Robotic vehicle

• US 8,800,695 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• 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, Shein, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARCE, MARLON ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US13/709,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20130105233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 180/7.1, 180/8.7, 180/9.32, 180/9.5, 180/8.2
• US Class Current: 180/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0025 handling explosives, bombs or hazardous objects
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• 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 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robotic vehicle (10,100,150A,150B150C,160,1000,1000A,1000B,1000C) includes a chassis (20,106,152,162) having front and rear ends (20A,152A,20B,152B) and supported on right and left driven tracks (34,44,108,165). Right and left elongated flippers (50,60,102,154,164) are disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot. A linkage (70,156,166) connects a payload deck assembly (D1,D2,D3,80,158,168,806), configured to support a removable functional payload, to the chassis. The linkage has a first end (70A) rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot (71), and a second end (70B) rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot (73). Both of the first and second pivots include independently controllable pivot drivers (72,74) operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots (71,73) to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck (D1,D2,D3,80,158,168,806) with respect to the chassis (20,106,152,162).

Claims

1. A robotic vehicle comprising:

a chassis having front and rear ends and supported on right and left driven tracks, each track trained about a corresponding front wheel rotatable about a front wheel axis;

right and left elongated flippers disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot about the front wheel axis of the chassis, each flipper having a driven track about its perimeter;

a payload deck assembly configured to support a removable payload;

a manipulator arm removably mounted on the payload deck assembly; and

a linkage connecting the payload deck to the chassis, the linkage having 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 including 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.

2. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the manipulator arm is configured to provide full hemispherical reach around the robotic vehicle.

3. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the manipulator arm is configured to provide a lifting capacity.

4. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the manipulator arm comprises a plurality of links pivotally coupled together.

5. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the robotic vehicle is configured to move the manipulator arm towards the front end when ascending an incline, thereby shifting the robotic vehicle'"'"'s center of gravity forwards.

6. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the robotic vehicle is configured to move the manipulator arm towards the rear end for additional traction, thereby shifting the robotic vehicle'"'"'s center of gravity rearwards.

7. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly comprises connection for both a payload power link and a payload communication link.

8. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly comprises multiple payload connection pads positioned to accommodate selective connection of multiple payload units to the payload deck.

9. The robotic vehicle of claim 8, wherein each connection pad includes connection points for both payload power and payload communication.

10. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly further comprises a removable controller unit operably connected to a drive system of the chassis.

11. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly further comprises a removable battery unit.

12. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly further comprises a removable sensor unit.

13. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the sensor is selected from a group consisting of infrared, chemical, toxic, light, noise, and weapons detection.

14. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly constitutes between about 30 and 50 percent of a total weight of the vehicle.

15. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the payload deck assembly comprises:

a modular deck support structure housing a power supply, a packet network connection, and a deck wiring harness connector having packet network cabling and power cabling; and

a modular deck configured to be received by the modular deck support structure and comprising;

a deck mount configured to be received by the modular deck support structure;

at least two externally available common connectors;

a power supply switching circuit that switches available power from the power supply between at least two common connectors;

a network switch that switches packet network traffic between the at least two common connectors; and

a deck wiring harness that connects to the deck wiring harness connector and carries power and network communications to and from the modular deck.

16. The robotic vehicle of claim 15, wherein the modular deck support structure is configured to receive multiple platforms interchangeably.

17. The robotic vehicle of claim 15, wherein the modular deck further comprises netting extending above and about a perimeter of the modular deck for retaining a payload.

18. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first end of the linkage is rotatably connected near the front of the chassis, such that the payload deck is displaceable to an aftmost position in which the deck is located within a footprint of the chassis.

19. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first pivot is rotatable through an angle of at least 180 degrees.

20. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein the independently controllable pivot drivers provide both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck with respect to the chassis to selectively displace a center of gravity of the payload deck both forward and rearward of a center of gravity of the chassis.