Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Alain Riwan

Florian Gosselin

Dominique Ponsort

Alexandre Verney

Sylvie Lamy-Perbal

Raymond Fournier

Clement Petres

Julie Bonnemason

Patrick Durand

Francois Viette

Adrien Chambellan

Jonathan Van Rhijn

Clément Petres

Spherical wheel that can be driven by a motor comprising a first body () and a second body () which are substantially hemispherical and are mounted coaxially to one another so as to pivot about a support axle (), the bodies being separated by an interstice () into which there extends a shaft (), said shaft having an end that is rigidly connected to the support axle and an opposite end that is connected to a drive motor, characterized in that at least one element () extending at least one portion of the outer surface of the bodies extends into the interstice. Vehicle comprising a chassis that is supported by such wheels.

Omnidirectional wheel that can be driven by a motor and vehicle provided therewith

An inertial navigation device for fitting to an article that bears intermittently against a surface. The device comprises an inertial unit having at least one inertial sensor, and a mechanical connector structure for connecting the inertial unit to the article. In the device, the connector structure is arranged (1) to provide mechanical coupling between the inertial unit and the article when the article is not bearing against the surface and (2) to provide mechanical decoupling therebetween when the article is bearing against the surface, in such a manner that the inertial unit is substantially stationary relative to the surface when the article is bearing against the surface. A shoe and equipment is provided with such a device.

Inertial tracking device, shoe and personal apparatus provided with such a device

A bistable magnetic holding device, which includes: a nonmagnetic support casing in the form of a channel with a rectangular cross-section; a magnetic core including a base and three legs set perpendicularly to the base, the two outer legs and the base forming a 'U'; a permanent magnet in the form of a bar inserted between the base and the middle leg; a coil surrounding the middle leg; a flat movable part; and a return motion and guidance means built into the inside walls of the support so as to allow return motion, toward the upper part of the support casing, of the magnetic core.

Bistable magnetic holding device

A link with a transmission cable () between a driving pulley () and a driven pulley () causing a mobile unit () to rotate, has two strands () connecting the driven pulley () with idle pulleys () which are substantially aligned with an axis (Y) of rotation of an part () intermediate to the unit () and to the base () on which the motor () is secured. Thus, the motor () is positioned on optionally fixed parts and rotation of the support () has only very little effect on the tension of the cable (), so that it may always work properly. The invention is especially applied to articulated robot arms.

Articulated mechanism comprising a cable reduction gear for use in a robot arm

The robot arm is composed of two parallel branches () formed from a reduced number of segments () and connected to each other by a wrist () through a wrist holder (), the directions of which are kept approximately constant by transmissions (to). The working space of this control arm is large and it is free of any kinetic singularities except at the end positions, and good decoupling of translation and rotation movements is achieved.

Parallel control arm with two branches

An element () comprises sealed cavities () arranged according to a regular pattern. Each cavity () contains a product such as a wax which changes in volume, in reversible fashion, when a given temperature threshold is crossed, together with an individual heating organ (). The cavities () are separated from the front face () of the element by a mobile or deformable organ (). A separate piloting for each of the heating organs () makes it possible to make the relief of the front face () of the element evolve in controlled fashion. Such an element can be used to re-transcribe, in relief, tactile (visually handicapped) or visual information.

Element with expansible relief

A device to guide an object (A) around two axes (R.sub.1 and R.sub.2). A motor (M.sub.1) controls rotation around an axis (R.sub.1) by three gears (51, 70, 71); a further motor (M.sub.2) controls the rotation of a fork joint (C) around another axis (R.sub.2) by two other gears (26, 27). It simultaneously lets run the entire first motor (M.sub.1). The gears are calculated so that the main shaft (72) of the object (A) moves around (R.sub.2), but does not then revolve around (R.sub.1).

Growing community of inventors

Chevilly-Larue, France

Alain Riwan