Maneuvering robotic vehicles having a positionable sensor head
First Claim
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1. A robot, comprising:
- a chassis having a front, a rear, a left side, and a right side;
a steerable drive supporting the chassis, including;
left and right front flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the front of the chassis; and
left and right rear flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the rear of the chassis;
a first extension moveably coupled to the chassis;
a second extension having proximal and distal ends and being coupled to the first extension at the proximal end with a first tilt axis actuator; and
a sensor head coupled to the distal end of the second extension;
wherein each of the left and right front flippers and the left and right rear flippers comprises;
a pivot end coupled to the chassis and about which the flipper is rotatable, anda distal end having a wheel about which a ground-contacting track is trained.
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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.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A robot, comprising:
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a chassis having a front, a rear, a left side, and a right side; a steerable drive supporting the chassis, including; left and right front flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the front of the chassis; and left and right rear flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the rear of the chassis; a first extension moveably coupled to the chassis; a second extension having proximal and distal ends and being coupled to the first extension at the proximal end with a first tilt axis actuator; and a sensor head coupled to the distal end of the second extension; wherein each of the left and right front flippers and the left and right rear flippers comprises; a pivot end coupled to the chassis and about which the flipper is rotatable, and a distal end having a wheel about which a ground-contacting track is trained. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A robot, comprising:
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a chassis having a central open volume; a steerable drive supporting the chassis, including; left and right front flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the front of the chassis; and left and right rear flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the rear of the chassis; a neck extension coupled to the chassis with a shoulder tilt axis actuator comprising a motor, motor driver circuitry, digital logic circuitry for motor control, and transceiver circuitry for communicating actuator control commands; and a sensor head connected to a distal end of the neck extension, 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; wherein each of the left and right front flippers and the left and right rear flippers comprises; a pivot end coupled to the chassis and about which the flipper is rotatable, and a distal end having a wheel about which a ground-contacting track is trained. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A robot, comprising:
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a chassis having a central open volume; a steerable drive supporting the chassis, including; left and right front flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the front of the chassis; and left and right rear flippers coupled to the left and right sides of the chassis near the rear of the chassis; a neck extension coupled to the chassis with a shoulder tilt axis actuator comprising a motor, motor driver circuitry, 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, 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; at least first and second tilt axis actuators along a length of the neck extension; and a one-axis actuator along the length of the neck extension.
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Specification