Robotic vehicle systems for inspecting remote locations
First Claim
1. A vehicle comprising:
- a chassis supported above a terrain and having an upper deck and a generally opposing bottom surface;
a motive system supported by said chassis and comprising at least one motor operative to propel said vehicle and one or more partially collapsible treads for frictionally engaging said terrain;
a power system supported by said chassis and providing energy to power said vehicle;
an imaging system supported by said chassis and comprising a driving camera having a lens assembly spaced apart from and above said chassis, an inspection camera mounted near a front end of said chassis;
a sensor system supported by said chassis and comprising one or more positional sensors and a plurality of range sensors;
a shingle lifter that is selectively attachable to said chassis, selectively connectable to said power system, and selectively in communication with said control system, said shingle lifter comprising (a) one or more elongated blades, each comprising a main body section having a first thickness and extending lengthwise to a tapered section, said tapered section having a gradually decreasing thickness from its juncture with said main body section to define a distal edge, and (b) a motor supported by a housing and operative to selectively rotate said one or more elongated blades between a lowermost position and an uppermost position; and
a control system supported by said chassis and electrically connected to said motive system, said power system, said imaging system, said sensor system, and said shingle lifter system,wherein said control system comprises a wireless router and one or more microcontrollers dedicated to monitoring said sensor system, processing said camera images, activating said motive system, operating said shingle lifter system, and receiving signals from said remote console, wherein said remote console comprises a tablet computer having user interface controls, a memory, and a wireless transceiver.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Vehicles, systems, and methods for inspecting and analyzing the condition of a remote location such as a roof are presented. A vehicle adapted for traversing an irregular terrain may be supported by wheels, or tracks, having partially collapsible treads to help the vehicle maintain a lower center of mass. The bottom surface of the chassis may have a higher ground clearance at an intermediate location, relative to the front and rear ends, to help the vehicle maintain a lower center of mass when crossing ridges such as roof peaks. A vehicle for roof inspections may include a shingle lifter. A system for collecting and storing inspection data may include an onboard imaging system with multiple cameras and a control system with a wireless router, together with a remote tablet computer having a wireless transceiver, a user interface, and a display. Vehicles and systems may gather and analyze data, and generate revenue by providing data, analysis, and reports for a fee to interested parties.
30 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A vehicle comprising:
-
a chassis supported above a terrain and having an upper deck and a generally opposing bottom surface; a motive system supported by said chassis and comprising at least one motor operative to propel said vehicle and one or more partially collapsible treads for frictionally engaging said terrain; a power system supported by said chassis and providing energy to power said vehicle; an imaging system supported by said chassis and comprising a driving camera having a lens assembly spaced apart from and above said chassis, an inspection camera mounted near a front end of said chassis; a sensor system supported by said chassis and comprising one or more positional sensors and a plurality of range sensors; a shingle lifter that is selectively attachable to said chassis, selectively connectable to said power system, and selectively in communication with said control system, said shingle lifter comprising (a) one or more elongated blades, each comprising a main body section having a first thickness and extending lengthwise to a tapered section, said tapered section having a gradually decreasing thickness from its juncture with said main body section to define a distal edge, and (b) a motor supported by a housing and operative to selectively rotate said one or more elongated blades between a lowermost position and an uppermost position; and a control system supported by said chassis and electrically connected to said motive system, said power system, said imaging system, said sensor system, and said shingle lifter system, wherein said control system comprises a wireless router and one or more microcontrollers dedicated to monitoring said sensor system, processing said camera images, activating said motive system, operating said shingle lifter system, and receiving signals from said remote console, wherein said remote console comprises a tablet computer having user interface controls, a memory, and a wireless transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A vehicle comprising:
-
a chassis supported above a terrain and having an upper deck and a generally opposing bottom surface; a motive system supported by said chassis and comprising at least one motor operative to propel said vehicle and one or more partially collapsible treads for frictionally engaging said terrain; a power system supported by said chassis and providing energy to power said vehicle; an imaging system supported by said chassis and comprising a driving camera having a lens assembly spaced apart from and above said chassis, an inspection camera mounted near a front end of said chassis, and a wireless router for transmitting camera images to a remote console; a sensor system supported by said chassis and comprising one or more positional sensors and a plurality of range sensors, said range sensors comprising one or more leading-end range sensors and one or more trailing-end range sensors; and a control system supported by said chassis and electrically connected to said motive system, said power system, said imaging system, and said sensor system, wherein said control system comprises a wireless router and one or more microcontrollers dedicated to monitoring said sensor system, processing said camera images, activating said motive system, and receiving signals from said remote console, wherein said remote console comprises user interface controls and a wireless transmitter, and wherein said control system comprises a ridge traversal routine that, in cooperation with said sensor system and said motive system, directs the motion of said vehicle in a semi-autonomous mode across a ridge at a velocity that is less than or equal to a velocity limit. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
Specification