Hydro-gear Limited Partnership

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Anthony Joseph Lapp

Alyn G Brown

Justin Ridley

Chunhao J Lee

Christopher E Borroni-Bird

Robert Louis Vitale

Robert O Ambrose

Raymond Guo

Lucien Q Junkin

William J Bluethmann

Shaun Azimi

Jodi Graf

Ross Pettinger

Darby Magruder

Jonathan J Lutz

A lawn mower having a control system, and a pair of driven wheels and a pair of electric motors for zero turn capabilities, is disclosed. The lawn mower has a steering wheel having a neutral wheel position. The control system includes one or more first sensors configured to collect orientation data of the lawn mower, a position sensor configured to detect a position of the steering wheel, memory for storing a target heading of the lawn mower, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine the target heading based on the position of the steering wheel, determine a current heading of the lawn mower based on the orientation data collected by the one or more first sensors, and transmit a course correction signal for at least one of the pair of electric motors based on a comparison between the current heading and the target heading.

Stability control system

A drive and control system is provided for use on a zero turn vehicle, and includes first and second hydraulic ground drives independently driving a set of driven wheels. Each ground drive has an electric actuator to control the output thereof. An operator mechanism generates a drive signal corresponding to a neutral drive position or to one of a plurality of non-neutral drive positions of the operator mechanism, and a steering signal corresponding to a neutral steering position or to one of a plurality of non-neutral steering positions of the operator mechanism. Sensors generate signals corresponding to sensed roll, pitch and yaw parameters. A stability control module includes a processor for receiving the drive and steering signals and for providing output signals to the electric actuators.

A drive and control system is provided for use on a zero turn vehicle, and includes first and second hydraulic ground drives independently driving a pair of driven wheels. Each ground drive has an electric actuator to control the output thereof. An operator mechanism generates a drive signal corresponding to a neutral drive position or to one of a plurality of non-neutral drive positions of the operator mechanism, and a steering signal corresponding to a neutral steering position or to one of a plurality of non-neutral steering positions of the operator mechanism. Sensors generate signals corresponding to sensed roll, pitch and yaw parameters. A stability control module includes a processor for receiving the drive and steering signals and for providing output signals to the electric actuators.

A system and method is provided for traversing inside one or more pipes. In an embodiment, a fluid is injected into the one or more pipes thereby promoting a fluid flow. An inspection device is deployed into the one or more pipes at least partially filled with a flowing fluid. The inspection device comprises a housing wherein the housing is designed to exploit the hydrokinetic effects associated with a fluid flow in one or more pipes as well as maneuver past a variety of pipe configurations. The inspection device may contain one or more sensors capable of performing a variety of inspection tasks.

System and method for traversing pipes

A modular robotic vehicle includes a chassis, driver input devices, an energy storage system (ESS), a power electronics module (PEM), modular electronic assemblies (eModules) connected to the ESS via the PEM, one or more master controllers, and various embedded controllers. Each eModule includes a drive wheel containing a propulsion-braking module, and a housing containing propulsion and braking control assemblies with respective embedded propulsion and brake controllers, and a mounting bracket covering a steering control assembly with embedded steering controllers. The master controller, which is in communication with each eModule and with the driver input devices, communicates with and independently controls each eModule, by-wire, via the embedded controllers to establish a desired operating mode. Modes may include a two-wheel, four-wheel, diamond, and omni-directional steering modes as well as a park mode. A bumper may enable docking with another vehicle, with shared control over the eModules of the vehicles.

Modular robotic vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Anthony Joseph Lapp