Robotic Vehicle with Pivotable Tracks and Flippers for Obstacle Climbing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic systems for hazardous and first response tasks lack adaptability and capability, particularly in size and weight, due to power and battery life constraints, limiting their effectiveness in navigating diverse terrains and obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A robotic vehicle design featuring a chassis with pivotable tracks and flippers, a modular payload deck with independently controllable pivot drivers, and a manipulator arm, allowing for adjustable center of gravity and enhanced mobility to navigate obstacles and carry various payloads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot size and weight are increased to carry useful payloads and improve capability, then the payload capacity and task capability are improved, but the power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is divided into modular components including a base vehicle, payload deck assembly, and manipulator arm that can be independently configured. This segmentation allows the system to carry only the necessary payload and equipment for each specific mission, reducing unnecessary weight and power consumption while maintaining task capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs a dynamically adjustable center of gravity system through the movable payload deck assembly that can shift position fore-aft and change pitch orientation. This dynamic adjustment optimizes the robot's balance and stability for different terrain conditions and payload configurations, improving energy efficiency during locomotion without sacrificing capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the robot size is increased to carry useful payloads, then the payload capacity is improved, but the deployment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system is segmented into a deployable base vehicle and a separate payload deck assembly that can be attached or detached. This allows the lightweight base to be easily deployed by infantry personnel, while heavier payloads can be added or removed based on mission requirements without increasing the deployment difficulty of the base system.
Solution Approach 2:
The payload deck assembly and manipulator arm are designed to nest within or attach to the base vehicle structure. When not in use, components can be stowed within the chassis, reducing the overall deployed size and simplifying deployment procedures while maintaining full payload capacity when needed.
3Reliability
If the robot components are sealed to prevent damage during submerged operation, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot employs universal sealed connectors and mating interfaces that provide both electrical connectivity and environmental sealing in a single integrated component. This multi-functional approach protects against water and dust ingress while maintaining power and data transmission, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A robotic vehicle (10,100,150A,150B150C,160,1000,1000A,1000B,1000C) includes a chassis (20,106,152,162) having front and rear ends (20A,152A,20B,152B) and supported on right and left driven tracks (34,44,108,165). Right and left elongated flippers (50,60,102,154,164) are disposed on corresponding sides of the chassis and operable to pivot. A linkage (70,156,166) connects a payload deck assembly (D1,D2,D3,80,158,168,806), configured to support a removable functional payload, to the chassis. The linkage has a first end (70A) rotatably connected to the chassis at a first pivot (71), and a second end (70B) rotatably connected to the deck at a second pivot (73). Both of the first and second pivots include independently controllable pivot drivers (72,74) operable to rotatably position their corresponding pivots (71,73) to control both fore-aft position and pitch orientation of the payload deck (D1,D2,D3,80,158,168,806) with respect to the chassis (20,106,152,162).