Intakes
Contents
Description
An intake is a mechanism that brings game pieces from the field or human player into the control of the robot.
Design Considerations
Touch It, Own It
"Touch it, own it" is a concept used to describe an effective intake, although it is not a measurable metric. The moment a "touch it, own it" intake comes in contact with a game piece, it is "owned" by the robot such that it will never lose grip, fall out, or be stolen by another robot. It can be seen as somewhat of a buzzword.
Acquisition Zone
The acquisition zone or effective intake area is the size of the area in front of the robot where reliable intaking can happen. The larger the effective intake area, the more easily game pieces can be acquired and scored. A driver needs to be able to pick up a game piece from 50 feet away without direct line of sight, which a large acquisition zone is vital for. For a tank drive robot, measuring the width of the intake (parallel to the front bumper) is more important than measuring its length (perpendicular to the front bumper). For a swerve drive, the critical measurement is the total ground area under the intake where reliable intaking happens. A large intake is only valuable if the intake works reliably across the entire area. If a robot has a full width intake that jams when intaking at the sides, then a narrow intake would be more valuable.
Speed
Assuming that a roller intake is being used (as it almost always should), the surface speed of the roller(s) should be fast enough that the robot can pick up a game pieces when driving forward at full speed. For "single-contact" intake designs like the Top Roller, that means that the surface speed of the roller should be 2-4x the top speed of the robot. For "dual-contact" designs like the Top and Bottom Roller and Side Rollers, each roller's surface speed should be 1-2x the robot's top speed.
A simple equation to calculate an intake's rotational speed is:
Where:
Ω = The intake's rotational velocity in RPM
Vs = The intake's surface speed in feet per second (1-4 times the robot's maximum driving speed, depending on the type of intake used)
r = The intake's radius in inches
"Reasonable" values of rotational velocity can range from ~700 RPM (4" diameter roller used in a two-roller design on a slow robot) to ~12,000 RPM (1" diameter roller in a single-roller design on a fast robot). Once a value has been arrived at mathematically, it should be tested as much as possible. Each game piece and robot will behave differently, and will require tweaking and adjustment. Due to this, be careful to select motors and gearing capable of spinning faster than the calculated value.
Deployment
All parts of an FRC robot are typically required to start within the robot's frame perimeter. With few exceptions, an intake is unable to acquire game pieces from inside the frame perimeter. This means that intakes have to actuate outwards in order to fuction effectively. It is not always strictly necessary to be able to retract an intake, although game rules sometimes make it advantageous to do so, and parts outside the frame perimeter are always more succeptable to damage than parts protected by the bumpers.
This deployment typically happens with a linear slide, pivot, or four bar. Intake deployment is an ideal use for pneumatics as most intakes have only two positions, stowed and deployed. Deploying an intake with a motor is useful in some cases where pneumatics aren't present on the robot (such as the 2021 Robot (Oreo)), or when the intake's exact position needs to be controlled (such as the 2019 Robot (Flip)).
Choosing a deployment method is almost entirely based on the geometry of the robot, and what fits in the available space.
Compression and Compliance
In most cases in order to grip a game piece, an intake needs to provide a compression force on it. In order to provide a compression force, either the intake or the game piece needs to be able to move or flex; this movement is called compliance. If a game piece is soft (such as the balls used in 2016, 2019, or 2020), the intake can be rigid because compliance comes from the game piece (although different amounts of compliance can still help - testing is required). If a game piece is hard (such as the boxes used in 2015 or 2018), an effective intake will always have compliance because the game piece is unable to flex out of the way. An intake that is more rigid will grip the game piece harder, but will require more torque from the motor to do so. A more flexible intake will grip the game piece less forcefully, but will put less torque on the motor and may be able to acquire a game piece in a more difficult position or orientation.
The range of motion of an intake and the force required to move it are both variables that should be tested in the prototyping stages of a design. If possible, they should be adjustable on a "final" design so that changes can be dialed in as the season progresses.
Durability
Because intakes are often the only part of a robot extending past the frame perimeter, they need to be designed to take more abuse than most other robot parts. Compliant mounting and flexible parts are a popular way to keep intakes from taking damage when deployed. A robot should be able to drive into a wall at full speed without breaking anything critical.
Major Types
Note that not all intakes fit into these categories. When designing an intake, feel free to look at all options and think outside the box. The categories presented here describe trends, not rules.
Over Bumper
Description
An over-bumper intake reaches out past the bumpers, and pulls game pieces up and over the bumper into the robot. Over bumper intakes do not require a break in the bumpers, and usually use the pool noodles inside the bumpers to provide compliance to the intake. They can sometimes take up more space than a through-bumper intake, but can also be made wider than a through-bumper intake can for better pickup. An over bumper intake will almost always have to be actuated to extend out past the bumpers.
When to Use
Over bumper intakes should be considered the default option for any game where the robot may be required to intake more than one game piece at a time, and should be strongly considered for single-piece games with game pieces that are relatively small or can roll easily. Over bumper intakes are useful for robots that singulate game pieces inside the robot rather than outside. For this reason, over bumper intakes are a good choice for game pieces that are grippy against each other. Intaking over the bumpers means closing any gaps in the bumpers which could otherwise open the robot up to unnecessary damage. They should be avoided in cases where packaging is a significant problem for other mechanisms, where powering the extension is a problem (lack of pneumatics or PDB slots), or where the game piece is unwieldly enough that bringing it over the bumper is a significant challenge.
Notable Examples
| Team 2102's 2020 robot with wide pivoting over-bumper intake | Team 254's 2020 robot with wide four-bar over bumper intake | Team 971's 2019 robot with wide four-bar over bumper intake | Team 1290's 2018 robot with pivoting over bumper intake | Team 2056's 2016 robot with wide pivoting over bumper intake |
Through Bumper
Description
A through bumper intake has a break in the bumpers through which game pieces travel into the robot. They can be easier to package because neither game pieces nor the intake itself has to travel up and over the bumpers, instead going through them. Intaking through the bumpers means that either the intake is narrower than it could be otherwise, or that the intake has to singulate game pieces to some degree before they enter the robot. Through bumper intakes can be made to extend past the bumpers, or remain behind the bumpers and protected by them.
When to Use
Through bumper intakes should be used in games where the robot only handles a single game piece at a time, or with multiple game pieces that slide easily over each other. They should be considered in games that will have heavy defense where protecting the intake is important, or on robots where available space is tight.
Notable Examples
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Top and Bottom Roller
Description
When to Use
Notable Examples
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Top Roller
Description
Dustpans
When to Use
Notable Examples
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Side Rollers
Description
Dustpans
When to Use
Notable Examples
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Pinchers
Description
Dustpans
When to Use
Notable Examples
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Relevant Information
References
JVN Blog's Intake Iteration article
