Crawler device
First Claim
1. A distributed traction crawler device comprising:
- an elongated flexible drive shaft extending along a central axis;
a motor operatively connected to said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft about said central axis;
a plurality of segments disposed over said drive shaft between a proximal end and a distal end of the crawler device, each segment having a wheel assembly including at least one drive wheel, each of said drive wheels being rotatable about a wheel axis transverse to said central axis, wherein adjacent segments are joined to each other, and wherein at least two of the segments further include a drive coupling assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the drive shaft, so that rotating the drive shaft provides distributed traction force to the drive wheels of said at least two segments.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A crawler device for traversing in a confined environment, searching victims or inspecting defections, comprises an elongated flexible drive shaft extending along a central axis between a proximal end and a distal end, a motor operatively connected to the drive shaft for turning the drive shaft, and a plurality of segments disposed over the drive shaft. Any two adjacent segments are joined by an articulate joint. Each segment has a wheel assembly including drive wheels. At least two segments further include a gear assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the drive shaft. Turning the drive shaft provides distributed traction force to the drive wheels of the at least two segments, and thereby drives the crawler device.
52 Citations
60 Claims
-
1. A distributed traction crawler device comprising:
-
an elongated flexible drive shaft extending along a central axis; a motor operatively connected to said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft about said central axis; a plurality of segments disposed over said drive shaft between a proximal end and a distal end of the crawler device, each segment having a wheel assembly including at least one drive wheel, each of said drive wheels being rotatable about a wheel axis transverse to said central axis, wherein adjacent segments are joined to each other, and wherein at least two of the segments further include a drive coupling assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the drive shaft, so that rotating the drive shaft provides distributed traction force to the drive wheels of said at least two segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
-
-
49. A distributed traction crawler device comprising:
-
an elongated flexible drive shaft extending along a central axis between a proximal end and a distal end; a drive unit disposed at the proximal end of said drive shaft, said drive unit housing a motor operatively connected to said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft about said central axis; a plurality of segments successively disposed over said drive shaft, each segment having a wheel assembly including at least one drive wheel, each of said drive wheels being rotatable about a wheel axis transverse to said central axis, wherein adjacent segments of said plurality of segments are joined by an articulated joint, and wherein at least two segments further include a drive coupling assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the flexible drive shaft, so that rotating said drive shaft provides distributed traction to the drive wheels of said at least two segments; and at least one detecting means disposed on a head segment which is located at the distal end of said drive shaft. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
-
-
57. A distributed traction crawler device comprising:
-
a drive unit housing a motor; an elongated flexible drive shaft extending along a central axis from a proximal end, through the drive unit, to a distal end, wherein said motor is operatively connected to said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft about the central axis; a plurality of segments disposed over said drive shaft, each segment having a wheel assembly including at least one drive wheel, each wheel is rotatable about a wheel axis transverse to the central axis, wherein two segments are disposed at two opposite ends of said drive unit, wherein any other adjacent segments are joined by an articulated joint, and wherein at least two segments further includes a drive coupling assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the flexible drive shaft, so that rotating said drive shaft provides distributed traction force to the drive wheels of said at least two segments. - View Dependent Claims (58)
-
-
59. A distributed traction crawler device comprising:
-
at least two crawler units connected by an elongated tether, wherein each crawler unit comprising; an elongated drive shaft extending along a central axis between a proximal end and a distal end; a motor operatively connected to said drive shaft for rotating said drive shaft about the central axis; a plurality of segments disposed over said drive shaft, each segment having a wheel assembly including at least one drive wheel, each drive wheel being rotatable about a wheel axis transverse to the central axis, wherein adjacent segments are joined to each other, and wherein at least two segments further includes a drive coupling assembly operatively connecting the wheel assembly to the drive shaft, so that rotating said drive shaft provides distributed traction to the drive wheels of said at least two segments. - View Dependent Claims (60)
-
Specification