Robotic vehicle

Patent · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:869187

Box, W Donald ^[1]

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1. 115 Newhaven Rd., Oak Ridge, TN 37830

A robotic vehicle (10) for travel through an enclosed or partially enclosed conduit or pipe including vertical and/or horizontal conduit or pipe. The robotic vehicle (10) comprises forward and rear housings (32 and 12) each provided with a surface engaging mechanism for selectively engaging the walls of the conduit through which the vehicle is travelling, whereby the housings (32 and 12) are selectively held in a stationary position within the conduit. The vehicle (10) also includes at least three selectively extendable members (46), each of which defines a cavity (56) therein. The forward end portion (50) of each extendable member (46) is secured to the forward housing (32) and the rear end portion (48) of each housing is secured to the rear housing (12). Each of the extendable members (46) is independently extendable from a retracted position to an extended position upon the injection of a gas under pressure into the cavity (56) of the extendable member such that the distance between the forward housing (32 ) and the rear housing (12) can be selectively increased. Further, each of the extendable members (46) is independently retractable from the extended position to the retracted position upon the application of a vacuum to the cavity (56) of the extendable member (46) such that the distance between the forward housing (32) and the rear housing (12) can be selectively decreased.

• Research Organization: LOCKHEED MARTIN ENRGY SYST INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• Assignee: Box, W. Donald (115 Newhaven Rd., Oak Ridge, TN 37830)
• Patent Number(s): US 5293823
• OSTI ID: 869187
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/104/
10
12
32
46
48
50
56
application
cavity
closed conduit
comprises
comprises forward
conduit
decreased
defines
distance
enclosed
enclosed conduit
engaging
engaging mechanism
extendable
extended
extended position
forward
gas
held
horizontal
horizontal conduit
housing
housings
including
including vertical
increased
independently
injection
mechanism
partially
partially enclosed
pipe
pipe including
portion
position
pressure
provided
rear
rear housing
rear housings
retractable
retracted
retracted position
robotic
robotic vehicle
secured
selectively
selectively engaging
selectively extendable
selectively held
stationary
stationary position
surface
surface engaging
therein
travel
travelling
vacuum
vehicle
vertical
walls
whereby