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:
Jul. 14, 2009
Filed:
Mar. 07, 2005
Ian T. Burt, Edina, MN (US);
Nikolaos P. Papanikolopoulos, Minneapolis, MN (US);
Ian T. Burt, Edina, MN (US);
Nikolaos P. Papanikolopoulos, Minneapolis, MN (US);
Regents of the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A miniature, rugged robotic vehicle suitable for a variety of tasks including covert surveillance and reconnaissance. The vehicle may include a unitary single-piece chassis that provides structural rigidity to the vehicle and protection of onboard equipment. The vehicle may be configured to be thrown or dropped into an intended target site from a remote location. In one embodiment, the vehicle may include a wheel assembly having a tire with shock absorption capabilities in both radial and axial directions to cushion the vehicle from impact loads experienced during delivery. In some embodiments, the wheel assemblies may couple to a drive motor assembly of the vehicle via a clutch assembly that permits slippage between components to reduce potential damage to drive train components.