IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0657962
(2010-01-29)
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등록번호 |
US-8567536
(2013-10-29)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Canfield, Stephen Lee
- Beard, James Walter
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
5 인용 특허 :
8 |
초록
▼
A tracked climbing vehicle containing a compliant suspension apparatus to prescribe the distribution of forces on the adhering members in the tracked climbing machine capable of negotiating irregular surfaces. The compliant suspension apparatus is configured to negotiate irregularities in a climbing
A tracked climbing vehicle containing a compliant suspension apparatus to prescribe the distribution of forces on the adhering members in the tracked climbing machine capable of negotiating irregular surfaces. The compliant suspension apparatus is configured to negotiate irregularities in a climbing-surface without its tracks losing full surface contact and adhesion. It does this by distributing the loads from the climbing machine chassis to the adhering traction members in a specific prescribed fashion to avoid exceeding the allowable force in any adhering traction member and thus significantly improve the performance of the climbing machine.
대표청구항
▼
1. A tracked vehicle comprising; a chassis,a drive mechanism,an endless track, and,a suspension apparatus;the drive mechanism, comprising; a drive-motor, drive transmission unit, and one or more drive wheels, gears, or sprockets, including an upper leading drive wheel, gear, or sprocket and a lower
1. A tracked vehicle comprising; a chassis,a drive mechanism,an endless track, and,a suspension apparatus;the drive mechanism, comprising; a drive-motor, drive transmission unit, and one or more drive wheels, gears, or sprockets, including an upper leading drive wheel, gear, or sprocket and a lower trailing drive wheel, gear, or sprocket;the endless track driven by the drive mechanism, and,comprising a chain, belt, or cable, said track comprising an exterior upon which are mounted a plurality of permanently magnetized adhering track-members,the said endless track so configured and contrived as to provide traction in propulsion for the tracked vehicle;said traction in propulsion achieved by cyclical motion of the endless track in a plane parallel to direction of motion of the vehicle,said endless track and adhering track-members while so cyclically moving,transitioning through a traction-portion of the track motion cycle, and a non-traction-portion of the track motion cycle,the said traction-portion defined as that area of the track wherein said adhering track-members are situated proximal to a surface being transited;the suspension apparatus supporting the chassis, and comprising tangential guide-linkages, bias-devices, and a compliant beam mechanism;the compliant beam mechanism slidably directly connected to the endless track, and the chassis linked to the compliant beam by the tangential guide-linkages and bias-devices,the compliant beam mechanism so contrived as to facilitate dynamic adaption of the compliant beam to contours of the surface being transited, by transiently deforming in such a way as to facilitate and preserve said adhering track-members contact with the said surface, for essentially all said track-members that are within the traction-portion of their cyclical motion;the said tangential guide-linkages joined to the chassis by pivot-points upon which the linkage may rotate in a plane normal to the surface being transited and parallel to the plane of cyclical motion of the endless track,the tangential guide-linkages joined to the compliant beam by pivot-points, upon which the linkage may rotate or slide;said bias-devices located at one or more points along the compliant beam,each said bias-device so contrived as to exert force upon the compliant beam at its particular point on the beam,pulling or pushing in such a way as to govern pressure of the track against the transited surface at that tension point,thereby promoting transient deformation of the compliant beam to conform with the topography of the surface being transited,in such a way as to tend to more equally distribute track pressure against the transited surface, along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion,and promote increased surface contact of all said adhering members along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle,maximizing the area over which the adhering members of the endless track contact the surface being transited;the said tracked vehicle also comprising a track tensioning device so contrived as to allow the amount of endless track within the traction-portion to increase or decrease as required to permit essentially all track members to contact contours of the surface being traversed and to conform to the contours of the compliant beam as the compliant beam transiently deforms to conform to the contours of the surface being traversed. 2. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein the amount of bias in each said bias-device is adjustable. 3. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein the tangential guide-linkages, bias-devices, and the compliant beam mechanism, comprise connecting members, said connecting members comprising pivotable connections between the vehicle chassis and the compliant beam mechanism. 4. A vehicle as in claim 1, wherein the chassis is adapted to facilitate carrying a payload. 5. A self-propelled climbing vehicle capable of traversing a surface of contours or irregularities, the vehicle comprised of; one or more track modules,a vehicle chassis, anda drive mechanism; the one or more track-modules, supporting the vehicle chassis, and having a posterior, an anterior, a left lateral portion, and a right lateral portion, each of the one or more track-modules comprising an endless track;the endless track having an external surface, and comprising a chain, belt, or cable, and a plurality of permanently magnetic adhering members distributed along the external surface;the drive mechanism capable of providing propulsive power to the endless track, causing the endless track to cyclically move, the area within which the said cyclical motion occurs, comprising a traction-portion and a non-traction-portion, through which the endless track transitions;the vehicle chassis capable of carrying a payload, and attached to each of the one or more track-modules in such a way as to allow the module a degree of rotary movement about two axes, the first axis extending from the anterior to the posterior of the track-module, and the second axis extending from the left lateral portion to the right lateral portion, normal to the first axis;each of the one or more track-modules also comprising a suspension apparatus, the suspension apparatus, comprising a compliant beam mechanism, a track-guide, and a plurality of contour-following bias-devices and contour-following bias-device connecting members, so contrived as to dynamically conform motion, flow, and form of the endless track to contours of the surface being traversed in such a way as to maintain contact between said surface and essentially all said track adhering members that are within the traction-portion of their cyclical motion;the compliant beam mechanism interacting with the endless track in such a way as to distribute load forces among the plurality of adhering track-members in immediate proximity to the surface being traversed, in concert with the contour-following bias-device connecting members providing judiciously prescribed distribution of forces normal to the surface being traversed, along the portion of the endless track proximal to the surface being traversed so as to preserve and maximize track adhering members contact with the surface being traversed, the contour-following bias-device and contour-following bias-device connecting members adjusted to such tension or compression as to enable the compliant beam member to flex and transiently deform, causing the external surface of the endless track to conform to contours of the surface being traversed, as it comes into contact with those contours; said bias-devices located at one or more points along the compliant beam, each said bias-device, so contrived as to exert force upon the compliant beam at its particular point on the beam, in such a way as to govern pressure of the track against the transited surface at that tension point, thereby promoting transient deformation of the compliant beam to conform with the topography of the surface being transited, in such a way as to tend to more equally distribute track pressure against the transited surface, along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, and promote increased surface contact of all said adhering members along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, maximizing the area over which the adhering members of the endless track contact the surface being transited, the compliant beam mechanism comprising a conjugate track-guide slidably directly connected to the portions of the endless track that is proximal to the surface being traversed, and connected to the vehicle chassis by suspension apparatus;the said track-guide providing alignment of an endless track axis within its limits of flexibility and also providing alignment and orientation of the endless track with respect to the surface being traversed. 6. A vehicle as in claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism also comprises a rotary drive-motor. 7. A vehicle as in claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism also comprises a drive transmission unit. 8. A vehicle as in claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism also comprises drive wheels, gears, or sprockets. 9. A vehicle as in claim 5, wherein the amount of bias in each said bias-device is adjustable. 10. A vehicle as in claim 5, also comprising a track tensioning device so contrived as to allow the amount of endless track within the traction-portion to increase or decrease as may be required to allow essentially all said adhering track-members to maintain contact with contours of said surface being transited and to conform to the contours of the compliant beam as the form of the compliant beam changes to conform to the contours of the surface being transited. 11. A vehicle as in claim 5, also wherein the compliant beam mechanism is connected to the vehicle chassis by fore and aft tangential guide-linkages, the guide-linkages comprising; a rigid link-plate for each said linkage,a rotatably attached point for each said fore tangential guide link-plate, and,a slidably attached point for each aft tangential guide link-plate, the said tangential guide-linkages facilitating the flexing and surface contour conforming function of the compliant beam mechanism. 12. A vehicle as in claim 5, wherein the contour-following bias-device connecting members, have pivotable connections between the vehicle chassis and the compliant beam mechanism. 13. A vehicle as in claim 5, also wherein said one or more track-modules are so contrived as to have freedom of rotary movement about said two axes, both axes in planes normal to the climbing surface. 14. A tracked climbing vehicle capable of traversing a surface of contours or irregularities, the vehicle comprised of; one or more track-modules,a vehicle chassis, and,one or more drive mechanisms; the drive mechanism comprising; a drive-motor, drive transmission unit, and one or more drive wheels, gears, or sprockets, including an upper leading drive wheel, gear, or sprocket and a lower trailing drive wheel, gear, or sprocket; the one or more track-modules, supporting the vehicle chassis, and having a posterior, an anterior, a left lateral portion, and a right lateral portion, each of the one or more track-modules comprising an endless track;the endless track having an external surface, and comprising a chain, belt, or cable, and a plurality of permanently magnetic adhering members distributed along the external surface;the drive mechanism providing propulsive power to, the endless track, causing the endless track to cyclically move;the area within which the cyclical motion occurs, comprising a traction-portion and a non-traction-portion, through which the endless track transitions while in said cyclical motion;the vehicle chassis capable of carrying a payload, and attached to a track-module in such a way as to allow the module a degree of rotary movement about two axes, the first axis extending from the anterior to the posterior of the track-module, and the second axis extending from the left lateral portion to the right lateral portion, normal to the first axis;the track-module also comprising a track tensioning device so contrived as to allow the amount of endless track comprising the traction-portion to increase or decrease as may be required to promote contact by essentially all said track-members with contours of the surface being transited while transiting said surface being transited and to conform to the contours of the compliant beam as its form changes in accordance with the contours of the surface being transited,the track-module also comprising a suspension apparatus; the suspension apparatus, comprising a compliant beam mechanism, a track-guide, and a plurality of contour-following bias-devices and contour-following bias-device connecting members,so contrived as to dynamically conform motion, flow, and form of the endless track to contours of the surface being traversed in such a way as to maintain contact between said surface and essentially all said track adhering members that are within the traction-portion of their cyclical motion; said bias-devices located at one or more points along the compliant beam, the amount of bias in each, being adjustable, each said bias-device so contrived as to exert force upon the compliant beam at its particular point on the beam, in such a way as to govern pressure of the track against the transited surface at that tension point, thereby promoting transient deformation of the compliant beam to conform with the topography of the surface being transited, in such a way as to tend to more equally distribute track pressure against the transited surface, along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, and promote increased surface contact of all said adhering members along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, maximizing the area over which the adhering members of the endless track contact the surface being transited; the compliant beam mechanism interacting with the endless track, in concert with the contour-following bias-device connecting members, providing judiciously prescribed distribution of forces normal to the surface being traversed, along the portion of the endless track proximal to the surface being traversed so as to preserve and maximize track adhering members contact with the surface being traversed, and in such a way as to distribute load forces among the plurality of adhering track-members in immediate proximity to the surface being traversed; the contour-following bias-device and contour-following bias-device connecting members adjusted to such tension or compression as to enable the compliant beam member to flex and transiently deform causing the external surface of the endless track to fit contours of the surface being traversed, pulling it back to transit surface bulges, and allowing it to extend to contact surface depressions; the compliant beam mechanism also comprising a track-guide, the compliant beam mechanism and track-guide conjugate and slidably directly connected to the portions of the endless track that is proximal to the surface being traversed, and connected to the vehicle chassis by suspension apparatus fore and aft tangential guide-linkages, the guide-linkages comprising;a rigid link-plate for each said linkage,a rotatably attached point for each said fore tangential guide link-plate,a slidably attached point for each aft tangential guide link-plate;the said track-guide providing alignment of an endless track axis within its limits of flexibility and also providing alignment and orientation of the endless track with respect to the surface being traversed. 15. A tracked climbing vehicle as in claim 14, wherein the contour-following bias-device connecting members are pivotably connected to the vehicle chassis and the compliant beam mechanism. 16. A vehicle suspension system comprised of one or more track-modules, anda vehicle chassis; the one or more track-modules, supporting the vehicle chassis, and having a posterior, an anterior, a left lateral portion, and a right lateral portion, each of the one or more track-modules comprising an endless track;the endless track having an external surface, and comprising a chain, belt, or cable, and a plurality of permanently magnetic adhering members distributed along the external surface; the track so contrived as to move cyclically,the area within which the cyclical motion occurs, comprising a traction-portion and a non-traction-portion, through which the endless track transitions while in said cyclical motion;the vehicle chassis capable of carrying a payload, and attached to a track-module in such a way as to allow the module a degree of rotary movement about two axes, the first axis extending from the anterior to the posterior of the track-module, and the second axis extending from the left lateral portion to the right lateral portion, normal to the first axis; the track-module also comprising a track tensioning device so contrived as to allow the amount of endless track within the traction-portion to increase or decrease as required to permit essentially all said track members to contact contours of a surface being traversed, and to conform to the contours of the compliant beam as the compliant beam transiently deforms to comply with the contours of the surface being traversed; the track-module also comprising a suspension apparatus, the suspension apparatus, comprising a compliant beam mechanism, a track-guide, and a plurality of contour-following bias-devices and contour-following bias-device connecting members, so contrived as to dynamically conform motion, flow, and form of the endless track to contours of the surface being traversed in such a way as to maintain contact between said surface and essentially all said track adhering members that are within the traction-portion of their cyclical motion;the contour-following bias-device connecting members, having pivotable connections between the vehicle chassis and the compliant beam mechanism; said contour-following bias-devices located at one or more points along the compliant beam, the amount of bias in each, being adjustable, each said contour-following bias-device so contrived as to exert force upon the compliant beam at its particular point on the beam, in such a way as to govern pressure of the track against the traversed surface at that tension point, thereby promoting transient deformation of the compliant beam to conform with the topography of the surface being traversed, in such a way as to tend to more equally distribute track pressure against the traversed surface, along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, and promote increased surface contact of all said adhering members along the rest of the track within the traction-portion of the track motion cycle, maximizing the area over which the adhering members of the endless track contact the surface being traversed; the compliant beam mechanism interacting with the endless track, in concert with the contour-following bias-device connecting members, providing judiciously prescribed distribution of forces normal to the surface being traversed, along the portion of the endless track proximal to the surface being traversed so as to preserve and maximize track adhering members contact with the surface being traversed, and in such a way as to distribute load forces among the plurality of adhering track-members in immediate proximity to the surface being traversed;the contour-following bias-device and connecting members adjusted to such tension or compression as to enable the compliant beam member to flex and transiently deform causing the external surface of the endless track to fit contours of a surface being traversed, pulling it back to transit surface bulges, and pushing it out in such a way as to maintain contact with surface depressions;the compliant beam mechanism also comprising a track-guide, the compliant beam mechanism and track-guide conjugate and slidably directly connected to the portions of the endless track that is proximal to the surface being traversed, and connected to the vehicle chassis by suspension apparatus fore and aft tangential guide-linkages, the guide-linkages comprising;a rigid link-plate for each said linkage,a rotatably attached point for each said fore tangential guide link-plate,a slidably attached point for each said aft tangential guide link-plate;the said track-guide providing alignment of an endless track axis within its limits of flexibility and also providing alignment and orientation of the endless track with respect to the surface being traversed.
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