Robotic two-wheeled vehicle

• US 8,720,614 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Nesnas, Issa A. D., Matthews, Jaret B., Edlund, Jeffrey E., Burdick, Joel, Abad-Manterola, Pablo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): STABLEY, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US13/926,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20130283957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 180/7.5, 180/7.1, 180/21, 180/218, 700/245
• US Class Current: 180/7.5
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/04 single longitudinal type
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 61/00 Motor vehicles or trailers, characterised by the arrangement or number of wheels, not otherwise provided for, e.g. four wheels in diamond pattern
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 63/02 Motor vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/27 Arm part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20305 Robotic arm

Abstract

A robotic two-wheeled vehicle comprising a connection body interposed between the two wheels are described. A drum can be coaxially located in a central region of the connection body and can support a hollow arm projecting radially from the drum. A tether can be inserted in the arm and connected to a second drum. Instruments and sensors can be accommodated in a case housed inside each wheel.

Claims

1. A robotic wheeled vehicle comprising:

a first wheel and a mechanism associated to the first wheel, the mechanism supporting one or more instruments and/or sensors,

wherein the mechanism is configured to assume;

a first position wherein the mechanism is at least partially collapsed for retracting the one or more instruments and/or sensors, and

a second position wherein the mechanism is deployed for deploying the one or more instruments and/or sensors from the first wheel,

and wherein when collapsed, the mechanism with the one or more instruments and/or sensors is housed in at least one instrument/sensor case, hub or bay,

the mechanism being a single degree-of freedom four-bar mechanism, wherein;

the mechanism includes a head portion, a pair of supporting members, a first set of two parallel bars and a second set of two parallel bars, wherein the supporting members are spaced apart at a set distance from each other and fixedly connected to a respective instrument/sensor case, hub or bay,

a first end of the first set of parallel bars is pivotally hinged to the head portion,

a second end of the first set of two parallel bars is pivotally hinged to a respective supporting member,

a first end of the second set of parallel bars is pivotally hinged to the head portion, and

a second end of the second set of two parallel bars is connected with a rotating shaft rigidly fixed to a driving wheel of a gear.

2. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft is located in an eccentric position to the center of the driving wheel.

3. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the gear is driven by a mechanism actuator located between the supporting members, and based on connections between the head portion, the supporting members, the four bars comprising the first and second sets of parallel bars, the gear and the rotating shaft, an actuation of the gear creates a rotary translation movement of the head portion out of the instrument bay.

4. A robotic wheeled vehicle comprising:

a first wheel and a mechanism associated to the first wheel, the mechanism supporting one or more instruments and/or sensors,

wherein the mechanism is configured to assume;

a first position wherein the mechanism is at least partially collapsed for retracting the one or more instruments and/or sensors, and

a second position wherein the mechanism is deployed for deploying the one or more instruments and/or sensors from the first wheel,

and wherein when collapsed, the mechanism with the one or more instruments and/or sensors is housed in at least one instrument/sensor case, hub or bay,

the robotic wheeled vehicle further comprising;

a second wheel; and

a connection body, the connection body being interposed between the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the first wheel, the second wheel and the connection body are aligned along, and centered to, a longitudinal axis,

wherein;

the connection body is configured to rotate together with the instrument/sensor case, hub or bay independently from a rotation of the first wheel and/or of the second wheel;

a rotation of the first wheel and/or of the second wheel influences mobility of the robotic wheeled vehicle; and

a rotation of the connection body with the instrument/sensor case, hub or bay influences an angular position or orientation of the mechanism with respect to the first wheel and/or to the second wheel for pointing or re-pointing both the mechanism and the one or more instruments and/or sensors in a controlled way.

5. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 4, further comprising:

a first drum coaxially located in a central region of the connection body, the first drum supporting a hollow arm projecting radially from the first drum;

a second drum coaxially located inside the first drum,

a first actuator adapted to drive and rotate the first wheel;

a second actuator adapted to drive and rotate the second wheel;

a third actuator adapted to drive and rotate the first drum; and

a fourth actuator adapted to drive and rotate the second drum, wherein the first actuator, the second actuator, the third actuator and the fourth actuator are controlled independently of each other and wherein an actuation of the third actuator and of the fourth actuator determines a rotation of the connection body with the instrument/sensor case, hub or bay.

6. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a tether housed in the hollow arm and fixedly connected to the second drum, and wherein the robotic wheeled vehicle is able to point or re-point the one or more instruments and/or sensors, while hanging from the tether, by moving both the third actuator and the fourth actuator.

7. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 5, wherein pointing or re-pointing the one or more instruments and/or sensors takes place actuating the first actuator and the second actuator by one angle in one direction and then simultaneously and in coordination actuating the third actuator by the same angle in a opposite direction.

8. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 4, wherein:

the connection body includes at least one camera, and

a rotation of the connection body further influences a change of orientation of the camera independently from motions of robotic wheeled vehicle.

9. A robotic wheeled vehicle comprising:

a first wheel and a mechanism associated to the first wheel, the mechanism supporting one or more instruments and/or sensors,

wherein the mechanism is configured to assume;

a first position wherein the mechanism is at least partially collapsed for retracting the one or more instruments and/or sensors, and

a second position wherein the mechanism is deployed for deploying the one or more instruments and/or sensors from the first wheel,

the robotic wheeled vehicle further comprising a second wheel and a connection body, the connection body being interposed between the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the first wheel, the second wheel and the connection body are aligned along, and centered to, a longitudinal axis, and

wherein;

when collapsed, the at least one mechanism with the one or more instruments and/or sensors is housed in at least one instrument/sensor case, hub or bay, and the first wheel and the second wheel are each configured to rotate independently from a rotation of the instrument/sensor case, hub or bay, such that i) a rotation of the first wheel and the second wheel determines motion of the robotic wheeled vehicle and ii) a rotation of the instrument/sensor case, hub or bay influences an orientation of the mechanism to point or to repoint the one or more instruments and/or sensors.

10. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 9, wherein:

each of the first wheel and second wheel is a cup-shaped wheel with a recess, and the at least one instrument/sensor case, hub or bay is located in a respective recess of the first wheel and/or of the second wheel.

11. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 9, wherein:

the mechanism is a single degree-of-freedom four-bar mechanism and includes a head portion, a pair of supporting members, a first set of two parallel bars and a second set of two parallel bars,

the supporting members are spaced apart at a set distance from each other and fixedly connected to a respective instrument/sensor case, hub or bay,

a first end of the first set of parallel bars is pivotally hinged to the head portion,

a second end of the first set of two parallel bars is pivotally hinged to the respective supporting member,

a first end of the second set of parallel bars is pivotally hinged to the head portion, and

a second end of the second set of two parallel bars is connected with a rotating shaft rigidly fixed to a driving wheel of a gear.

12. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 11, wherein:

the gear is driven by a mechanism actuator located between the supporting members, and based on the connections between the head portion, the supporting members, the four bars comprising the first and second sets of parallel bars, the gear and the rotating shaft, an actuation of the gear creates a rotary translation movement of the head portion out of the instrument bay.

13. A robotic wheeled vehicle comprising:

a first wheel and a mechanism associated to the first wheel, the mechanism supporting one or more instruments and/or sensors,

wherein the mechanism is configured to assume;

a first position wherein the mechanism is at least partially collapsed for retracting the one or more instruments and/or sensors, and

a second position wherein the mechanism is deployed for deploying the one or more instruments and/or sensors from the first wheel,

the robotic wheeled vehicle further comprising;

a second wheel and a connection body, the connection body being interposed between the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the first wheel, the second wheel and the connection body are aligned along, and centered to, a longitudinal axis;

a first drum coaxially located in a central region of the connection body, the first drum supporting a hollow arm projecting radially from the first drum;

a second drum coaxially located inside the first drum;

a first actuator adapted to drive and rotate the first wheel;

a second actuator adapted to drive and rotate the second wheel;

a third actuator adapted to drive and rotate the first drum; and

a fourth actuator adapted to drive and rotate the second drum, wherein the first actuator, the second actuator, the third actuator and the fourth actuator are controlled independently of each other and wherein an actuation of the third actuator and the fourth actuator determines a rotation of the connection body for pointing or re-pointing the one or more instruments and/or sensors.

14. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 13, wherein the pointing or re-pointing the one or more instruments and/or sensors takes place actuating the first actuator and the second actuator by one angle in one direction and then simultaneously and in coordination actuating the third actuator by the same angle in a opposite direction.

15. The robotic wheeled vehicle of claim 13, wherein in order to perform pointing or repointing of the one or more instruments and/or sensors when the robotic wheeled vehicle is on a steep slope where the robotic wheeled vehicle is hanging by a tether, the first actuator, the second actuator, the third actuator and the fourth actuator are configured to move in coordination, wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are configured to move by one angle in one direction while the third actuator and the fourth actuator are configured to move by the same angle in an opposite direction.