Vehicle having an articulated suspension and method of using same

Abstract

A vehicle includes a chassis and a plurality of wheel assemblies articulated with the chassis, each of the plurality of wheel assemblies comprising a rotatable wheel spaced away from the chassis. A vehicle includes a chassis and an articulated suspension system mounted to the chassis. A method includes comprising articulating at least one of a plurality of wheel assemblies with a chassis, each of the wheel assemblies including a rotatable wheel spaced apart from the chassis. A vehicle includes a chassis and articulatable means for rolling the chassis along a path.

Description

[0001] The earlier effective filing date is claimed of co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60 / 449,271, entitled “Unmanned Ground Vehicle,” filed Feb. 21, 2003, in the name of Michael S. Beck, et al. (Docket No. 2059.005190 / VS-00607), for all common subject matter.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to vehicle and, in particular, to a vehicle having an articulated suspension and a method of using the vehicle. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Technological advances continually permit engineers and scientists to expand the arenas into which automated or robotic techniques can be applied. Speed, efficiency, cost, and safety frequently drive the adoption and / or application of these techniques. However, several factors retard the application of robotic technologies to vehicles, and especially to land vehicles. For instance, vehicles are designed to travel. This functionality raises a host of challenging i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a vehicle with a chassis and multiple wheel assemblies that are articulated with the chassis. Each wheel assembly includes a rotatable wheel that is spaced from the chassis. The vehicle can also have an articulated suspension system or means for rolling the chassis along a path. The technical effects of this invention include improved stability, better traction, and smoother operation of the vehicle.

Problems solved by technology

However, several factors retard the application of robotic technologies to vehicles, and especially to land vehicles.

This functionality raises a host of challenging issues such as obstacle avoidance, both in recognizing and overcoming the obstacles.

Even relatively mundane types of vehicles face these challenges, but many subclasses of vehicles face challenges over and above obstacle avoidance.

As mentioned above, land vehicles often encounter obstacles in their path.

For example, a car, traveling down a road, may encounter debris extending across the road.

However, if the debris is large, such as a tree trunk, the car may have difficulty traveling across the debris.

While this limitation may present few problems on paved roads, many vehicles are used in off-road environments, both here on Earth and on other planets, where the terrain may present many larger obstacles.

Thus, obstacles may be encountered that such vehicles still cannot traverse.

Land vehicles and, in particular, military land vehicles, also face other challenges, such as turning in tight quarters, quickly braking to a stop, evading identification by hostile forces, and avoiding rollover while traversing rugged and / or steep terrain.

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