Combustion powered linear actuator
| DWPI Title: Combustion powered linear actuator for wheeled hopping robot has body with a combustion chamber provided with piston, glow plug ignition, fuel delivery system coupled to fuel and oxidizer tanks and taper for venting exhaust gas |
| Abstract: The present invention provides robotic vehicles having wheeled and hopping mobilities that are capable of traversing (e.g. by hopping over) obstacles that are large in size relative to the robot and, are capable of operation in unpredictable terrain over long range. The present invention further provides combustion powered linear actuators, which can include latching mechanisms to facilitate pressurized fueling of the actuators, as can be used to provide wheeled vehicles with a hopping mobility. |
| Use: For a meso-scale robotic wheeled vehicle with hopping mobility or a wheeled hopping robot. |
| Advantage: The actuator allows the robotic vehicle to traverse large obstacles many times its size by hopping over them. It uses widely available fuel and is easy to operate and maintain. The self-righting wheeled hopping robot is invertible and it to be driven "upside down", making the mobility of the robot, wheeled and hopping, unaffected by the orientation of a landing. The wheeled hopping robot is prevented from coming to rest on its side, and rotates to a proper horizontal orientation. The compact actuator provides sufficient external stroke to push through softer top layers of ground such as grass thatch or loose sand. Pushing through the softer layers of ground to a more densely compacted underlying soil allows for a wheeled hopping robot to propel itself a reasonable distance, even on soft soil. |
| Novelty: A body (302) has a first chamber and combustion chamber (306) with a piston (304). Combustion chamber is provided with a glow plug (324) ignition, fuel delivery system coupled to fuel and oxidizer tanks and a tapered flare (310) on the wall of the first chamber for venting exhaust gas. Piston has a foot (308) that contacts a surface external of the actuator (300). Fuel and an oxidizer tanks respectively store propane or butane and nitrous oxide. A latch with magnets is provided to restrain the piston in the retracted position. A spring (314) moves the piston towards the retracted position. |
| Filed: 8/31/2006 |
| Application Number: US2006513728A |
| Tech ID: SD 7739.2 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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