Cart for moving along a surface and method for moving a cart along a surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399677-B2
Application number	US-201815970466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2018
Priority date	Jul 5, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A cart including a housing and a first foot and a second foot mounted to the housing bottom. Each foot is moveable back and forth from a direction away from one end of the cart towards the other end, and each foot including a recess opening downwardly away from the housing bottom. The cart includes a low pressure source in fluid communication pathway extending from each recess to the low pressure source. Each fluid communication pathway includes a valve operable for opening and closing the fluid communication pathway between the recess and the low pressure source. The cart includes a first motor connected to one foot and another motor connected to the other foot, with each motor operable for moving its respective foot back and forth. The cart includes a control system connected in communication with each motor and each valve, with the control system controlling each motor to move its respective foot back and forth.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cart for moving along a surface in a vehicle, the cart comprising:
a housing including a top and bottom, and opposite ends;
a first foot and a second foot mounted to the bottom of the housing, each foot being moveable back and forth from a direction away from one end of the cart towards the other end, each foot including a recess opening downwardly away from the bottom of the housing;
a low pressure source mounted in the housing;
a fluid communication pathway extending from an opening within each recess to the low pressure source, each fluid communication pathway including a valve operable for opening and closing that valve's respective fluid communication pathway between the recess and the low pressure source;
a motor connected to one foot and another motor connected to the other foot, each motor being operable for moving that motor's respective foot back and forth along said direction;
a data processor and control system executed by the data processor, the control system being connected in communication with each motor and each valve, the control system controlling each motor to move that motor's respective foot back and forth along said direction, the control system controlling the valve to remain closed for the fluid communication pathway connected to the recess of one foot as the foot moves relative to the bottom of the housing, while controlling the other valve to remain open as the other foot moves relative to the housing; and
an electrical power source connected to the low pressure source, the motors, and data processor, providing electrical power to the low pressure source, motors, and data processor.

2. The cart of claim 1 , further comprising a rail mounted to the bottom of the housing and extending along said direction, in which each foot is moveable along the rail.

3. The cart of claim 2 , further comprising a carriage connecting one foot to the rail, and another carriage connecting the other foot to the rail, in which one of the motors is operable for driving one of the carriages back and forth along the rail, along with the foot connected to that carriage, and the other motor is operable for driving the other carriage back and forth along the rail.

4. The cart of claim 3 , further comprising wheels mounted to the bottom of the housing, and at least one other motor connected to at least one wheel operable for driving the at least one wheel.

5. The cart of claim 2 , wherein the rail includes first and second halves, and one foot moves along one half of the rail and the other foot moves along the other half of the rail.

6. The cart of claim 1 , further comprising wheels mounted to the bottom of the housing, which roll as the housing moves along the surface of the vehicle.

7. The cart of claim 1 , wherein the low pressure source comprises a chamber, the chamber including a fan disposed to draw air from the chamber when the fan is operated, with each fluid communication pathway connected in fluid communication to the chamber.

8. A cart for moving along a surface in a vehicle, the cart comprising:
a housing including a top and bottom, and opposite ends;
a first foot and a second foot mounted to the bottom of the cart, each foot being moveable back and forth from a direction away from one end of the housing towards the other end, each foot including a recess opening downwardly away from the bottom of the housing;
a low pressure source mounted in the housing;
a fluid communication pathway extending from an opening within each recess to the low pressure source, each fluid communication pathway including a valve operable for opening and closing that valve's respective fluid communication pathway between the recess and the low pressure source;
a motor connected to one foot, and another motor corrected to the other foot, each motor being operable for moving the foot connected thereto back and forth along said direction;
a data processor and control system executed by the data processor, the control system being connected to the motor and each valve, the control system controlling each motor to reciprocate the foot connected thereto back and forth along said direction in coordination with opening and closing of the valves, the control system preventing movement of the housing along the surface of the vehicle by opening both valves at the same time; and
an electrical power source connected to the low pressure source, motors, and data processor, providing electrical power to the low pressure source, motors, and data processor.

9. The cart of claim 8 , further comprising wheels connected to the bottom of the housing.

10. The cart of claim 8 further comprising a rail mounted to the bottom of the housing and extending along said direction, in which each foot is moveable along the rail.

11. The cart of claim 10 , further comprising a carriage connecting one of the feet to the rail, and another carriage connecting the other foot to the rail, wherein the motors reciprocate the carriages along the rail to reciprocate the feet along the rail.

12. The cart of claim 10 , wherein the rail includes first half and a second half, wherein one foot is moveable along one half of the rail and the other foot is moveable along the other half of the rail.

13. The cart of claim 8 , wherein the electrical power source includes a rechargeable battery mounted to the housing.

14. The cart of claim 8 , wherein the control system controls one of the valves to be closed, while the other valve is open.

15. A method for moving a cart along a surface in a vehicle, the method comprising:
using wheels to support a housing on the surface, the housing including a bottom;
mounting a first foot and a second foot to the bottom of the housing, in which each foot includes a recess facing towards the surface of the vehicle, and each foot being moveable along the bottom of the housing;
pressing one of the feet against the surface by reducing the pressure within the recess thereof relative to ambient, and moving the housing relative to the one foot along a direction in the vehicle;
restoring the pressure in the recess of said one of the feet to ambient after the housing has been moved, pressing the other foot against the surface by reducing the pressure within the recess thereof relative to ambient, and moving the housing relative to said other foot in the same direction; and
repeating said pressing and said restoring until the housing has been reached a desired location in the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15 , said adhering one of the feet includes connecting a low pressure source in fluid communication with the recess in the foot to reduce the pressure in the recess below ambient.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
monitoring for turbulence; and
if there is turbulence, pressing both feet against the surface of the vehicle by reducing the pressure in the recess of each foot concurrently.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein moving the housing includes using at least one motor.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising disposing a data processor in the housing and executing a control system on the data processor to coordinate said pressing, said restoring, and said repeating.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein said mounting a first foot and a second foot includes providing a rail on the bottom of the housing and attaching each foot to a carriage mounted to the rail.

Assignees

• Panasonic Avionics Corp

Inventors

• Bates Steven
• Shah Shrenik
• Jiang Feng
• Watson Philip

Classifications

• B62B5/00

  Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts ({B62B3/1404} , B62B9/00 take precedence; wheels, axles, or axle bearings for vehicles B60B; castors for vehicles, castors in general B60B33/00) · CPC title

• B64D11/0007 Primary

  Devices specially adapted for food or beverage distribution services · CPC title

• B65F1/1468

  Means for facilitating the transport of the receptacle, e.g. wheels, rolls (hand-operated refuse vehicles B65F3/005) · CPC title

• B62B2202/67

  Service trolleys, e.g. in aircraft · CPC title

• B62B3/00

  Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor {(convertible from one-axled to two-axled vehicle B62B1/002)} · CPC title