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:
Aug. 24, 2021
Filed:
Sep. 26, 2019
Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran, SA;
Pablo Carrasco Zanini, Thuwal, SA;
Fadl Abdellatif, Thuwal, SA;
Brian Parrott, Thuwal, SA;
Ali Outa, Thuwal, SA;
Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran, SA;
Abstract
A robotic vehicle for traversing surfaces is provided. The vehicle is comprised of a front chassis section including a magnetic drive wheel for driving and steering the vehicle and a front support point configured to contact the surface. The vehicle also includes a rear chassis section supporting a follower wheel. The front and rear chassis sections are connected by joints including a hinge joint and a four-bar linkage. The hinge is configured to allow the trailing assembly to move side-to-side while the four-bar linkage allows the trailing assembly to move up and down relative to the front chassis. Collectively, the rear facing mechanism is configured to maintain the follower wheel in contact with and normal to the surface and also maintains the front support in contact with the surface and provides stability and maneuverability to the vehicle while traversing surfaces regardless of surface curvature and vehicle orientation.