Robotic vehicle

• US 8,316,971 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Couture, Adam P., Page, Richard, O'Brien, John P., Filippov, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): POTTER, WESLEY A
• Application Number:
  US12/838,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20120073886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 180/7.1, 180/8.2, 180/8.7, 180/9.32, 180/9.5, 901/1, 901/48
• US Class Current: 180/9.32
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/2054 Load carrying floors for commercial vehicles
• 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 55/0655 Articulated endless track vehicles steering specially adapted for trailers B62D13/00; articulated buses B62D47/025; tractor-trailer combinations or road trains comprising a uni-axle unit and a uni-axle trailer B62D53/02

Abstract

A robotic vehicle is disclosed, which is characterized by high mobility, adaptability, and the capability of being remotely controlled in hazardous environments. The robotic vehicle includes a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks. Right and left elongated flippers are disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot. A linkage connects a payload deck, configured to support a removable functional payload, to the chassis. The linkage has a first end rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot, and a second end rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot. Both of the first and second pivots include independently controllable pivot drivers operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis.

Claims

1. A skid steer drive robot comprising:

a skid steer drive;

a drive wheel and a first volume defined within the skid steer drive adjacent the drive wheel;

a load shifting assembly including a tilt motor, the load shifting assembly defining a second volume adjacent the tilt motor;

a chassis defining a third volume adjacent the drive wheel; and

motive power elements distributed among the first volume, the second volume, and the third volume, the motive power elements comprising a battery assembly, a main drive motor assembly, and a load shifting motor assembly, wherein the main drive motor assembly comprises a main drive motor amplifier and a main drive motor, and wherein the load shifting motor assembly comprises a load shifting motor amplifier and a load shifting motor, and wherein the first volume houses the main drive motor amplifier and the load shifting motor amplifier, the second volume houses the battery assembly, and the third volume houses the main drive motor and the load shifting motor.

2. A skid steer drive robot comprising:

a skid steer drive;

a drive wheel and a first volume defined within the skid steer drive adjacent the drive wheel;

a load shifting assembly including a tilt motor, the load shifting assembly defining a second volume adjacent the tilt motor;

a chassis defining a third volume adjacent the drive wheel; and

motive power elements distributed among the first volume, the second volume, and the third volume, the motive power elements comprising a battery assembly, a main drive motor assembly, and a load shifting motor assembly, wherein the main drive motor assembly comprises a main drive motor amplifier and a main drive motor, and wherein the load shifting motor assembly comprises a load shifting motor amplifier and a load shifting motor, and wherein the first volume houses the main drive motor amplifier, the second volume houses the battery assembly and the load tilting motor, so that the battery assembly tilts together with the load shifting assembly, and the third volume houses the main drive motor.

3. A mobile robot comprising:

a skid steer drive having a drive wheel and defining a first volume adjacent the drive wheel;

a load shifting assembly defining a second volume; and

a chassis defining a third volume adjacent the drive wheel and a through space configured to receive the load shifting assembly;

motive power elements distributed among the first volume, the second volume, and the third volume, the motive power elements comprising a battery assembly, a main drive motor assembly, and a load shifting motor assembly.

4. The mobile robot of claim 3, wherein the load shifting assembly comprises a load tilting motor and a load shifting motor, the load shifting assembly defining the second volume adjacent the tilt motor.

5. The mobile robot of claim 3, wherein the main drive motor assembly comprises a main drive motor amplifier and a main drive motor, the load shifting motor assembly comprises a load shifting motor amplifier and a load shifting motor.

6. The mobile robot of claim 5, wherein the first volume houses the main drive motor amplifier and the load shifting motor amplifier, the second volume houses the battery assembly, and the third volume houses the main drive motor and the load shifting motor.

7. The mobile robot of claim 5, wherein the first volume houses the main drive motor amplifier, the second volume houses the battery assembly and the load tilting motor, so that the battery assembly tilts together with the load shifting assembly, and the third volume houses the main drive motor.

8. The mobile robot of claim 3, further comprising right and left driven flippers rotatable about a pivot axis near a forward end of the chassis, each flipper having a drive wheel and defining a flipper volume adjacent to the drive wheel, the motive power elements being distributed among the first volume, the second volume, the third volume, and the flipper volumes.

9. An environmentally sealed mobile robot comprising:

a skid steer drive defining a first volume;

a cast unitary load shifting assembly defining a second volume;

a cast unitary chassis defining a third volume adjacent the skid steer drive, the third volume internally connected to a fourth volume defined by the chassis adjacent the first volume by a chassis passageway defined by the chassis; and

a sealed linkage defining a linkage passageway therethrough connecting the second volume and the third volume; and

wherein the third volume houses a main drive motor, the first volume and the fourth volume hermetically house a main drive motor amplifier delivering power to the main drive motor through the chassis passageway, the second volume hermetically houses a battery assembly and the load tilting motor so that the battery assembly tilts together with the load shifting assembly, the battery delivering power to the main drive motor amplifier and main drive motor through the linkage passageway.