RECONFIGURABLE BALANCING ROBOT AND METHOD FOR MOVING OVER LARGE OBSTACLES
First Claim
1. A method for transitioning a reconfigurable robot over an obstacle in its path, comprising:
- a. providing a reconfigurable robot, said reconfigurable robot including,i. a base, having a first end, a second end, and a forward facing side, with a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel being attached to said first end of said base,ii. an arm, having a first end and a second end, with a front wheel being attached to said second end of said arm,iii. a rotating shoulder joint connecting said first end of said arm to said second end of said base,iv. a track system proximate said forward facing side of said body and attached to said body;
b. providing said reconfigurable robot in a high center of mass configuration wherein said front wheel is lifted off the ground and said reconfigurable robot is balanced on said rear wheels;
c. Detecting the presence of said obstacle in said path of said robot;
d. applying torque to said shoulder joint in order to raise said arm to a height sufficient so that said front wheel clears the top of said obstacle;
e. moving said robot forward so that said arm lies over said obstacle and said track system lies against said obstacle; and
f. activating said track system to pull said body over the top of said obstacle.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for robotic control that allows an unbalanced pendulum robot to raise its Center of Mass and balance on two motorized wheels. The robot includes a pair of arms that are connected to the upper body of the robot through motorized joints. The method consists of a series of movements employing the arms of the robot to raise the robot to the upright position. The method comprises a control loop in which the motorized drives are included for dynamic balance of the robot and the control of the arm apparatus. The robot is first configured as a low Center of Mass four-wheeled vehicle, then its Center of Mass is raised using a combination of its wheels and the joint located at the attachment point of the arm apparatus and the robot body, between the rear and front wheels; the method then applies accelerations to the rear wheels to dynamically pivot and further raise the Center of Mass up and over the main drive wheels bringing the robot into a balancing pendulum configuration.
28 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for transitioning a reconfigurable robot over an obstacle in its path, comprising:
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a. providing a reconfigurable robot, said reconfigurable robot including, i. a base, having a first end, a second end, and a forward facing side, with a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel being attached to said first end of said base, ii. an arm, having a first end and a second end, with a front wheel being attached to said second end of said arm, iii. a rotating shoulder joint connecting said first end of said arm to said second end of said base, iv. a track system proximate said forward facing side of said body and attached to said body; b. providing said reconfigurable robot in a high center of mass configuration wherein said front wheel is lifted off the ground and said reconfigurable robot is balanced on said rear wheels; c. Detecting the presence of said obstacle in said path of said robot; d. applying torque to said shoulder joint in order to raise said arm to a height sufficient so that said front wheel clears the top of said obstacle; e. moving said robot forward so that said arm lies over said obstacle and said track system lies against said obstacle; and f. activating said track system to pull said body over the top of said obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for transitioning a reconfigurable robot over an obstacle in its path, comprising:
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a. providing a reconfigurable robot, said reconfigurable robot including, i. a base, having a forward facing side with a track system forward of said forward facing side, said track system being attached to said reconfigurable robot, ii. said base having a first end and a second end, with a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel being attached to said first end of said base, ii. an arm, having a first end and a second end, with a front wheel being attached to said second end of said arm, iii. a rotating shoulder joint connecting said first end of said arm to said second end of said base; b. providing said reconfigurable robot in a high center of mass configuration wherein said front wheel is lifted off the ground and said reconfigurable robot is balanced on said rear wheels; c. Detecting the presence of said obstacle in said path of said robot; d. applying torque to said shoulder joint in order to raise said arm to a height sufficient so that said front wheel clears the top of said obstacle; e. moving said robot forward so that said arm lies over said obstacle and said track system lies against said obstacle; and f. activating said track system to pull said body over the top of said obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for transitioning a reconfigurable robot over an obstacle in its path, comprising:
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a. providing a reconfigurable robot, said reconfigurable robot including, i. a base, having a first end, a second end, and a forward facing side, with a first rear wheel and a second rear wheel being attached to said first end of said base, ii. an arm, having a first end and a second end, with a front wheel being attached to said second end of said arm, iii. a rotating shoulder joint connecting said first end of said arm to said second end of said base, iv. a track system proximate said forward facing side of said body and attached to said body; b. providing a turret attached to said base, said turret including a leveling mechanism so that it can be maintained in a desired orientation as said reconfigurable robot transitions over said obstacle; c. providing said reconfigurable robot in a high center of mass configuration wherein said front wheel is lifted off the ground and said reconfigurable robot is balanced on said rear wheels; c. Detecting the presence of said obstacle in said path of said robot; d. applying torque to said shoulder joint in order to raise said arm to a height sufficient so that said front wheel clears the top of said obstacle; e. moving said robot forward so that said arm lies over said obstacle and said track system lies against said obstacle; and activating said track system to pull said body over the top of said obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification