Mecanum Mobilator Platform

[jmccamish07]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking for some guidance and direction with my latest design ideas for a Mecanum Mobilator Platform. This design will not be fabricated anytime soon but I want my numbers nailed down for my design aspects. I am designing this platform to be able to move 2000 lbs not including the machines weight itself and with a max speed of 2mph. There aren't really any other constraints. I have done my research on omni wheel, swerve drive, and other possible options for an omni-directional platform, but I have decided on the Mecanum wheels. My main questions have to do with motor sizing, type of motor, and control. I am wondering if anyone can steer me in the direction of some math that will ultimately help me decide what Hp motors I will need for my 4WD platform. I have looked at a few different papers that show A LOT of math that ultimately didn't lead me to the answers I was looking for. Also I am looking at using one of 3 different types of motors, 1) AC Induction, 2) DC Brushless, and 3) Servo Motors. I know that technically all of these could work I just wasn't sure if anyone had better luck with one type over the other. Lastly, my control. I am looking at whether or not I should go with a VFD for my motors or if I should just use a beefy ESC. I have seen ESC's that can move motors upwards of 5 Hp so I am not worried about finding the right one. Also I know that some designs for control use a "Mecanum Mixer" to communicate with an RC Chip. Obviously this is much simpler than using an Arduino, but it also wouldn't allow for any position feedback, from what I can tell. Any thoughts or ideas would be great help to me. Thanks for any and all advice.