Drive module for robotic vehicle
First Claim
1. A drive module, comprising:
- at least one propulsion unit, the at least one propulsion unit including a motor to drive at least one wheel;
at least one steering unit, the at least one steering unit configured to steer the at least one wheel;
at least one sensor unit configured to sense an environment external to the drive module;
at least one power unit, the at least one power unit being in electrical communication with the at least one propulsion unit, the at least one steering unit, and the at least one sensor unit;
a controller in electrical communication with the at least one power unit and configured to control the at least one propulsion unit and the at least one steering unit based at least in part on input from the at least one sensor unit; and
one or more couplings configured to couple the drive module to a structural section of a component of a vehicle.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, apparatus and methods to implement sectional design (e.g., in quadrants) of an autonomous vehicle may include modular construction techniques to assemble an autonomous vehicle from multiple structural sections. The multiple structural sections may be configured to implement radial and bilateral symmetry. A structural section based configuration may include a power supply configuration (e.g., using rechargeable batteries) including a double-backed power supply system. The power supply system may include a kill switch disposed on a power supply (e.g., at an end of a rechargeable battery). The kill switch may be configured to disable the power supply system in the event of an emergency or after a collision, for example. The radial and bilateral symmetry may provide for bi-directional driving operations of the autonomous vehicle as the vehicle may not have a designated front end or a back end.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A drive module, comprising:
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at least one propulsion unit, the at least one propulsion unit including a motor to drive at least one wheel; at least one steering unit, the at least one steering unit configured to steer the at least one wheel; at least one sensor unit configured to sense an environment external to the drive module; at least one power unit, the at least one power unit being in electrical communication with the at least one propulsion unit, the at least one steering unit, and the at least one sensor unit; a controller in electrical communication with the at least one power unit and configured to control the at least one propulsion unit and the at least one steering unit based at least in part on input from the at least one sensor unit; and one or more couplings configured to couple the drive module to a structural section of a component of a vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A drive module comprising:
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at least one propulsion unit, the at least one propulsion unit to drive one or more wheels of the drive module; at least one acoustic emitter to emit acoustic energy into an environment external to the drive module; at least one power unit, the at least one power unit being in electrical communication with the at least one propulsion unit and the at least one acoustic emitter; a controller in electrical communication with the at least one power unit and configured to control the at least one propulsion unit and the at least one acoustic emitter; and one or more couplings configured to couple the apparatus to a structural section of a component of a vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A structural section of a vehicle, the structural section comprising:
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a frame or floor base; at least one propulsion unit, the at least one propulsion unit comprising a motor configured to drive one or more wheels; at least one power unit, the at least one power unit being in electrical communication with the at least one propulsion unit; a controller in electrical communication with the at least one power unit and configured to control the at least one propulsion unit to drive the one or more wheels; and one or more couplings configured to couple the structural section of the vehicle to another structural section of a component of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification