Moving body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11040746-B2
Application number	US-201916358180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2019
Priority date	Mar 22, 2018
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a moving body capable of transmitting driving force of a drive unit to a spherical wheel without a separation between the spherical wheel and the drive unit even in the case where the moving body receives impact due to the road surface condition or the like. The moving body ( 10 ) is a self-sustained mobile robot. The moving body ( 10 ) includes a spherical wheel ( 21 ), a drive unit ( 22 ) which is in contact with the spherical wheel ( 21 ) to give a rotational driving force to the spherical wheel ( 21 ), a support ( 31 ) which supports the drive unit ( 22 ), and a biasing mechanism ( 41 ) which is suspended from the support ( 31 ) and abuts on the spherical wheel ( 21 ) to bias the spherical wheel ( 21 ) in a direction toward the support ( 31 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A moving body comprising:
a spherical wheel;
a drive unit which is in contact with the spherical wheel and gives rotational driving force to the spherical wheel;
a support which supports the drive unit; and
a biasing mechanism which is suspended from the support and abuts on the spherical wheel to bias the spherical wheel in a direction toward the support,
wherein:
the biasing mechanism comprises an annular enclosing member which encloses a part or all of a circumference of the spherical wheel, a plurality of abutting portions which are arranged in the enclosing member in a rotationally symmetrical manner with respect to a central axis of the enclosing member and which abut on the spherical wheel, and a biasing member biasing the enclosing member toward the support;
the biasing mechanism is suspended by a connecting member which connects the enclosing member to the support;
the connecting member comprises a link member swingably connected to the support and a frame member swingably connected to the link member; and
the biasing mechanism is provided at the frame member and is suspended from the support through the frame member.

2. The moving body according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism is suspended from the frame member through a linear motion guide.

3. The moving body according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of abutting portions abut the spherical wheel to bias the spherical wheel toward the support.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Waita Hironori
• Kurebayashi Tetsuaki

Classifications

• B60B33/08

  Ball castors {(B60B33/0028 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60B19/14 Primary

  Ball-type wheels (B60B19/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/60

  Industrial applications, e.g. pipe inspection vehicles · CPC title

• B60K17/30

  the ultimate propulsive elements, e.g. ground wheels, being steerable · CPC title

• B62D63/04

  Component parts or accessories · CPC title