All terrain mobile robot

• US 4,932,831 A
• Filed: 09/26/1988
• Issued: 06/12/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Original Assignee: Remotec, Inc. (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: White, John R., Walker, Kenneth L., Upton, R. Glen, Farnstrom, Kenneth A., Harvey, Howard W., Coughlan, Joel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Frank E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US07/248,973
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 414/732, 901/1, 180/8.1, 180/9.32, 180/9.62, 180/2.1, 180/6.5, 242/54 R, 89/41.01, 89/41.05, 248/278
• US Class Current: 414/732
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/065 comprising joy-sticks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0266 actuated by articulated links
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/04 with provision for the remote detachment or exchange of the head or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/0241 One-dimensional joints
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0029 arranged within the different robot elements
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/063 working only upon contact with an outside object
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/046 Revolute coordinate type
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/06 with tracks without ground wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/075 Tracked vehicles for ascending or descending stairs, steep slopes or vertical surfacesmagnetic or pneumatic ground-engaging parts B62D55/265; chairs or multi-track cycles specially adapted for invalids A61G5/00

Abstract

A remotely controlled vehicle for traversing various terrains to accomplish missions in a hostile environment. This remotely controlled vehicle has a main chassis with rotatable tracks on either side thereof that supports a central body of the vehicle. Auxiliary chassis in a forward and rearward direction also carry tracks on either side, with these auxiliary chassis being pivotable to raised or lowered positions to accomplish movement over uneven terrain. The body carriers a deployable arm including a shoulder, an elbow and a wrist, with this arm being provided with five degrees of motion. The drive means throughout the vehicle for the main tracks and for the essential components of the arm are carried out through the use of motor driven planetary gear assemblies to achieve the necessary torque and speed. The body in one embodiment carries a cable drum and provision is made to rotate the drum, to allow it to be free reeling or to lock the same, in order to control the desired feed to or from the drum of a cable carrying signals to and from the vehicle. All of the motions are controlled remotely from a control station. Except for the shoulder and elbow joints, all wiring of the components is internal, and the position of various elements is determined using potentiometers and the like resistive elements.

Claims

1. An all terrain vehicle adapted for remote control operation in potentially hostile environments, which comprises:

a main chassis having a forward end and a rearward end, said main chassis equipped with a pair of rotatable sprockets on each side thereof, at least one of said sprockets being driven, said pair of sprockets on each side of said main chassis having a flexible main track engaged therewith, said main track supporting said vehicle on said terrain and moving said vehicle across said terrain;

a first auxiliary chassis pivotally mounted on said forward end of said main chassis, said first auxiliary chassis equipped with a pair of rotatable sprockets on each side thereof, at least one of said sprockets being driven, said pair of sprockets on each side of said first auxiliary chassis having a flexible first auxiliary track engaged therewith for further supporting said vehicle on said terrain and moving said vehicle across said terrain;

a second auxiliary chassis pivotally mounted on said rearward end of said main chassis, said second auxiliary chassis equipped with a pair of rotatable sprockets on each side thereof, at least one of said sprockets being driven, said pair of sprockets on each side of said second auxiliary chassis having a flexible second auxiliary track engaged therewith for further supporting said vehicle on said terrain and moving said vehicle across said terrain;

a first cylindrical axle substantially extending across said vehicle proximate said forward end of said main chassis, said first cylindrical axle provided with a cylindrical cavity along its length;

a first planetary gear drive means positioned within said cavity of said first cylindrical axle for driving one sprocket on one side of said main chassis and one sprocket of said first auxiliary chassis on a corresponding side;

a second planetary gear drive means positioned within said first cylindrical axle for pivoting said first auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis;

a second cylindrical axle substantially extending across said vehicle proximate said rearward end of said main chassis, said second cylindrical axle provided with a cylindrical cavity along its length;

a third planetary gear drive means positioned within said cavity of said second cylindrical axle for driving one sprocket on a second side of said main chassis and one sprocket of said second auxiliary chassis on a corresponding side;

a fourth planetary gear drive means positioned within said cavity of said second cylindrical axle for pivoting said second auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis;

a body member mounted upon said main chassis, said body member provided with a hermetically sealed cavity;

table arm unit pivotally mounted on said body member, said arm unit having a shoulder joint providing for rotation about both a vertical axis and a horizontal axis relative to said main chassis member, an elbow joint providing for rotation about a horizontal axis relative to said main chassis, an upper arm joining said shoulder joint to said elbow joint, and a wrist joint releasably joined to a forearm portion joining said elbow joint with said wrist joint providing for rotation about an axis of said forearm;

adaptive means attached to said wrist joint for releasable attachment of apparatus to carry out selected actions by said vehicle in said environment;

drive means located in said shoulder joint, said elbow joint and said wrist joint for producing selected movements of said shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, respectively;

cable reel means, with a cable drum, carried by said body member, said cable reel means including drive means having a clutch means, said clutch means providing for selected conditions of rotation of said cable drum by said drive means of said cable reel means;

a cable associated with said cable drum, said cable selectively wound onto and drawn from said cable drum by said drive means of said cable reel means in cooperation with said clutch means, said cable having a first end and a distal end;

circuit means in said cavity of said body member connected to said first end of said cable and to said drive means of said arm unit to convey signals on said cable to said drive means of said arm unit;

first position sensitive means connected between said first and second planetary gear drive means to provide an electrical signal as to pivotal motion of said first auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis;

second position sensitive means connected between said third and fourth planetary gear drive means to provide an electrical signal as to pivotal motion of said second auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis;

further position sensitive means connected to each said drive means of said shoulder and elbow joints to provide an electrical signal as to pivotal motion of said shoulder and elbow joints, respectively;

further circuit means in said cavity of said body member to receive said electrical signals from said first, second and further position sensitive means and transmit said signals thereof over said cable;

internal connections within said first and second cylindrical axles and within said arm unit to connect said drive means and said position sensitive means within said cylindrical axles and said arm unit to said circuit means and said further circuit means;

video means, including a video camera and illuminating devices, carried on said forearm of said arm unit;

further video means, including video camera illuminating devices and a zoom lens, carried on said body member of said vehicle;

adjustment means attached to said further video means to pivot said further video means around two perpendicular axes; and

a remote control console connected to said distal end of said cable to transmit and receive over said cable signals between said console and said circuit means and further circuit means in said cavity of said body member.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said forearm portion of said arm unit is divided to a first and a second portion, and further comprises a wrist pitch means inserted between said first portion of said forearm and said second portion of said forearm, said wrist pitch means including drive means for bending said forearm at said wrist pitch means to simulate normal wrist bending of an individual.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said drive means of said cable reel means has an output shaft to said clutch means, wherein said cable drum is provided with an input shaft, and wherein said clutch means selectively couples and decouples said output shaft of said drive means to said input shaft of said cable drum.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said tracks on said main chassis and each of said tracks on said auxiliary chassis are provided with an idler sprocket in contact with said tracks to tension said tracks.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising disconnect means for releasably attaching said sprockets for said tracks of said main chassis to said first planetary gear drive means whereby, when said sprockets are released from said planetary gear drive means, said vehicle can be moved without power supplied to said first planetary gear drive means.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said adjustment means attached to said further video means comprises:

a pan motion means having a housing, a rotatable cup-shaped member disposed within said housing, said cup-shaped member having a first end and a further end, said further end provided with a circumscribing gear member, said further end having an attachment flange, a motor, a driven gear attached to said motor and meshed with said circumscribing gear, and a rotation monitoring unit attached to said circumscribing gear to provide an electrical signal as to rotation of said cup-shaped member; and

a tilt motion means having a housing attached to said mounting flange of said pan motion means, a motor means within said tilt motion housing connected to worm gear means, a mounting plate for said further video means connected to said worm gear means whereby rotation of said motor of said tilt motion means rotates said mounting plate, and a further rotation monitoring unit attached to said motor means of said tilt motion means to provide a signal as to rotation of said mounting plate.

7. An all terrain vehicle adapted for remote control to operate in potential hostile environments, said vehicle being of the type having a main chassis and a forward and rearward auxiliary chassis pivotally mounted at forward and rearward hollow axles with respect to said main chassis, all said chassis provided with endless tracks driven by sprockets to move said vehicle across said terrain, said axles having internal drive means for driving said sprockets and for pivoting said auxiliary chassis, said main chassis having a control box and an arm deployable in a plane above said main chassis, remote control means for transmitting signals to and from said control box, and wiring means connecting said control box to components of said arm and to said drive means of said chassis, wherein the improvement comprises:

a cable reel means attached to said main chassis for receiving a cable connecting said remote control means and said control box, said cable reel means including a rotatable cable drum, means for rotating said drum, a drive means for said drum, and a clutch means for selectively connecting said drive means for said drum to said means for rotating said drum whereby said clutch means selects between free rotation, no rotation and driven rotation of said drum,

a shoulder roll drive connecting said arm to said main chassis whereby said arm can be rotated about a vertical axis whereby said arm is operable to a side of said main chassis;

wherein said control box is sealed against penetration by elements of an environment surrounding said control box

wherein said wiring means is enclosed within said arm and said control box; and

wherein said drive means within said axles comprises

a. a first planetary gear motor unit mounted within said forward axle and coupled to a sprocket driving a main track and to a sprocket driving a track of said forward auxiliary chassis on one side of said main chassis,

b. a second planetary gear motor unit mounted within said forward axle and coupled with said forward auxiliary chassis for pivotal movement of said forward auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis,

c. a third planetary gear motor unit mounted within said rearward axle and coupled to a sprocket driving a main track and to a sprocket driving a track of said rearward auxiliary chassis on a second side of said main chassis, and

d. a fourth planetary gear motor unit mounted within said rearward axle and coupled to said forward auxiliary chassis for pivotal movement of said rearward auxiliary chassis with respect to said main chassis.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein said arm is provided with a forearm having a first portion and a second portion, and further comprises a wrist pitch means joining said first and second portions of said forearm, said wrist pitch means including a drive means whereby said first portion of said forearm can be selectively bent with respect to said second portion of said forearm to simulate motion corresponding to wrist bending of an individual.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein each of said tracks of said main vehicle and said auxiliary chassis are provided with an idler sprocket to maintain tension of said tracks.

10. The vehicle of claim 7 further comprising:

a first video unit releasably attached to said arm and directed toward a free end of said arm; and

a second video unit attached to said main chassis, said second video unit provided with adjustment means to direct said second video toward a selected location, said adjustment means adapted to pan and tilt said second video unit.

11. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein said adjustment means attached to said second video unit comprises:

a pan motion means having a housing, a rotatable cup-shaped member disposed within said housing, said cup-shaped member having a first end and a further end, said further end provided with a circumscribing gear member, said further end having an attachment flange, a motor, a driven gear attached to said motor and meshed with said circumscribing gear, and a rotation monitoring unit attached to said circumscribing gear to provide a signal as to the rotation of said cup-shaped member; and

a tilt motion means having a housing attached to said mounting flange of said pan motion means, a motor means within said tilt motion housing connected to worm gear means, a mounting plate for said further video means connected to said worm gear means whereby rotation of said motor of said tilt motion means rotates said mounting plate, and a rotation monitoring unit attached to said motor means of said tilt motion means to provide a signal as to rotation of said mounting plate.