Robotic vehicle deck adjustment
First Claim
1. A robotic vehicle comprising:
- a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks, each track trained about a corresponding front wheel rotatable about a front wheel axis;
right and left elongated flippers disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot about the front wheel axis of the chassis, each flipper having a driven track about its perimeter;
a payload deck configured to support a removable payload;
a linkage connecting the payload deck to the chassis, the linkage having a first end rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot, and a second end rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot, both of the first and second pivots including independently controllable pivot drivers operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis; and
a controller disposed on the payload deck connected to the chassis by the linkage, and operably connected to motor drivers of the chassis to drive the right and left tracks;
wherein the independently controllable pivot drivers provide both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis to selectively displace a center of gravity of the payload deck relative to a center of gravity of the chassis,and wherein rotation of the linkage about its first and second pivots enables selective positioning of the center of gravity of the payload deck to both fore and aft of each of both the front wheel axis and the center of gravity of the chassis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A robotic vehicle is disclosed, which is characterized by high mobility, adaptability, and the capability of being remotely controlled in hazardous environments. The robotic vehicle includes a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks. Right and left elongated flippers are disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot. A linkage connects a payload deck, configured to support a removable functional payload, to the chassis. The linkage has a first end rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot, and a second end rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot. Both of the first and second pivots include independently controllable pivot drivers operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis.
116 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A robotic vehicle comprising:
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a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks, each track trained about a corresponding front wheel rotatable about a front wheel axis; right and left elongated flippers disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot about the front wheel axis of the chassis, each flipper having a driven track about its perimeter; a payload deck configured to support a removable payload; a linkage connecting the payload deck to the chassis, the linkage having a first end rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot, and a second end rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot, both of the first and second pivots including independently controllable pivot drivers operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis; and a controller disposed on the payload deck connected to the chassis by the linkage, and operably connected to motor drivers of the chassis to drive the right and left tracks; wherein the independently controllable pivot drivers provide both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis to selectively displace a center of gravity of the payload deck relative to a center of gravity of the chassis, and wherein rotation of the linkage about its first and second pivots enables selective positioning of the center of gravity of the payload deck to both fore and aft of each of both the front wheel axis and the center of gravity of the chassis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of climbing a step with a robotic vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing a robotic vehicle comprising; a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks, each track trained about a corresponding front wheel rotatable about a front wheel axis; right and left elongated flippers disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot about the front wheel axis of the chassis, each flipper having a driven track about its perimeter; a payload deck configured to support a removable payload; a linkage connecting the payload deck to the chassis, the linkage having a first end rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot, and a second end rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot, both of the first and second pivots including independently controllable pivot drivers operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis, wherein rotation of the linkage about its first and second pivots enables selective positioning of the center of gravity of the payload deck both fore and aft the front wheel axis and the center of gravity of the chassis; pivoting the first and second flippers upward to engage the edge of the step; positioning a center of gravity of the payload deck above the front end of the chassis; pivoting the first and second flippers downward on the edge of the step to engage the top of the step and driving the vehicle forward; moving the deck with respect to the chassis by rotating both the first and second pivots to position the center of gravity of the payload deck beyond the front end of the chassis; moving the deck with respect to the chassis by rotating both the first and second pivots to position the center of gravity of the payload deck beyond the edge of the step; tilting the deck with respect to the chassis by rotating both the first and second pivots to move the center of gravity of the payload deck further beyond the front end of the chassis; and driving the vehicle forward to pull the chassis over the edge of the step.
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10. A robotic vehicle comprising:
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a chassis supporting a skid steered drive and having a leading end, a trailing end, and a center of gravity therebetween; a set of driven flippers, each flipper having a pivot end, a distal end, and a center of gravity therebetween, and each flipper being pivotable about a first pivot axis common with a drive axis at the leading end of the chassis; a linkage having a pivot end, a distal end, and a center of gravity therebetween, and pivotable about a second pivot axis substantially at the leading end of the chassis; and a deck having a leading end and a trailing end, and a center of gravity therebetween, the deck having a mid pivot point located between the leading and trailing ends of the deck, and being pivotable about a third pivot axis substantially at the distal end of the linkage; wherein the linkage together with the deck shifts more than about 30% of the vehicle weight, shifting a combined center of gravity of the vehicle between an aft center of gravity position intermediate the leading end and trailing end of the chassis and a fore center of gravity position intermediate the distal and pivot ends of the flippers. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification