UGV with adaptive stabilizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247737-B2
Application number	US-201815960112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 23, 2018
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

Unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) includes a rotary joint having an axis of rotation. A rotary joint actuator is responsive to at least one control signal and is configured to cause a rotatable portion of the rotary joint to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis about the rotary joint axis of rotation. A stabilizer flipper having an elongated length is attached to the rotatable portion. Consequently, rotation of the rotatable portion about the rotary joint axis of rotation results in a change of orientation of the stabilizer flipper relative to the chassis. This change in orientation can range between a lateral direction and an longitudinal direction with respect to the vehicle chassis.

First claim

We claim:

1. An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), comprising
a vehicle chassis which extends in a longitudinal direction from a vehicle rear to a vehicle front and in lateral directions from a vehicle centerline to two opposing lateral sides;
a rotary joint mounted to the vehicle chassis and having a rotary joint axis of rotation aligned transverse to both the longitudinal direction and the lateral directions;
a rotary joint actuator responsive to at least one control signal and configured to cause a rotatable portion of the rotary joint to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis about the rotary joint axis of rotation;
a robotic arm coupled to the rotary joint; and
a stabilizer flipper having an elongated length and attached to the rotatable portion via a pivot joint;
wherein rotation of the rotatable portion about the rotary joint axis of rotation results in a change of orientation of the stabilizer flipper relative to the chassis; and
wherein the pivot joint is configured to facilitate a pivoting of the stabilizer flipper about a pivot joint axis of rotation independent of the robotic arm, the pivot joint axis of rotation being aligned transverse to the rotatory joint rotation axis.

2. The UGV according to claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer flipper is attached to the pivot joint at a first end of the stabilizer flipper, and a foot which defines a flipper contact surface is disposed at a second end of the stabilizer flipper, opposed from the first end.

3. The UGV according to claim 2 , further comprising a flipper actuator responsive to at least one control signal to cause the stabilizer flipper to pivot about the pivot joint axis from at least a stowed position to a deployed position.

4. The UGV according to claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one motive element configured to move the UGV along a ground surface and including a ground engaging face configured to engage the ground surface; and
wherein the flipper contact surface is substantially aligned with a plane defined by the ground engaging face when the stabilizer flipper is in the deployed position.

5. The UGV according to claim 3 , wherein the vehicle chassis has an upper deck opposed from a ground facing bottom side and the elongated length of the stabilizer flipper is configured to extend across the upper deck when in the stowed position.

6. The UGV according to claim 5 , wherein the elongated length of the stabilizer flipper is contoured to allow the stabilizer flipper, when in the deployed position to extend across the upper deck and around an outer periphery of the UGV without obstruction.

7. An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), comprising
a vehicle chassis which extends in a longitudinal direction from a vehicle rear to a vehicle front and in lateral directions from a vehicle centerline to two opposing lateral sides;
a rotary joint mounted to the vehicle chassis and having a rotary joint axis of rotation aligned transverse to both the longitudinal direction and the lateral directions;
a rotary joint actuator responsive to at least one control signal and configured to cause a rotatable portion of the rotary joint to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis about the rotary joint axis of rotation; and
a stabilizer flipper having an elongated length and attached to the rotatable portion, wherein rotation of the rotatable portion about the rotary joint axis of rotation results in a change of orientation of the stabilizer flipper relative to the chassis;
wherein the stabilizer flipper is attached to the rotatable portion by a pivot joint which is configured to facilitate a pivoting of the stabilizer flipper about a pivot joint axis of rotation aligned transverse to the rotary joint rotation axis; and
wherein the UGV is further comprised of a robotic arm and wherein the rotary joint is also a joint of the robotic arm.

8. The UGV according to claim 7 , wherein the stabilizer flipper is configured to pivot in at least one plane that is offset along the pivot joint axis relative to the robotic arm, whereby pivot motion of the stabilizer flipper is unobstructed by the robotic arm.

9. The UGV according to claim 8 , wherein the elongated length of the stabilizer flipper is traversed by a first leg and a second leg which are disposed on opposing sides of the robotic arm.

10. An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), comprising
a vehicle chassis which extends in a longitudinal direction from a vehicle rear to a vehicle front and in lateral directions from a vehicle centerline to two opposing lateral sides;
a rotary joint mounted to the vehicle chassis and having a rotary joint axis of rotation aligned transverse to both the longitudinal direction and the lateral directions;
a rotary joint actuator responsive to at least one control signal and configured to cause a rotatable portion of the rotary joint to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis about the rotary joint axis of rotation;
a stabilizer flipper having an elongated length and attached to the rotatable portion, wherein rotation of the rotatable portion about the rotary joint axis of rotation results in a change of orientation of the stabilizer flipper relative to the chassis; and
a hook-shaped element disposed along a portion of the elongated length of the stabilizer flipper that is distal from a pivot axis, the hook-shaped element including a concave section which defines an opening which faces toward the chassis when the stabilizer flipper is in a deployed position.

11. A method for dynamically reorienting a stabilizer flipper in an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) having a robotic arm, comprising:
providing a vehicle chassis extending in a longitudinal direction from a vehicle rear to a vehicle front and in lateral directions from a vehicle centerline to two opposing lateral sides;
determining a stabilization direction based on at least one of a position of a robotic arm relative to the vehicle chassis, and an activity of the robotic arm;
using a single actuated rotatable joint to concurrently rotate the robotic arm and an elongated length of the stabilizer flipper about a common rotation axis until the elongated length of the stabilizer flipper is aligned with the stabilization direction, wherein the stabilization direction is selected to comprise any angle in an arc ranging from the at least one of the lateral directions to the longitudinal direction; and
pivoting the stabilizer flipper about a pivot axis independent of the robotic arm, the pivot axis being transverse to the rotation axis.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the stabilizer flipper is pivoted about the pivot axis between a stowed position and a deployed position in which the stabilizer flipper engages a surface on which the UGV is supported.

13. A method for dynamically reorienting a stabilizer flipper in an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) having a robotic arm, comprising:
providing a vehicle chassis extending in a longitudinal direction from a vehicle rear to a vehicle front and in lateral directions from a vehicle centerline to two opposing lateral sides;
determining a stabilization direction based on at least one of a position of a robotic arm relative to the vehicle chassis, and an activity of the robotic arm;
using an actuated rotatable joint to selectively rotate an elongated length of a stabilizer flipper about a rotation axis to align with the stabilization direction, wherein the stabilization direction is selected to comprise any angle in an arc ranging from the at least one of the lateral directions to the longitudinal direction;
pivoting the stabilizer flipper about a pivot axis transverse to the rotation axis, between a stowed position and a deployed

Assignees

• Eagle Tech Llc

Inventors

• Summer Matthew D
• Bosscher Paul M
• Bowman Michael E
• Irvin Sean J

Classifications

• B62D57/032 Primary

  with alternately or sequentially lifted supporting base and legs; with alternately or sequentially lifted feet or skid (B62D57/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D55/075 Primary

  Tracked vehicles for ascending or descending stairs, {steep slopes or vertical surfaces}(magnetic or pneumatic ground-engaging parts B62D55/265; chairs or multi-track cycles specially adapted for invalids A61G5/00) · CPC title

• B62D55/065

  Multi-track vehicles, i.e. more than two tracks {(soil-shifting machines E02F; mining machines E21C)} · CPC title

• B25J13/089

  Determining the position of the robot with reference to its environment · CPC title

• G05B2219/45066

  Inspection robot · CPC title