Human transport system with dead reckoning facilitating docking
First Claim
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1. A vehicle for docking against a fixture, the vehicle comprising:
- a. a ground contacting assembly capable of motion in a plane, the motion being holonomic with respect to three degrees of freedom;
b. a motor drive for propelling the ground contacting assembly in a predetermined direction;
c. an instrumented bumper for sensing contact between the vehicle and the fixture; and
d. a controller for determining a docking trajectory to the fixture, the controller being programmed to react to feedback from the instrumented bumper to control the motor drive such that the vehicle behaves with a variable specified stiffness in each degree of freedom about a determined center of compliance in such a manner as to steer the vehicle to the fixture.
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Abstract
A hybrid personal vehicle capable of holonomic omni-directional self-locomotion. The vehicle may be programmed to navigate to a specified location in a crowded household environment. Additionally, sensors are provided for accurate docking and tight mating with fixtures such as a toilet or bed. A controller determines a docking trajectory to a specified fixture and behaves with arbitrary stiffness in each degree of freedom about a determined center of compliance.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle for docking against a fixture, the vehicle comprising:
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a. a ground contacting assembly capable of motion in a plane, the motion being holonomic with respect to three degrees of freedom; b. a motor drive for propelling the ground contacting assembly in a predetermined direction; c. an instrumented bumper for sensing contact between the vehicle and the fixture; and d. a controller for determining a docking trajectory to the fixture, the controller being programmed to react to feedback from the instrumented bumper to control the motor drive such that the vehicle behaves with a variable specified stiffness in each degree of freedom about a determined center of compliance in such a manner as to steer the vehicle to the fixture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle for transporting a body to a target location, comprising:
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a. a ground contacting assembly capable of holonomic motion, the ground contacting assembly comprising; i. at least three ball wheels; ii. a motor drive coupled to each ball wheel; and b. a controller for determining a trajectory to the target location, subject to topological constraints, programmed to react to feedback from an instrumented bumper, for controlling the motor drive in such a manner that the vehicle behaves with a variable specified stiffness in each degree of freedom and that the vehicle is steered to the target location in accordance with the determined trajectory. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification