Friction drive system and methods for use

• US 10,556,630 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bingham, Jeffrey, Berkowitz, Ben, Holson, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Shudy, Angelina
• Application Number:
  US15/196,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/00 Stabilising vehicle bodies without controlling suspension arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An example implementation includes a robotic system including a first wheel and a second wheel configured to rotate about a first axis. Each wheel of the first wheel and the second wheel includes a contact surface and a motor coupled to a rotatable component. Each motor is configured to rotate the rotatable component about a respective second axis. The rotatable component is frictionally engaged with the contact surface such that a rotation of the rotatable component about the respective second axis is translated to a rotation of the wheel about the first axis. The robotic system further includes a controller configured to operate the motor of the first wheel and the motor of the second wheel in order to cause the robotic system to maintain its balance and navigate within an environment based on data received from one or more sensors.

Claims

1. A robotic system comprising:

a body;

one or more sensors;

a first wheel and a second wheel coupled to the body, wherein both the first wheel and the second wheel are configured to rotate about a first axis, and wherein each of the first wheel and the second wheel comprise;

an outermost diameter configured to contact a ground surface in an environment of the robotic system; and

a motor coupled to a rotatable component, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the rotatable component about a second axis, and wherein the rotatable component is frictionally engaged with the outermost diameter such that (i) a rotation of the rotatable component about the second axis is translated to a rotation of the wheel about the first axis and (ii) a gear ratio of the wheel to the rotatable component is defined based on a size of the outermost diameter relative to a size of the rotatable component; and

a controller that operates the motor of the first wheel and the motor of the second wheel to cause the robotic system to maintain balance and navigate within the environment based on data received from the one or more sensors.

2. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the outermost diameter of the first wheel, the outermost diameter of the second wheel, the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel, and the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel includes a rubber material.

3. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the first axis of the first wheel is parallel to the second axis of the first wheel, and wherein the first axis of the second wheel is parallel to the second axis of the second wheel.

4. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the rotatable component of the first wheel and the rotatable component of the second wheel comprises a motor shaft.

5. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the rotatable component of the first wheel and the rotatable component of the second wheel comprises a gear.

6. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the gear ratio of the first wheel to the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel is between 10:

1 and 30;

1, and wherein the gear ratio of the second wheel to the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel is between 10;

1 and 30;

1.

7. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the controller maintaining the balance of the robotic system comprises:

determining a position of a center of mass of the robotic system;

determining a first contact point of the first wheel of the robotic system on a ground surface and a second contact point of the second wheel of the robotic system on the ground surface;

determining a distance from a projection of the center of mass onto the ground surface to a line defined by the first contact point and the second contact point; and

adjusting a rotational speed of the rotatable component of the motor of at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel such that a velocity of at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel is driven to a given target.

8. The robotic system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first encoder coupled to the motor of the first wheel to provide data indicative of motion and orientation of the first wheel, wherein the controller is configured to identify the motion of the first wheel based on the data provided by the first encoder; and

a second encoder coupled to the motor of the second wheel to provide data indicative of motion and orientation of the second wheel, wherein the controller is configured to identify the motion of the second wheel based on the data provided by the second encoder.

9. The robotic system of claim 8, wherein the first encoder is configured to provide a first signal indicative of the motor of the first wheel being at a particular orientation, wherein the controller is configured to cause the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel to rotate the first wheel until the first encoder provides the first signal, wherein the second encoder is configured to provide a second signal indicative of the motor of the second wheel being at a particular orientation, and wherein the controller is configured to cause the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel to rotate the second wheel until the second encoder provides the second signal.

10. The robotic system of claim 8, wherein the wherein the controller is configured to determine, based on the data from the first encoder, a first speed of the motor of the first wheel responsive to the controller causing the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel to rotate the first wheel, wherein the controller is configured to identify the motion of the first wheel based also on the determined first speed, wherein the controller is configured to determine, based on the data from the second encoder, a second speed of the motor of the second wheel responsive to the controller causing the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel to rotate the second wheel, and wherein the controller is configured to identify the motion of the second wheel based also on the determined second speed.

11. The robotic system of claim 8, wherein the first encoder is configured to provide a first signal indicative of the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel slipping with respect to the outermost diameter of the first wheel, wherein the controller is configured to adjust an odometry of the robotic system based on the first signal, wherein the second encoder is configured to provide a second signal indicative of the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel slipping with respect to the outermost diameter of the second wheel, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust an odometry of the robotic system based on the second signal.

12. A method comprising:

determining, by the controller of the robotic system of claim 1, a target position of the robotic system; and

operating, by the controller of the robotic system, the first wheel and the second wheel of the robotic system to cause the robotic system to navigate to the target position while maintaining balance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the gear ratio of the first wheel to the rotatable component of the motor of the first wheel is between 10:

1 and 30;

1, and wherein the gear ratio of the second wheel to the rotatable component of the motor of the second wheel is between 10;

1 and 30;

1.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to control the first wheel and the second wheel independently of one another.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the controller maintaining the balance of the robotic system comprises:

determining a position of a center of mass of the robotic system;

determining a first contact point of the first wheel of the robotic system on a ground surface and a second contact point of the second wheel of the robotic system on the ground surface;

determining a distance from a projection of the center of mass onto the ground surface to a line defined by the first contact point and the second contact point; and

adjusting a rotational speed of the rotatable component of the motor of at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel such that a velocity of at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel is driven to a given target.