Maneuvering robotic vehicles having a positionable sensor head

• US 7,654,348 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Bassett, Michael, Ohm, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris; Lesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARCE, MARLON ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/842,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20080179115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 180/9.32, 180/907, 180/9.3, 180/8.2, 180/8.3, 180/8.4, 180/8.5, 280/5.32, 280/5.26, 280/5.28, 901/1, 901/47
• US Class Current: 180/9.32
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/04 by means of movable masses
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/02 with tracks and additional ground wheels for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/065 Multi-track vehicles, i.e. more than two tracks soil-shifting machines E02F; mining machines E21C
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/024 specially adapted for moving on inclined or vertical surfaces endless-track vehicles for ascending or descending stairs B62D55/075; hand-carts with provision for travelling up or down stairs B62B5/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/907 Motorized wheelchairs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Configurations are provided for vehicular robots or other vehicles to provide shifting of their centers of gravity for enhanced obstacle navigation. Various head and neck morphologies are provided to allow positioning for various poses such as a stowed pose, observation poses, and inspection poses. Neck extension and actuator module designs are provided to implement various head and neck morphologies. Robot control network circuitry is also provided.

Claims

1. A robot, comprising:

a chassis having a central open volume;

a steerable drive supporting the chassis;

a neck extension moveably coupled to the chassis;

a pan link extension having proximal and distal ends and being coupled to the neck extension at the proximal end with a first tilt axis actuator, the pan link extension having a one-axis actuator along a length thereof, the pan link extension having at least one angled bend;

a sensor head coupled to the distal end of the pan link extension with a second tilt axis actuator, the sensor head movable using the first and second tilt axis actuators and the pan one-axis actuator; and

wherein the neck extension comprises one or more conductive slip rings coupling signals to one or more of the actuators.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the central open volume further comprises a stowage cavity, the sensor head further comprises at least one front sensor face, the neck extension and sensor head moveable into a first upright position in which the sensor face points to substantially a right angle from the neck extension, and a second stowed position, the pan link comprising at least first and second sectional pieces disposed at an angle necessary to offset the sensor head from the neck extension such that the sensor head may move to point the sensor face to approximately parallel to the neck extension.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein the neck extension comprises at least a first piece and a second offset piece, the offset piece being approximately parallel to the first piece and connected to the first piece such that when the sensor head is in the first stowed position, the offset piece is offset below the first piece.

4. The robot of claim 2, wherein the second tilt axis actuator is rotatable 360 degrees.

5. The robot of claim 2, wherein the first and second tilt actuators and the one-axis actuator each comprise an actuator motor, a motor driver, digital logic circuitry for controlling the motor driver, and transceiver circuitry for communicating with an actuator control bus.

6. The robot of claim 5, further comprising a shoulder tilt actuator coupling the neck extension to the chassis, the shoulder tilt actuator comprising an actuator motor, a motor driver, digital logic circuitry for controlling the motor driver, and transceiver circuitry for communicating with an actuator control bus, the transceiver circuitry of the first tilt axis actuator includes first and second transceivers, the first transceiver for communicating over the actuator control bus to the shoulder tilt actuator, the second transceiver for communicating with the one-axis actuator.

7. A robot, comprising:

a chassis having a central open volume;

a steerable drive supporting the chassis;

a neck extension coupled to the chassis with a shoulder tilt axis actuator and having at least first and second tilt axis actuators along a length thereof, and a one-axis actuator along the length thereof, each actuator comprising a motor, motor driver circuitry, and digital logic circuitry for motor control and transceiver circuitry for communicating actuator control commands;

a sensor head connected to a distal end of the neck extension movable using the actuators, the sensor head including a controller operable to receive operator commands through at least one of wired communications circuitry and wireless communications circuitry, the controller further operable to transmit actuator control signals responsive to at least one of the received operator commands on a wired actuator control link; and

wherein the neck extension comprises one or more conductive slip rings coupling signals to one or more of the actuators.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein the neck extension comprises one or more passthrough regions therein through which one or more power cables are disposed, the one or more power cables providing power from batteries in the chassis or steerable drive to the controller and other circuitry in the sensor head.

9. The robot of claim 8, further comprising a network switch disposed in the chassis, the network switch operably coupled to at least one network cable connecting to the sensor head from the chassis through the one or more passthrough regions and operably coupling the network switch to the controller.

10. The robot of claim 7, wherein the first tilt axis actuator transceiver circuitry includes first and second transceivers communicating with the shoulder tilt axis actuator and the one-axis actuator, respectively.

11. The robot of claim 7, further comprising power management circuitry disposed in the chassis and operably coupled to circuitry in the sensor head through a power management bus at least partially disposed in the passthrough regions.

12. The robot of claim 7, wherein the transceiver circuitry of each actuator includes first and second transceivers, the actuators configured with additional actuator control links to form an actuator control network in which each actuator acts as a node to receive commands through at least the first transceiver and transmit selected commands to an adjacent node through at least the second transceiver.

13. The robot of claim 7, further comprising one or more additional wired actuator control links disposed within passthrough regions inside the neck extension.

14. A robot capable of addressing various obstacles, comprising:

a chassis having a central open volume and a chassis center of gravity (chassis CG);

a steerable drive supporting the chassis;

a set of driven flippers, each flipper having a pivot end, a distal end, and a flipper center of gravity (flipper CG) therebetween, each flipper being pivotable about a first pivot axis common with a drive axis near the leading end of the chassis;

a neck having a pivot end, a distal end, and a neck center of gravity (neck CG) therebetween, the neck pivotable about a second pivot axis substantially at the leading end of the chassis, having at least two tilt axis actuators along a length thereof; and

a sensor head at the distal end of the neck, the head having a pivot end, a distal end, and a head center of gravity (head CG) therebetween, the head pivotable with respect to the neck about a third pivot axis at the distal end of the neck,

the flippers, neck and sensor head being movable between different configurations including;

(i) a stable stair ascending position in which the head, neck, and flipper CGs are positioned to shift a vertical projection of the overall CG to at least one step span in front of the rearmost main track ground contact point and at least one step span behind the foremost flipper track ground contact point; and

(ii) an unstable stair ascending position in which the head, neck, and flipper CGs are positioned to shift a vertical projection of the overall CG to outside the stable range.

15. The robot of claim 14, further comprising a pan link extension having a one-axis actuator along a length thereof, the pan link comprising at least first and second sectional pieces disposed at an angle to offset the sensor head from the neck extension such that the sensor head may move to point the sensor face to a right angle to the neck in a first active position and the sensor head may move to point the sensor face approximately parallel to the neck extension in a second stowed position.

16. The robot of claim 14, wherein the neck includes an offset for receiving the head in line with a portion of the neck in a stowed position in which the head and neck are substantially within a chassis profile.

17. The robot of claim 14, wherein the robot is capable of moving to one or more preset positions in response to a respective single operator command.

18. The robot of claim 14, wherein the head houses at least part of a robot energy storage device.

19. The robot of claim 14 wherein a total weight of the robot is less than about 30 pounds, the sensor head comprises about 15 percent of a total weight of the robot and the neck comprises about 5 percent of a total weight of the robot.