Autonomous tilting delivery vehicle

Abstract

An autonomous tilting three-wheeled vehicle comprises a pair of front wheels coupled to a tiltable chassis by a mechanical linkage, such that the pair of wheels and the chassis are configured to tilt in unison with respect to a roll axis of the chassis. An electronic controller of the autonomous vehicle controls a tilt actuator to selectively tilt the chassis. Optionally, a steering actuator is coupled to the front wheels and controlled by the electronic controller to selectively steer the wheels. A sensor configured to measure orientation-dependent information may be coupled to the chassis by a gimbal configured to compensate for vehicle tilt. In some examples, the autonomous vehicle comprises an autonomous delivery robot.

1 . An autonomous vehicle comprising:
 a pair of front wheels coupled to a tiltable chassis by a mechanical linkage, wherein the pair of wheels and the chassis are configured to tilt in unison with respect to a roll axis of the chassis;   a single rear wheel coupled to the chassis;   a motor coupled to the rear wheel and configured to drive the rear wheel to propel the vehicle;   a first sensor configured to detect directional information regarding a net force vector applied to the chassis, wherein the net force vector is determined by gravity in combination with any applicable centrifugal force applied to the chassis;   a tilt actuator operatively coupled to the chassis and configured to selectively tilt the chassis;   a second sensor configured to measure orientation-dependent information corresponding to a surrounding environment, wherein the second sensor is coupled to the chassis by a gimbal configured to compensate for the tilting of the chassis with respect to the roll axis; and   a controller including processing logic configured to selectively control the tilt actuator based on the directional information from the first sensor to automatically maintain the net force vector in alignment with a median plane of the chassis;   wherein the processing logic of the controller is further configured to control the motor based on a desired speed of the vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a steering actuator operatively coupled to the front wheels by a steering linkage, and configured to selectively steer the front wheels.   
     
     
         3 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the processing logic of the controller is further configured to selectively control the steering actuator based on an actual speed of the vehicle and a desired direction of travel. 
     
     
         4 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the steering linkage comprises an Ackermann linkage including at least one tie rod coupling the steering actuator to a steering knuckle of the front wheels. 
     
     
         5 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises a LIDAR sensor. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises an optical camera. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the second sensor comprises a radar system. 
     
     
         8 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising a cargo compartment coupled to the chassis. 
     
     
         9 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the cargo compartment comprises an upward-opening gullwing door. 
     
     
         10 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to selectively tilt the vehicle when stopped, such that contents of the cargo compartment are automatically disgorged from the cargo compartment due to gravity. 
     
     
         11 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the mechanical linkage comprises a four-bar linkage coupled to the tilt actuator. 
     
     
         12 . An autonomous vehicle comprising:
 a pair of front wheels coupled to a tiltable chassis by a mechanical linkage, such that the pair of wheels and the chassis are configured to tilt in unison with respect to a roll axis of the chassis;   a single rear wheel coupled to the chassis, the rear wheel comprising a hub motor configured to drive the rear wheel to propel the vehicle;   an orientation sensor configured to detect directional information regarding a net force vector applied to the chassis;   a tilt actuator operatively coupled to the chassis and configured to selectively tilt the chassis;   an environmental sensor configured to measure orientation-dependent information corresponding to a surrounding environment, wherein the environmental sensor is coupled to the vehicle by a gimbal configured to compensate for the tilting of the chassis with respect to the roll axis; and   a controller including processing logic configured to selectively control the tilt actuator based on the directional information from the orientation sensor to automatically maintain the net force vector in alignment with a median plane of the chassis.   
     
     
         13 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a steering actuator operatively coupled to the front wheels by a steering linkage, and configured to selectively steer the front wheels.   
     
     
         14 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the processing logic of the controller is further configured to selectively control the steering actuator based on an actual speed of the vehicle and a desired direction of travel. 
     
     
         15 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the steering linkage comprises an Ackermann linkage including at least one tie rod coupling the steering actuator to a steering knuckle of the front wheels. 
     
     
         16 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the environmental sensor comprises a LIDAR sensor. 
     
     
         17 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the environmental sensor comprises an optical camera. 
     
     
         18 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 12 , further comprising a cargo compartment coupled to the chassis. 
     
     
         19 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to selectively tilt the vehicle when stopped, such that contents of the cargo compartment are automatically disgorged from the cargo compartment due to gravity. 
     
     
         20 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the mechanical linkage comprises a four-bar linkage coupled to the tilt actuator.