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United States Patent | 4,977,971 |
Crane, III , et al. | December 18, 1990 |
A hybrid robotic vehicle is provided for use in environments which are hazardous to humans, the vehicle being adapted to carry a payload for use in viewing the area or acquiring other types of sensory data. The hybrid robotic vehicle has a main body and four appendages or legs, each of which has a wheel assembly and a track assembly, and is configured to operate having three degrees-of-freedom about one vertical and two horizontal axes, the three degrees-of-freedom permitting improved capability to cross obstacle-strewn terrain, as well as to traverse inclined surfaces while maintaining the main body and its payload in an upright and level attitude. The vehicle may operate in any of wheeled, tracked, or legged modes, with actuators controlling each of the three joint angles on each leg, and having separate motors for driving the wheels and the tracks, the control being effected by a human operator through a control panel computer interface, and a computer relaying commands through a cable tether connected to the vehicle.
Inventors: | Crane, III; Carl D. (Gainesville, FL), Haukoos; Dana S. (Fountain Valley, CA) |
Assignee: |
University of Florida
(Gainesville,
FL)
|
Appl. No.: | 07/353,027 |
Filed: | May 17, 1989 |
Current U.S. Class: | 180/8.3 ; 180/9.3; 180/9.32; 280/28.5; 280/5.22; 33/356; 901/1; 901/46 |
Current International Class: | B25J 5/00 (20060101); B62D 55/075 (20060101); B62D 55/00 (20060101); B62D 063/02 (); B62D 055/075 () |
Field of Search: | 180/8.1,8.2,8.3,8.4,8.5,8.6,9.28,9.3,9.32,9.33,9.34,9.35,9.36 280/840 901/1,46,50,27,28,29 33/356,327 |
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