Mobile robotic vehicle
AssigneeiRobot Corporation
InventorPavlo E. Rudakevych
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile robot includes a robot chassis having a forward end, a rearward end and a center of gravity. The robot includes a driven support surface to propel the robot and first articulated arm rotatable about an axis located rearward of the center of gravity of the robot chassis. The arm is pivotable to trail the robot, rotate in a first direction to raise the rearward end of the robot chassis while the driven support surface propels the chassis forward in surmounting an obstacle, and to rotate in a second opposite direction to extend forward beyond the center of gravity of the robot chassis to raise the forward end of the robot chassis and invert the robot endwise.
Claims20
A robot comprising:
- a robot chassis having a forward end, a rearward end and a center of gravity;
- a support surface configured to propel the robot chassis;
- a trailing arm rotatable about an axis located rearward of the center of gravity of the robot chassis;
- and
- a controller configured to execute a stair climbing control routine, including causing the robot to perform operations comprising:
- driving the support surface over an underlying surface towards a stair;
- pivoting the trailing arm downward against the underlying surface and causing the forward end of the robot chassis to raise up off the underlying surface, the trailing arm having a distal end that contacts the underlying surface forward of the center of gravity of the vehicle;
- pivoting the trailing arm upwards away from the underlying surface and driving the support surface towards the stair, causing the forward end of the robot to ascend the stair;
- and
- pivoting the trailing arm so that the distal end contacts the underlying surface at a point behind the support surface while the robot ascends the stair.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.