Assistive robots including assemblies for accommodating obstacles and methods for using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11148696-B2
Application number	US-201916560252-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

An assistive robot includes a manipulator, a base coupled to the manipulator, the base defining a front end and a rear end positioned opposite the front end, the base including a chassis body, a front conveyor assembly positioned at the front end of the base, the front conveyor assembly including a front conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a front toe extending outward from the front conveyor, and a rear conveyor assembly positioned at the rear end of the base, the rear conveyor assembly including a rear conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a rear toe extending outward from the rear conveyor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assistive robot comprising:
a manipulator;
a base coupled to the manipulator, the base defining a front end and a rear end positioned opposite the front end, the base comprising:
a chassis body;
a front conveyor assembly positioned at the front end of the base, the front conveyor assembly comprising:
a front conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a front toe extending outward from the front conveyor; and

a rear conveyor assembly positioned at the rear end of the base, the rear conveyor assembly comprising:
a rear conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a rear toe extending outward from the rear conveyor.

2. The assistive robot of claim 1 , wherein the conveyor pathway of at least one of the front conveyor and the rear conveyor defines a vertical pathway extending in a vertical direction and a longitudinal pathway that extends in a longitudinal direction that is oriented transverse to the vertical pathway.

3. The assistive robot of claim 2 , wherein the vertical pathway and the longitudinal pathway are positioned at least partially outside of the chassis body.

4. The assistive robot of claim 1 , further comprising:
a front wheel positioned at the front end of the base and coupled to the chassis body; and
a rear wheel positioned at the rear end of the base and coupled to the chassis body, wherein at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel are repositionable between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel is positioned closer to the chassis body in a vertical direction in the retracted position as compared to the extended position.

5. The assistive robot of claim 1 , wherein the front conveyor assembly is a first front conveyor assembly and the front conveyor is a first front conveyor, and the assistive robot further comprises a second front conveyor assembly comprising a second front conveyor aligned with the first front conveyor, the second front conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body, wherein the second front conveyor assembly comprises a second front toe extending outward from the second front conveyor.

6. The assistive robot of claim 1 , further comprising an distance sensor communicatively coupled to the front conveyor assembly and the rear conveyor assembly.

7. A vehicle comprising:
a base defining a front end and a rear end positioned opposite the front end, the base comprising:
a chassis body;
a front conveyor assembly positioned at the front end of the base, the front conveyor assembly comprising:
a front conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a front toe extending outward from the front conveyor; and

a rear conveyor assembly positioned at the rear end of the base, the rear conveyor assembly comprising:
a rear conveyor defining a conveyor pathway that extends at least partially within the chassis body and a rear toe extending outward from the rear conveyor; and

a front wheel assembly positioned at the front end of the base and coupled to the chassis body, the front wheel assembly comprising a front wheel; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the front conveyor assembly, the rear conveyor assembly, and the front wheel assembly, the controller comprising a processor and a computer readable and executable instruction set, which when executed, causes the processor to:
direct the vehicle to move toward an obstacle;
direct the vehicle to move upward in a vertical direction such the obstacle is positioned below the conveyor pathway of the front conveyor;
direct the front conveyor assembly to engage the front toe with the obstacle;
direct the front conveyor assembly to move the front conveyor and the front toe in a rearward direction to move the vehicle over the obstacle; and
direct the rear conveyor assembly to engage the rear toe of the rear conveyor with the obstacle.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein, to direct the vehicle to move upward in the vertical direction, the executable instruction set, when executed further causes the processor to:
direct the front wheel assembly to move the front wheel from a retracted position into an extended position, wherein the front wheel is positioned closer to the chassis body of the vehicle in the retracted position as compared to the extended position.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein, to direct the vehicle to move upward in the vertical direction, the executable instruction set, when executed further causes the processor to:
direct the front conveyor assembly to engage the front toe with the obstacle and move the front toe along a vertical pathway defined by the front conveyor.

10. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the executable instruction set, when executed, further causes the processor to:
direct the rear conveyor assembly to move the rear toe of the rear conveyor along a longitudinal pathway defined by the rear conveyor.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the vehicle further comprises a rear wheel assembly communicatively coupled to the controller and comprising a rear wheel coupled to the chassis body, and wherein the executable instruction set, when executed, further causes the processor to:
subsequent to directing the rear conveyor assembly to move the rear toe along the longitudinal pathway defined by the rear conveyor, direct the rear wheel assembly to engage the rear wheel with the obstacle.

12. The vehicle of claim 7 , further comprising an distance sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, and wherein the executable instruction set, when executed further causes the processor to detect a height of the obstacle evaluated in the vertical direction with the distance sensor.

13. The vehicle of claim 7 , further comprising a travel sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, and wherein the executable instruction set, when executed further causes the processor to:
detect a distance the vehicle has travelled over the obstacle with the travel sensor; and
direct the rear conveyor assembly to engage the rear toe in response to determining that the detected distance the vehicle has travelled over the obstacle exceeds a predetermined distance.

Assignees

• Toyota Res Inst Inc

Inventors

• Malghan Suhas
• Bondaryk Joseph
• Baim Paul W
• Albina Toffee

Classifications

• B62B2206/06

  adjustable in height · CPC title

• B62D57/024 Primary

  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 title

• G05D1/0217

  in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria · CPC title

• B62B5/0033

  Electric motors · CPC title

• B62B2203/10

  comprising lifting means · CPC title