Robotic Platform
First Claim
1. A method for operating a robotic platform to climb a set of stairs, the method comprising:
- pivoting right and left front arms to raise higher than the rise of the first, bottom-most stair of the set of stairs;
approaching the first stair of the set of stairs until the front arms contact the first stair;
driving the main tracks until the main tracks contact the first stair;
pivoting the front arms to extend a tracked base of the vehicle; and
driving the main tracks to ascend the set of stairs;
wherein each front arm is mounted on a corresponding side of right and left main tracks disposed on corresponding sides of a main body, each main track being trained about a corresponding main drive pulley and a corresponding rear idler pulley, each front arm pivoting about an articulation axis co-axially with the main drive pulleys to pivot with respect to the main body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An articulated tracked vehicle that has a main section, which includes a main frame, and a forward section. The main frame has two sides and a front end, and includes a pair of parallel main tracks. Each main track includes a flexible continuous belt coupled to a corresponding side of the main frame. The forward section includes an elongated arm. One end of the arm is pivotally coupled to the main frame near the forward end of the main frame about a transverse axis that is generally perpendicular to the sides of the main frame. The arm has a length sufficiently long to allow the forward section to extend below the main section in at least some degrees of rotation of the arm, and a length shorter than the length of the main section. The center of mass of the main section is located forward of the rearmost point reached by the end of the arm in its pivoting about the transverse axis. The main section is contained within the volume defined by the main tracks and is symmetrical about a horizontal plane, thereby allowing inverted operation of the robot.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for operating a robotic platform to climb a set of stairs, the method comprising:
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pivoting right and left front arms to raise higher than the rise of the first, bottom-most stair of the set of stairs; approaching the first stair of the set of stairs until the front arms contact the first stair; driving the main tracks until the main tracks contact the first stair; pivoting the front arms to extend a tracked base of the vehicle; and driving the main tracks to ascend the set of stairs; wherein each front arm is mounted on a corresponding side of right and left main tracks disposed on corresponding sides of a main body, each main track being trained about a corresponding main drive pulley and a corresponding rear idler pulley, each front arm pivoting about an articulation axis co-axially with the main drive pulleys to pivot with respect to the main body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for operating a robotic platform having first and second sets of right and left tracks disposed on corresponding sides of a main body to climb a set of stairs, the method comprising:
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pivoting the first set of right and left tracks to raise higher than the rise of the first, bottom-most stair of the set of stairs; approaching the first stair of the set of stairs until the first set of tracks contact the first stair; driving at least the second set of tracks until the second set of tracks contacts the first stair; pivoting the first set of tracks to extend a tracked base of the vehicle; and driving the main tracks to ascend the set of stairs; wherein each track is trained about a corresponding drive pulley and a corresponding idler pulley, wherein the right and left tracks of the first set each comprise an arm mounted on a side of the corresponding drive pulley opposite the main body, the arm being rigidly coupled to an articulator axle to pivot with respect to the main body, the corresponding idler pulley of each second set track being rotatably mounted at a distal end of an arm side plate mounted to extend from the corresponding drive pulley beside the main body. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for operating a robotic platform to climb a set of stairs, the method comprising:
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approaching the set of stairs with right and left front arms, mounted on a corresponding side of right and left main tracks disposed on corresponding sides of a main body, in a stowed position, in which the front arms are next to the right and left main tracks, each main track trained about a corresponding main drive pulley and a corresponding rear idler pulley; rotating right and left front arms from the stowed position downward and away from the right and left main tracks, raising and supporting the main body on the front arms; rotating the front arms to drive the upright main body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over and thereby invert the main body onto the set of stairs; and driving the main tracks to ascend the set of stairs; wherein a center of mass of the robotic platform is contained within an envelope of 360 degree rotation of the front arms. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification