Automated mobile boom system for crawling robots

• US 9,464,754 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Troy, James J., Lea, Scott W., Georgeson, Gary E., Nelson, Karl Edward, Wright, Daniel James
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/181,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20160281910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 119 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/48 Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Programme control
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 23/72 Counterweights or supports for balancing lifting couples
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/24 changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each otherF16M11/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/42 with arrangement for propelling the support stands on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/225 Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/265 by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/28 providing acoustic coupling , e.g. water impedance matching G10K11/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A system comprising a multi-functional boom subsystem integrated with a holonomic-motion boom base platform. The boom base platform may comprise: Mecanum wheels with independently controlled motors; a pair of sub-platforms coupled by a roll-axis pivot to maintain four-wheel contact with the ground surface; and twist reduction mechanisms to minimize any yaw-axis twisting torque exerted on the roll-axis pivot. A computer with motion control software may be embedded on the boom base platform. The motion control function can be integrated with a real-time tracking system. The motion control computer may have multiple platform motion control modes: (1) a path following mode in which the boom base platform matches the motion path of the surface crawler (i.e., integration with crawler control); (2) a reactive mode in which the boom base platform moves based on the pan and tilt angles of the boom arm; and (3) a collision avoidance mode using sensors distributed around the perimeter of the boom base platform to detect obstacles.

Claims

1. A mobile boom system comprising:

a self-propellable mobile boom base platform comprising a plurality of rolling elements and a plurality of motors respectively coupled to said plurality of rolling elements;

a rotary mast carried by said boom base platform and rotatable relative to said boom base platform about a pan axis;

a gimbal comprising a first portion attached to said rotary mast and a second portion rotatable relative to said rotary mast about a tilt axis;

a hollow boom arm having first and second ends and an intermediate portion coupled to said gimbal;

a cable extending through said hollow boom arm;

a pan angle sensor for detecting a pan angle of said boom arm; and

a computer system programmed to receive pan angle data from said pan angle sensor and send control signals to said motors for changing the position of said boom base platform as a function of at least said pan angle data.

2. The mobile boom system as recited in claim 1, wherein said computer system is programmed to cause said boom base platform to move when the pan angle of said boom arm reaches a specified threshold pan angle.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a tilt angle sensor for detecting a tilt angle of said boom arm, wherein said computer system is further programmed to receive tilt angle data from said tilt angle sensor and send control signals to said motors for changing the position of said boom base platform as a function of said pan angle data and said tilt angle data.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a multiplicity of sensors positioned on a perimeter of the boom base platform, wherein said computer system is further programmed to receive data from said sensors and send control signals to said motors for changing the position of said boom base platform as a function of said pan angle data and said tilt angle data except in directions associated with any of said sensors which are outputting data indicating obstacles in said directions.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a robotic crawler attached to a distal end of said cable, said computer system being further programmed to control movement of said robotic crawler on a surface by means of signals communicated to said robotic crawler via said cable.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said boom base platform comprises:

a frame;

a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to said frame, each wheel comprising a respective plurality of rollers having axes of rotation not parallel to an axis of rotation of said wheel; and

a plurality of motors equal in number to the number of wheels, each motor being operable to drive rotation of a respective one of said wheels.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said boom base platform comprises:

first and second sub-platforms;

first and second rolling elements rotatably coupled to said first sub-platform;

third and fourth rolling elements rotatably coupled to said second sub-platform; and

a roll-axis pivot rod comprising first and second portions respectively coupled to said first and second sub-platforms,

wherein at least one of said first and second sub-platforms is rotatably coupled to said roll-axis pivot rod.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said first through fourth rolling elements comprise first through fourth wheels respectively, further comprising first through fourth motors for respectively driving rotation of said first through fourth wheels.

9. A mobile boom system comprising:

a mobile boom base platform;

a rotary mast carried by said boom base platform and rotatable relative to said boom base platform about a pan axis;

a gimbal comprising a first portion attached to said rotary mast and a second portion rotatable relative to said rotary mast about a tilt axis;

a boom arm having first and second ends and an intermediate portion coupled to said gimbal;

a cable supported by said boom arm;

a robotic crawler attached to a distal end of said cable;

an electrically controlled boom arm fall arrest mechanism having first and second ends respectively coupled to said boom arm and said rotary mast;

a tilt angle sensor for detecting a tilt angle of the boom arm; and

a computer system programmed to monitor the output of said tilt angle sensor and issue a fall arrest trigger signal to said boom arm fall arrest mechanism in response to a rate of rotation of the boom arm about said tilt axis exceeding a specified threshold.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said boom arm fall arrest mechanism comprises:

a cylinder having one end attached to said rotary mast and a piston coupled to said boom arm or a strut attached to said boom arm; and

an electrically controlled valve,

wherein fluid inside said cylinder resists retraction of said piston when said valve is closed and does not resist retraction of said piston when said valve is open.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said boom arm fall arrest mechanism comprises:

an oil-filled cylinder attached to said rotary mast at a mount point; and

an oil reservoir attached to said rotary mast near the mount point of said oil-filled cylinder,

wherein said oil-filled cylinder is in fluid communication with said oil reservoir.

12. The system as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

at least one counterweight supported on a portion of the boom arm disposed between the intermediate portion and the first end; and

a counterweight positioning subsystem for changing the a position of the at least one counterweight relative to the gimbal,

wherein said computer system is further programmed to receive tilt angle data from the tilt angle sensor and send control signals to the counterweight positioning subsystem for controlling the position of the at least one counterweight in accordance with an automatic balancing algorithm based on feedback of tilt angle data from said tilt angle sensor.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said counterweight positioning subsystem comprises a motor-driven, non-backdrivable lead screw which holds said at least one counterweight in place even when power is disrupted.

14. A system comprising:

a holonomic-motion boom base platform;

a rotary mast carried by said boom base platform and rotatable relative to said boom base platform about a pan axis;

a boom arm supported by said boom base platform and rotatable relative to said boom base platform about a pan axis;

a cable supported by said boom arm and having a distal end;

a holonomic-motion robotic crawler attached to the distal end of said cable; and

a computer system programmed to control motion of said boom base platform to match a motion path of said robotic crawler.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising a real-time tracking system configured to acquire data representing a current location of said robotic crawler, wherein said computer system is further programmed to compute a target location of said boom base platform using the data representing the current location of said robotic crawler.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said computer is system is programmed to project motion path data for said robotic crawler onto a ground surface using an offset transformation matrix describing the location of said boom base platform relative to the location of said robotic crawler.

17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer system is further programmed to control movement of said robotic crawler on a surface by means of signals communicated to said robotic crawler via said cable.

18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said robotic crawler comprises a plurality of wheels and a plurality suction zones, each of said plurality of wheels comprising a respective plurality of rollers rotatably mounted along a circumference.

19. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said boom base platform comprises:

first and second sub-platforms;

first and second wheels rotatably coupled to said first sub-platform;

third and fourth wheels rotatably coupled to said second sub-platform; and

a roll-axis pivot rod comprising first and second portions respectively coupled to said first and second sub-platforms,

wherein said first sub-platform is rotatably coupled to said roll-axis pivot rod, and each of said first through fourth wheels comprises a respective plurality of rollers rotatably mounted along a circumference.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said boom base platform further comprises first and second yaw-axis twist reduction rollers disposed on opposing sides of said roll-axis pivot rod, each of said first and second yaw-axis twist reduction rollers being rotatably coupled to one of said first and second sub-platforms and bearing against the other of said first and second sub-platforms.