Tracked Crawler With Articulated Arm For Obstacle Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned ground vehicles face challenges in traversing diverse terrains due to limitations in mobility, maneuverability, and size, which affects their ability to navigate obstacles and maintain discretion in surveillance applications.
Innovation Solution
A tracked robotic crawler with a moveable arm is designed, featuring a continuous track and articulated arms that can be rotated for propulsion, stability, and traction, allowing it to adapt to various environments and obstacles by changing its configuration to fit through narrow passages, climb structures, and maintain a small profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the vehicle size is increased to handle obstacles better, then the ability to surmount obstacles such as steps, drops, and gaps is improved, but the vehicle cannot easily negotiate narrow passages, crawl inside pipes, and is more easily spotted by vegetation
Solution Approach 1:
The tracked vehicle employs movable arms that can be positioned in different configurations to dynamically adapt the vehicle's effective size and capability. The arms can be retracted to minimize profile for narrow passages or extended to provide additional leverage for obstacle surmounting, allowing the vehicle to optimize its dimensions based on real-time operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle is divided into modular components including the main body and detachable/positionable arms. This segmentation allows the arms to be independently positioned or reconfigured, enabling the vehicle to adjust its overall size profile while maintaining obstacle surmounting capability through coordinated arm positioning.
2Stability of the object's composition
If tracked vehicles are configured in a tank-like configuration to provide stability, then stability in some environments is improved, but maneuverability with very small vehicles is limited and ability to accommodate narrow and tortuous paths is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle transitions from a static tank-like configuration to a dynamic system where arms can be repositioned during operation. This allows the vehicle to maintain stability when needed while achieving maneuverability in narrow passages by retracting or reconfiguring the arms, effectively adapting its operational characteristics to the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracked vehicle with movable arms serves multiple functions: it can operate in stable tank-like mode for open terrain, switch to compact configuration for narrow passages, and use arms for additional maneuvering assistance. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between stability and maneuverability by providing both capabilities in different operational contexts.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracked robotic crawler capable of multiple movement moves is disclosed. In one embodiment, the tracked robotic crawler includes at least one frame unit, the frame unit having a continuous track rotatably coupled thereto. Disposed on the at least one frame unit is at least one articulated arm, the arm being movable relative to the frame unit in at least one dimension. The articulated arm helps to improve mobility of the tracked robotic crawler in various environments.