US 12,466,647 B2
Climbing robot with compliant pinion drive
William J. Fosnight, Windham, NH (US); John G. Lert, Jr., Wakefield, MA (US); Michael Duquette, Candia, NH (US); Martin R. Elliott, Bedford, NH (US); Julian D. Warhurst, Portsmouth, RI (US); Charles W. Su, Stratham, NH (US); and Alan J. Grant, Nashua, NH (US)
Assigned to Symbotic LLC, Wilmington, MA (US)
Filed by Symbotic LLC, Wilmington, MA (US)
Filed on Dec. 1, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/526,895.
Application 18/526,895 is a continuation of application No. 16/567,881, filed on Sep. 11, 2019, granted, now 11,866,256.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/731,300, filed on Sep. 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0092576 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B25J 5/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 1/0492 (2013.01) [B25J 5/005 (2013.01); B25J 9/0009 (2013.01); B65G 1/1373 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A mobile robot configured to travel in a vertical or inclined passage within an automated retrieval and storage system, the passage comprising a rack having gear teeth, the mobile robot comprising:
a pinion gear having gear teeth and configured to rotate on a shaft about an axis of rotation, the shaft configured to extend axially along the axis of rotation to position the pinion gear in meshing engagement with the rack when the mobile robot is to travel in the passage,
wherein both the gear teeth of the rack and the gear teeth of the pinion gear comprise complementary chamfered lead in portions configured to facilitate a meshing engagement of the gear teeth of the pinion gear with the gear teeth of the rack without the gear teeth of the pinion gear jamming against the gear teeth of the rack upon axial extension of the shaft.