AMPHIBIOUS ROBOTIC DEVICE
First Claim
1. A robotic device for navigating in at least a liquid medium, the robotic device comprising:
- a legged propulsion system having a series of legs external of a body of the robotic device, each of the legs being independently driven and mounted to the body for pivotal movement about a respective transverse axis, each of the legs being operable to at least oscillate relative to the body about the respective transverse axis such that interaction between the legs and the liquid medium produces propulsive forces that displace the robotic device within the liquid medium; and
a control system operatively connected to the legged propulsion system for autonomous control and operation of the robotic device based on information received from at least one sensor providing data about an environment of the device, the control system using data from the at least one sensor to determine a desired motion of the robotic device and a corresponding required leg motion of each of the legs to produce the desired motion, and the control system autonomously actuating each of the legs of the legged propulsion system in accordance with the corresponding required leg motion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A robotic device for navigating in at least a liquid medium, includes a legged propulsion system having a series of legs external of a body of the robotic device, each of the legs being independently driven and mounted to the body for pivotal movement about a respective transverse axis. The legs oscillating relative to the body about the respective transverse axis such that interaction between the legs and the liquid medium produces propulsive forces that displace the robotic device within the liquid medium. A control system is operatively connected to the legged propulsion system for autonomous control and operation of the robotic device based on information received from at least one sensor providing data about an environment of the device.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A robotic device for navigating in at least a liquid medium, the robotic device comprising:
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a legged propulsion system having a series of legs external of a body of the robotic device, each of the legs being independently driven and mounted to the body for pivotal movement about a respective transverse axis, each of the legs being operable to at least oscillate relative to the body about the respective transverse axis such that interaction between the legs and the liquid medium produces propulsive forces that displace the robotic device within the liquid medium; and a control system operatively connected to the legged propulsion system for autonomous control and operation of the robotic device based on information received from at least one sensor providing data about an environment of the device, the control system using data from the at least one sensor to determine a desired motion of the robotic device and a corresponding required leg motion of each of the legs to produce the desired motion, and the control system autonomously actuating each of the legs of the legged propulsion system in accordance with the corresponding required leg motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An amphibious robotic device comprising:
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a legged propulsion system having a series of legs, each of said legs being driven by an actuator and mounted for pivotal movement about a respective transverse axis in one of at least a swimming mode and a walking mode, said legs being configured to pivotally oscillate relative to the transverse axis in said swimming mode when the device is in a liquid medium such that interaction between said legs and the liquid medium provides propulsive forces that displace the vehicle body within the liquid medium, said legs being configured to rotate relative to the transverse axis in said walking mode when the device is on a solid medium such that interaction between said legs and the solid medium provides propulsive forces that displace the vehicle body in a desired direction on the solid medium; and a control system having at least one sensor operable to autonomously detect with which of the liquid medium and the solid medium the robotic device is interacting and a leg controller synchronously operating said legs in either one of the swimming mode and the walking mode based on the detected medium. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A control system for autonomously maneuvering a robotic device in at least one of a liquid medium and a solid medium, the robotic device including a propulsion system having a series of individually controlled legs, the control system comprising:
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at least one visual sensor retrieving an image of an environment of the device in the medium; an image analyzing module receiving the image, determining a presence of an object of a given type therein and analyzing at least one property of the object; a motion calculator determining a desired motion of the device based on the at least one property of the object; and a controller operating the propulsion system of the device, the controller calculating a respective required leg motion of each of the legs to obtain the desired motion of the device and operating each of the legs based on the respective required leg motion calculated, such that the robotic device autonomously maneuvers in said medium. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification