# US 12,005,571 B2 · Robotic apparatus for operating on fixed frames > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,005,571 B2 - Document ID: US12005571B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/223,985 - Filed: 2023-07-19 - Published: 2023-11-16 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-16 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Google LLC - Inventors: Shubhabrata Biswas; Samuel Gardner Garrett; Dhruv Dipak Gajaria - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005571B2 ## CPC - B25J 13/089: {Determining the position of the robot with reference to its environment} - B25J 5/00: Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages (B25J1/00 takes precedence; program-controlled manipulators B25J9/00) - B25J 9/0087: {Dual arms (double SCARA arms B25J9/043)} - B25J 9/009: {being mechanically linked with one another at their distal ends} - B25J 9/065: {Snake robots} - B25J 9/1612: {characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control} - B25J 15/08: having finger members (B25J15/02, B25J15/04 take precedence) - B25J 17/0283: {Three-dimensional joints} - B62D 57/024: 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) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A robotic apparatus including a plurality of rigid body sections that move relative to each other by one or more multi-degree of freedom joints. The robotic apparatus can traverse a fixed frame by attaching its distal ends to the frame and moving the rigid body sections relative to each other. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a robotic apparatus, comprising: a plurality of rigid body sections, each rigid body section having a pair of first and second distal portions that are oppositely disposed from each other along the rigid body section, and each rigid body section defining a longitudinal axis that runs a length of the rigid body section and intercepts each of the first distal portion and second distal portion; one or more multi-degree of freedom joints, wherein each multi-degree of freedom joint directly couples a respective pair of rigid body sections so that the respective pair of rigid body sections move relative to each other by the multi-degree of freedom joint; a first end effector connected to a first distal portion of a first rigid body section, wherein a second distal portion of the first rigid body section is connected to a multi-degree of freedom joint; and a second end effector connected to a first distal portion of a second rigid body section, wherein a second distal portion of the second rigid body section is connected to a multi-degree of freedom joint; wherein: each of the first and second end effectors is configured to attach to a fixed frame, and is also configured to attach to movable objects; and at least one of the first and second end effectors includes an electrical coupling that is configured to electrically couple to a bus bar attached to a fixed frame, wherein when so electrically coupled to the bus bar, the robotic apparatus receives power from the bus bar. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the fixed frame is a fixed frame of a storage facility that houses the movable objects. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the robotic apparatus further comprising: one or more environmental sensors that generate data that describes a position of the robotic apparatus relative to the fixed frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more environmental sensors further generate data that describe positions of the movable objects relative to the robotic apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each multi-degree of freedom joint is a three-degree of freedom joint. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rigid body sections includes at least three rigid body sections. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second end effectors are grippers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the robotic apparatus is configured to connect to another robotic apparatus by either the first end effector or the second end effector coupling to either the first end effector or the second end effector of the another robotic apparatus; and further comprising a control system that generates control signals and in response cooperatively operates the one or more multi-degree of freedom joints and the first and second end effectors to cause the robotic apparatus to traverse the fixed frame by alternating attachment to the fixed frame by the first and second end effectors, and to pick and place the movable objects at target positions relative to the fixed frame. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the control system is further configured to communicate with a control system of the another robotic apparatus and negotiate a role for the robotic apparatus, the role being a leader role or a follower role, wherein the leader role causes the control system of the robotic apparatus to control the control system of the another robotics apparatus, and wherein the follower role causes the control system of the robotic apparatus to be controlled by the control system of the another robotic apparatus. ### Claim 10 A method performed by a robotic apparatus, the method comprising: moving, by signals generated from a control system, a plurality of rigid body sections relative to each other by one or more multi-degree of freedom joints, wherein: each rigid body section has a pair of first and second distal portions that are oppositely disposed from each other along the rigid body section; each rigid body section defines a longitudinal axis that runs a length of the rigid body section and intercepts each of the first distal portion and second distal portion; and each multi-degree of freedom joint directly couples a respective pair of rigid body sections; connecting a first end effector to a first distal portion of a first rigid body section, wherein a second distal portion of the first rigid body section is connected to a multi-degree of freedom joint; connecting a second end effector to a first distal portion of a second rigid body section, wherein a second distal portion of the second rigid body section is connected to a multi-degree of freedom joint; receiving power from a bus bar by the robotic apparatus when either the first end effector or the second end effector is electrically coupled to the bus bar, wherein each of the first and second end effectors include respective electrical coupling that are configured to electrically couple to a bus bar attached to the fixed frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein: each of the first and second end effectors is configured to attach to a fixed frame, and is also configured to attach to movable objects; and cooperatively operating the one or more multi-degree of freedom joints and the first and second end effectors to cause the robotic apparatus to traverse the fixed frame by alternating attachment to the fixed frame by the first and second end effectors, and to pick and place the movable objects at target positions relative to the fixed frame. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, by the control system, data generated by one or more environmental sensors, the data describing a position of the robotic apparatus relative to the fixed frame. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, by the control system, data generated by one or more environmental sensors, the data describing positions of the movable objects relative to the robotic apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: configuring the robotic apparatus to connect to another robotic apparatus by either the first end effector or the second end effector coupling to either the first end effector or the second end effector of the another robotic apparatus; and further configuring the control system to communicate with a control system of the another robotic apparatus and negotiate a role for the robotic apparatus, the role being a leader role or a follower role, wherein the leader role causes the control system of the robotic apparatus to control the control system of the another robotics apparatus, and wherein the follower role causes the control system of the robotic apparatus to be controlled by the control system of the another robotic apparatus.