Maneuvering robotic vehicles having a positionable sensor head

• US 9,650,089 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Defense Holdings, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ohm, Timothy R., Bassett, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARCE, MARLON ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US14/872,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20160114839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 37/04 by means of movable masses
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/02 with tracks and additional ground wheels for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/065 Multi-track vehicles, i.e. more than two tracks soil-shifting machines E02F; mining machines E21C
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/075 Tracked vehicles for ascending or descending stairs, steep slopes or vertical surfacesmagnetic or pneumatic ground-engaging parts B62D55/265; chairs or multi-track cycles specially adapted for invalids A61G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/024 specially adapted for moving on inclined or vertical surfaces endless-track vehicles for ascending or descending stairs B62D55/075; hand-carts with provision for travelling up or down stairs B62B5/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/907 Motorized wheelchairs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

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.

Claims

1. A robot having an overall center of gravity and comprising:

a chassis having a leading end and a trailing end;

a pair of flippers each having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of each flipper being coupled to a respective side of the chassis adjacent the leading end of the chassis;

a neck having a pivot end and a distal end, the neck being pivotable at the pivot end about a neck pivot axis adjacent the leading end of the chassis; and

a sensor head at the distal end of the neck, the sensor head having a pivot end and a distal end, the sensor head being pivotable at the pivot end of the sensor head with respect to the neck about a head pivot axis at the distal end of the neck, wherein the neck and sensor head are movable between a stair ascending configuration and a stair descending configuration, and wherein, in the stair descending position, the sensor head is pivoted such that the distal end of the sensor head is directed toward the leading end of the chassis.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein, in the stair descending position, the neck is pivoted such that the pivot end of the sensor head trails the leading end of the chassis.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein, in the stair ascending position, the sensor head is pivoted such that the distal end of the sensor head is directed away from the leading end of the chassis.

4. The robot of claim 3, wherein, in the stair ascending position, the neck is pivoted such that the pivot end of the sensor head leads the distal end of the chassis.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein, when the neck and sensor head move from the stair ascending configuration to the stair descending configuration, an overall center of gravity of the robot shifts toward the trailing end of the chassis.

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein the distal end of each of the pair of flippers comprises a wheel about which a ground-contacting track is trained.

7. The robot of claim 6, wherein:

the chassis further comprises a wheel about which a ground-contacting track is trained, and,

in the stair ascending position, a bottom surface of the ground-contacting track of each of the pair of flippers is aligned with a bottom surface of the ground-contacting track of the chassis.

8. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a tilt axis actuator coupling the pivot end of the neck to the chassis and configured to pivot the neck about the neck pivot axis.

9. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a tilt axis actuator coupling the pivot end of the head to the distal end of the neck and configured to pivot the head about the head pivot axis.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein the tilt axis actuator is configured to rotate the neck 360 degrees about the neck pivot axis.

11. The robot of claim 9, wherein the tilt axis actuator comprises an actuator motor, a motor driver, digital logic circuitry for controlling the motor driver, and transceiver circuitry for communicating with an actuator control bus.

12. The robot of claim 9, further comprising a one-axis actuator along a length of the sensor head, wherein the neck has at least one angled bend.

13. The robot of claim 12, further comprising a shoulder tilt actuator coupling the neck to the chassis, the shoulder tilt actuator comprising an actuator motor, a motor driver, digital logic circuitry for controlling the motor driver.

14. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a one-axis actuator along a length of the sensor head,

a shoulder tilt actuator coupling the neck to the chassis,

a tilt axis actuator coupling the pivot end of the head to the distal end of the neck, and

transceiver circuitry for communicating with an actuator control bus and with at least one of the one-axis actuator, the shoulder tilt actuator, and the tilt axis actuator.

15. The robot of claim 14, wherein the neck comprises one or more conductive slip rings coupling signals to at least one actuator of:

the tilt axis actuator, the shoulder tilt actuator, and the one-axis actuator.

16. The robot of claim 1, wherein the chassis comprises a central open volume comprising a stowage cavity.

17. The robot of claim 1, wherein the neck comprises at least a first piece and a second offset piece, the second offset piece being approximately parallel to the first piece and connected to the first piece such that when the sensor head is in a first stowed position, the offset piece is offset below the first piece.

18. The robot of claim 1, wherein the pair of flippers each are pivotable about the proximal end of each of the pair of flippers with respect to the chassis and about a flipper pivot axis at the leading end of the chassis.

19. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the stair ascending position is a stable stair ascending position, and

the neck and head are pivotable to the stable stair ascending position such that a vertical projection of an overall center of gravity of the robot is located in a stable range within at least one step span in front of a rearmost ground contact point and at least one step span behind a foremost flipper ground contact point.

20. The robot of claim 19, wherein the neck and head are pivotable to an unstable stair ascending position in which the vertical projection of the overall center of gravity of the robot to outside the stable range.