Vehicle suspension with coupled, pivoting, opposing support legs

A suspension for an autonomous vehicle having a di-wheel drive, the suspension comprising:

• a first support leg pivotally coupled to a body of the autonomous vehicle at a first pivot point, the first support leg extending in a first direction from the body;
• a second support leg pivotally coupled to the body of the autonomous vehicle at a second pivot point, the second support leg extending in a second direction from the body that is substantially opposite to the first direction, wherein each support leg includes a surface contacting element to contact a surface such that the di-wheel drive and each support leg support the autonomous vehicle on the surface;
• a coupler coupling the first support leg and the second support leg, the coupler causing pivotal movement of one of the support legs to be mirrored in the other support leg;
• and
• a biasing element operatively coupled to at least one of the coupler, the first support leg and the second support leg to bias the first support leg and the second support leg pivotally toward contact with the surface,
• wherein a centerline extends equidistantly between the first and second pivot points and through a sensor mounted to an underside of the body, and
• wherein the coupler causes the first support leg and the second support leg to maintain the centerline perpendicular to the surface as the first and second support leg pivot during movement of the autonomous vehicle.

A method, comprising:

• suspending an autonomous vehicle including a body and a di-wheel drive comprising a first wheel and a second wheel operatively coupled to the body on a surface using a suspension, the suspension including:
• a first support leg pivotally coupled to the body of the autonomous vehicle at a first pivot point between the first and second wheel, the first support leg extending in a first direction from the body, a second support leg pivotally coupled to the body of the autonomous vehicle at a second pivot point, the second support leg extending in a second direction from the body that is substantially opposite to the first direction, wherein each support leg includes a surface contacting element to contact a surface such that the di-wheel drive and each support leg support the autonomous vehicle on the surface, a coupler coupling the first support leg and the second support leg, the coupler causing pivotal movement of one of the support legs to be mirrored in the other support leg, and a biasing element operatively coupled to at least one of the coupler, the first support leg, and the second support leg to bias the first support leg and the second support leg pivotally toward contact with the surface;
• and controlling operation of the di-wheel drive to control movement of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the suspension maintains a centerline extending equidistantly between the first and second pivot points perpendicular to the surface as the first and second support leg pivot during movement of the autonomous vehicle.