guess, I think they slide in from the side into the bumpers.

[Travis Covington]

We much preferred the one-piece bumper and latch system that we used last year during the 2012 season. No real complaints there. There is no way we will go back to the pins/knobs that we used in 2008-2011.

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by Travis Covington

We much preferred the one-piece bumper and latch system that we used last year during the 2012 season. No real complaints there. There is no way we will go back to the pins/knobs that we used in 2008-2011.

Sorry If I wasn't clear. I really like the latch system. I just don't like the support system for the bumpers because it requires more machining.

[Littleboy]

Woah! The Poofs didn't make their decision by which was most aesthetically appealing!? THere is something wrong with that picture.

[Travis Covington]

Originally Posted by MICHAELABICK

Sorry If I wasn't clear. I really like the latch system. I just don't like the support system for the bumpers because it requires more machining.

I was replying to Adam's post when he said he spoke to a mentor who said that we got annoyed with our bumpers last year. I do not recall any such frustration.

[Adam.garcia]

Originally Posted by Travis Covington

I was replying to Adam's post when he said he spoke to a mentor who said that we got annoyed with our bumpers last year. I do not recall any such frustration.

Oops, my apologies! Sorry about that.

[Travis Covington]

For those curious, the small amount of extra time it took to make the supporting structure for the frame was more than made up for with the reduced complexity of the bumpers themselves. We will likely be doing something similar again next year if the design calls for it.