Patent ID: 11913188
Assignee: R.H. BORDEN AND COMPANY, LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC E  B  G | IPC B  E  G

Claim 9:
10. A self-driving vehicle that is configured to find and remove manhole covers, the self-driving vehicle comprising:
a manhole navigation mechanism configured to find a manhole on the road, and to position the self-driving vehicle at a position with respect to the manhole;
a manhole cover handling mechanism attached to the self-driving vehicle, the manhole cover handling mechanism comprising:
a manhole cover attachment mechanism configured to attach to a manhole cover; and
a movement mechanism configured to respond to commands to move the manhole cover attachment mechanism with respect to the self-driving vehicle, the movement mechanism comprising a gear system that allows movement horizontally, and a linear extender that extends and retracts vertically, the manhole cover attachment mechanism attached to one end of the linear extender; and
a command module configured to issue commands to the movement mechanism to cause the movement mechanism to force the manhole cover attachment mechanism to attach to a manhole cover that the manhole navigation mechanism has caused the self-driving vehicle to drive close to, to lift the manhole cover from off the cover, to move the manhole cover laterally out from directly above the manhole, and to put back the manhole cover on the manhole.