Integrated bumper
AssigneeAI Incorporated
InventorsAli Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Alexander Powers, Shahin Fathi Djalali
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a bumper apparatus of a robot, including: a bumper elastically coupled with a chassis of the robot; at least one sensor configured to sense object impacts with the bumper; and at least one elastic element coupled to or interfacing with the chassis and coupled to or interfacing with the bumper; wherein: the at least one elastic element facilitates movement of the bumper relative to the chassis upon impact with an object and disengagement from the object after impact; the at least one elastic element facilitates a return of the bumper to a neutral position upon disengaging from the object after impact; and the bumper covers at least a front side of the chassis.
Claims20
A robotic device, comprising:
- one or more sensors;
- a processor;
- a bumper;
- a chassis;
- wherein:
- the chassis of the robotic device comprises a set of wheels enabling the robotic device to move in an environment;
- and
- the bumper is movably coupled with the chassis of the robotic device, wherein the bumper interfaces with the chassis with one or more springy element, and the bumper is configured to absorb an impact of a collision with the environment with compression of the springy element, wherein upon disengagement from an impact, the springy element facilitates movement of the bumper back to a resting position, wherein:
- the movement between of the bumper activates at least one sensor of the robotic device enabling detection of the impact by the processor of the robotic device;
- and
- the bumper covers at least a front side of the chassis of the robotic device.
A method for operating a robotic device, comprising:
- actuating, with a processor of the robotic device, a set of wheels coupled to a chassis of the robotic device enabling the robot to move in an environment;
- and
- absorbing, with the bumper coupled with the chassis of the robotic device, an impact of a collision with one or more objects in the environment;
- interfacing, with one or more springy elements, between the bumper and the chassis of the robotic device to absorb the impact of the collision;
- facilitating, with the one or more springy elements, movements of the bumper back to a resting position after disengagement from the impact, wherein:
- the movement of the bumper is relative to the chassis of the robotic device;
- the movement between the bumper and the chassis of the robotic device upon impact activates at least one sensor of the robotic device enabling detection of the impact;
- and
- the bumper covers at least a front side of the chassis of the robotic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.