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:
Jan. 10, 2023
Filed:
Nov. 20, 2019
Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran, SA;
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, SA;
Fadl Abdellatif, Thuwal, SA;
Abdoulelah Al-Hannabi, Thuwal, SA;
Sahejad Patel, Thuwal, SA;
Mohamed Abdelkader, Thuwal, SA;
Jeff S. Shamma, Thuwal, SA;
SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran, SA;
King Abdullah University Of Science And Technology, Thuwal, SA;
Abstract
A robotic vehicle for traversing surfaces comprises a chassis having a plurality of wheels mounted thereto. Two magnetic drive wheels are spaced apart in a lateral direction and rotate about a rotational axis while a stabilizing wheel is provided in front of or behind the two drive wheels. The drive wheels are configured to be driven independently, thereby driving and steering the vehicle along the surface. The vehicle also includes a sensor probe assembly that is supported by the chassis and configured to take measurements of the surface being traversed. In accordance with a salient aspect, the vehicle includes a probe normalization mechanism that is configured to determine the surface curvature and adjust the orientation of the probe transducer as a function of the curvature of the surface, thereby maintaining the probe at the preferred inspection angle irrespective of changes in the surface curvature with vehicle movement.