Robot and method for traversing vertical obstacles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10239378-B2
Application number	US-201815912481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2018
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A robot has a robot body on a frame structure, the robot body having at least one enclosed space to hold at least one delivery item. At least one sensing device detects objects along a direction of motion of said robot. The robot has six wheels, where at least two wheels on a side of the frame are connected to each other. The axis of rotation of each wheel is substantially fixed with respect to the robot during forward, rearward, and turning motion of the robot. During transition, via a substantially vertical obstacle, from a first substantially horizontally surface to a second substantially horizontally surface higher than the first substantially horizontally surface, one of the connected wheels causes an upward or a downward force to be applied to the other connected wheel.

First claim

We claim:

1. A robot comprising:
(A) a robot body on a frame structure, said robot body having at least one enclosed space;
(B) at least one sensing device constructed and adapted to detect objects along a direction of motion of said robot; and
(C) six wheel mechanisms, comprising:
(C)(1) on a left side of said frame structure:
(i) a left front wheel mechanism including a left front wheel,
(ii) a left rear wheel mechanism including a left rear wheel, and
(iii) a left middle wheel mechanism including a left middle wheel and positioned between the left front wheel and the left rear wheel, and,

(C)(2) on a right side of said frame structure:
(iv) a right front wheel mechanism including a right front wheel,
(v) a right rear wheel mechanism including a right rear wheel, and
(vi) a right middle wheel mechanism including a right middle wheel, positioned between the right front wheel and the right rear wheel, wherein

at least two of the wheel mechanisms on a side of the frame structure are connected to each other, wherein,

(x) when said robot is standing on or moving along a substantially horizontal surface,
(i) the wheels are substantially horizontally aligned with respect to the substantially horizontal surface, and
(ii) a weight of said robot is borne, at least in part, by at least one of said left front wheel and said right front wheel, and wherein,

(y) during a transition, via at least one substantially vertical obstacle, from a first surface to a second surface higher than said first surface,
(a) the left middle wheel and the right middle wheel are transiently displaced towards or away from the robot body, and
(b) said weight of said robot is borne, at least in part, by at least one of said left front wheel and said right front wheel, and wherein

(z) each wheel has an axis of rotation, each said axis of rotation remaining substantially fixed with respect to the robot during forward, rearward, and turning motion of said robot,
wherein, during said transition from said first surface to said second surface, at least one of the left middle wheel and the right middle wheel is lifted,
wherein at least two of the wheels are driven by individual axles.

2. The robot of claim 1 , wherein each of the wheels is driven by an individual axle.

3. The robot of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the wheels are individually driven.

4. The robot of claim 3 , wherein the six wheels are each individually driven.

5. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the wheels are driven by multiple motors.

6. The robot of claim 5 , wherein at least some of the multiple motors are located on axles.

7. The robot of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the multiple motors are located in at least some of the wheels.

8. The robot of claim 1 , wherein at least two of said six wheels are attached to corresponding piston devices.

9. The robot of claim 8 , wherein each of said six wheels is attached to a corresponding piston device.

10. The robot of claim 9 , wherein at least one of said piston devices is constructed and adapted to drive at least one attached wheel in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

11. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the enclosed space is constructed and adapted to hold at least one delivery item.

12. The robot of claim 1 having a center of mass located between the middle of the robot and the front end of the robot.

13. The robot of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the wheel mechanisms comprises a motor-driven device adapted to apply at least one of a downward force and an upward force through a corresponding at least one wheel, to facilitate traversal of said at least one substantially vertical obstacle by said robot.

14. The robot of claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensing device comprises one or more of: a Lidar sensor and a camera system.

15. The robot of claim 1 , wherein an upward force or a downward force applied to the other connected wheel mechanism causes vertical movement of a rotational center of a wheel associated with the other connected wheel mechanism.

16. A robot comprising:
(A) a robot body on a frame structure, said robot body having at least one enclosed space constructed and adapted to hold at least one delivery item;
(B) at least one sensing device to detect objects along a direction of motion of said robot, wherein said at least one sensing device comprises one or more of: (i) a Lidar sensor; and (ii) a camera system; and
(C) six wheels including:
(i) two front wheels comprising: a first front wheel on a first side of said frame structure and a second front wheel on a second side of the frame structure,
(ii) two rear wheels comprising: a first rear wheel on the first side of the frame structure and a second rear wheel on a second side of the frame structure,
(iii) two middle wheels comprising: a first middle wheel, on the first side of the frame structure and between the first front wheel and the first rear wheel, and a second middle wheel, on the second side of the frame structure and between the second front wheel and the second rear wheel,

wherein said first front wheel is on a first front axle, said first middle wheel is on a first middle axle, and said first rear wheel is on a first rear axle, and wherein
at least two wheels on the first side of the frame structure are connected to each other, and wherein
at least two of said wheels are attached to corresponding piston devices, and wherein
the wheels are driven by multiple motors, and wherein
each wheel has an axis of rotation, said axis of rotation remaining substantially fixed with respect to the robot during forward, rearward, and turning motion of said robot, and wherein,
when said robot is standing on or moving along a substantially horizontal surface, a weight of said robot body is borne, at least in part, by at least one of said front wheels, and wherein
during a transition, via a substantially vertical obstacle, from a first substantially horizontal surface to a second substantially horizontal surface higher than said first substantially horizontal surface,
(a) at least one of the middle wheels is transiently displaced towards or away from the robot body; and
(b) when said front wheels are on said second substantially horizontal surface and said middle wheels are on said first substantially horizontal surface, said weight of said robot body is borne, at least in part, by at least one of said front wheels and at least one of said rear wheels,

wherein, during said transition from said first substantially horizontal surface to said second substantially horizontal surface, an upward force or a downward force causes a rotational center of the first middle wheel to be raised, and
wherein at least two of the wheels are driven by individual axles.

17. The robot of claim 16 , wherein least two wheels on the first side of the frame structure that are connected to each other are directly connected.

18. A method of operating a robot having: (A) a robot body on a frame structure, said robot body having at least one enclosed space; (B) at least one sensing device constructed and adapted to detect objects along a direction of motion of said robot; and (C) six wheel mechanisms, comprising: (C)(1) on a left side of said frame structure: (i) a left front wheel mechanism including a left front wheel, (ii) a left rear wheel mechanism including a left rear wheel, and (iii) a left middle wheel mechanism including a left middle wheel and positioned between the left front wheel and the left rear wheel, and (C)(2) on a right side of said frame structure: (i

Assignees

• Starship Tech Oue

Inventors

• Liivik Ivo
• Liivik Märt
• Liivik Tiit

Classifications

• B62D61/10

  with more than four wheels {(tractors of the low ground pressure type B62D49/002)} · CPC title

• B60G2300/20

  Toys · CPC title

• B60G5/00 Primary

  Resilient suspensions for a set of tandem wheels or axles having interrelated movements · CPC title

• B25J19/02

  Sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J9/126

  Rotary actuators · CPC title