Importance

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Abstract

A reconfigurable mechanism for varying the footprint of a wheeled omnidirectional vehicle. The variable footprint mechanism consists of a pair of beams intersecting at a pivotal point in the middle. Two pairs of ball wheels at the diagonal positions of the vehicle chassis are mounted, respectively, on the two beams intersecting in the middle. The angle between the two beams varies actively so that the ratio of the wheel base to the tread may change. Independent servomotors driving the ball wheels allow the vehicle to move in an arbitrary direction from an arbitrary configuration as well as to change the angle between the two beams and thereby change the footprint. By controlling the beam angle, static stability may be augmented, the width of the vehicle may be reduced, and the effective transmission ratio relating the vehicle speed to individual actuator speeds may be varied in a continuous manner.

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First Claim