The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 2020
Filed:
Nov. 21, 2017
Cardinal Gibbons High School, Raleigh, NC (US);
Christopher Randall Bain, Knightdale, NC (US);
Miguel Douglas Chavez, Raleigh, NC (US);
Michael Reilly Comstock, Raleigh, NC (US);
Thomas Anthony Connor, Apex, NC (US);
Evan Patrick Elezaj, Apex, NC (US);
Nathan Michael Kearney, Raleigh, NC (US);
Oliver Dacey McCann, Cary, NC (US);
Alyssa Mary Nicholas, Raleigh, NC (US);
Austin Carlyle Inman Reiss, Raleigh, NC (US);
Jon Ryan Riley, Cary, NC (US);
Samuel John Hazinski, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Katharine Miranda Priu, Raleigh, NC (US);
Cardinal Gibbons High School, Raleigh, NC (US);
Abstract
A robotic vehicle is provided with a novel wheel design and a virtual differential transmission. The novel wheels are generally rounded with scallops along the outer periphery permitting secure engagement of irregular terrain structures, such as the rungs of an inclined ladder. The virtual differential transmission employs rotational sensors in independently driven wheels to maintain information on the relative rotational position of left- and right-side wheels. When necessary, the relative rotational position information is used to selectively drive the left- or right-side wheel until the scallops in a left-side wheel are horizontally aligned with the scallops in a right-side wheel. Thus, the virtual differential transmission can realign the scallops in left- and right-side wheels to facilitate their mutual engagement with a terrain structure, such as a ladder rung.