Best Sensor for Unlimited Rotation Swerve

[Joe Johnson]

Originally Posted by Ether

4-wheel independent-steering and independent-driven drivetrain, with unlimited steering rotation of the wheels and sensors, and no gaps in the sensor feedback

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...07&postcount=9

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...4&postcount=13

I second your thought expressed in the second link above:

So says JVN. So say we all.

Now a question for you Ether, two actually.

1) "No gaps in feedback sensor feedback" Strange wording. First of all, it is inconceivable to have swerve without feedback loops controlling the steering angle. Open Loop steering control is just not Swerve in my view. So... if I have infinite steering angles, then (for me at least) that implies sensors sufficient to provide the control loops information it needs to do its job.

Are there people in the world who would design a sensor system that would have gaps? You don't say anything about wheels that have continuous outer surfaces -- why the special attention to sensor gaps?

2) Can I get you to agree to a new definition that replaces 4 with N (N=number of drive wheels on the robot and must be >2)? If a team has 6 drive wheels then all of them have to have independent steering and infinitely turnable. Same with 3, 5, or 57.

I am torn about 2. If they had caster or omniwheels that were not powered but the 2 that were powered were independently steered and so on... Is that "Unicorn Swerve"? I say nay. "Unipony Swerve" is the best I am going to give them.

Ether, what say you?

Dr. Joe J.