Flipped Trailer

[writchie]

Originally Posted by ScottOliveira

.... but I'm not sure if they had the swivel hitch installed (which is necessary for the trailer to flip without the entire robot going over as well).

If you examine the latest drawings closely you will find that the swivel hitch is pinned so the trailer and robot share the same fate as far as tipping is concerned.

[Ryan Caldwell]

it is far more likely the trailer will just slide rather than flip perk to having no friction.

[ScottOliveira]

Originally Posted by writchie

If you examine the latest drawings closely you will find that the swivel hitch is pinned so the trailer and robot share the same fate as far as tipping is concerned.

I hadn't looked at the drawing enough, apparently. Upon further examination it seems you are quite correct. This means that the likelihood of the trailer flipping depends on the likelihood of your entire robot going. Any robot with a high center of gravity will be more likely to have their entire robot and trailer combo go.

I think this also raises an interesting question - in the event of an accidental trailer flip, how are balls that fall out scored? Rule G25.1 states:

<G25.1> De-scoring GAME PIECES – Once a GAME PIECE has been SCORED, it may not be intentionally de-scored (e.g. removed from the TRAILER). De-scoring a GAME PIECE will cause a PENALTY to be assigned. At the end of the match, any intentionally de-scored GAME PIECES will be considered SCORED as originally placed. GAME PIECES that are knocked free from tenuous placements as a result of normal game interactions (e.g. a GAME PIECE on top of a pile of MOON ROCKS that completely fill a TRAILER falls off when the TRAILER is bumped) will not be penalized.

Emphasis mine.

If the trailer flip were accidental, would any balls that roll out of the trailer not count? The trailer could be scored by the balls in it when it flipped, but that would prevent further scoring by the other team. If balls that roll out still count, there would be the possibility that a team scores with the same ball twice, by pushing an already scored ball back into the overturned trailer. Any ideas on this?

[EricH]

I do believe this has already been asked, at least partially, in various forms on Q&A.

http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=11243

In case of trailer tips, the score in that trailer is preserved for the rest of the match. Should game pieces come out, they're anybody's to score again.

The question is, can you score in a tipped trailer? Physically, I think it would be possible, based on the definition of scoring. However, I'm not quite sure if a tipped trailer can legally be scored on.