Patent ID: 7246671
Filing Date: 2007-07-24
Classification: A61G,B62B,B62D

Abstract:
1. A vehicle for transporting humans, robots and a payload, moving on a surface, over obstacles and for ascending and descending stairs, the vehicle comprising: a. eight ground contacting modules capable of moving over an underlying surface in desired directions, each independently mounted at the base of a lower vertical rod that extends and retracts; b. eight lower vertical rods that extend and retract from and are slidably coupled to their respective vertical rods, wherein the bidirectionally moving lower vertical rods, when powered can raise the frame off the surface when extended, or lower the frame when retracted, or can raise or lower individual ground contacting modules; c. eight vertical rods capable of supporting the frame, a rider and payload, arranged in two lines arrayed fore to aft, wherein two of the vertical rods are mounted to the fore of the vehicle on the horizontal extending and retracting rods to the fore of the vehicle, four of the vertical rods are mounted on the frame and two of the vertical rods are mounted to the aft of the vehicle on the horizontal extending and retracting rods to the aft of the vehicle; d. four horizontal rods positioned fore to aft such that one side of each horizontal rod is to the fore and the other side is to the aft of the vehicle, wherein the four horizontal rods are coupled to the four vertical rods; e. four extending and retracting horizontal rods to the fore of the vehicle, wherein the extending and retracting horizontal rods are bidirectional and slidably coupled to the four horizontal rods and wherein the four extending and retracting horizontal rods are also coupled to respective vertical rods; f. four extending and retracting horizontal rods to the aft of the vehicle, wherein the extending and retracting horizontal rods are bidirectional and slidably coupled to the four horizontal rods and wherein the four extending and retracting rods at the aft are also coupled to two vertical rods; g. four transverse horizontal rods running from side to side fixed to horizontal rods; h. a frame that includes at least four horizontal rods mounted in the fore to aft plane and four horizontal rods mounted in a transverse manner along the lateral side to side plane, wherein the upper horizontal rod disposed on the opposite sides of the vehicle are connected by transverse horizontal rods and the lower horizontal rods disposed on the opposite sides of the vehicle are connected by transverse rods and the frame is supported by vertical rods mounted independently to both the upper horizontal rods and the lower horizontal rods; and i. at least one motor and motorized drive arrangement to power the movement of the ground contacting modules to move the vehicle over a desired surface in a desired direction and also to power horizontal and vertical extending and retracting rods for raising and lowering the frame of the vehicle and to power the raising and lowering of ground contacting modules, to power the horizontal extending and retracting rods, to lengthen or shorten the length of the vehicle fore to aft and for moving the vehicle over an obstacle and for ascending and descending stairs and for keeping the frame level, wherein at least one motor is coupled to at least the frame.