Frictional propulsion device and omni-directional vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9731547-B2
Application number	US-201615098880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

In a frictional propulsion device comprising a main wheel including driven rollers rotatably supported by an annular core member about a tangential direction and a pair of drive disks each carrying a plurality of drive rollers rotatable about a rotational center line at an angle with respect to both a tangential line of the drive disk and the rotational center line of the drive disk such that the drive rollers at least partly engage the driven rollers, a diameter of a drive side contact circle is smaller than a diameter of a driven side contact circle, and the drive disks are vertically offset relative to the main wheel so that only those drive rollers adjoining the main wheel are in contact with the driven rollers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A frictional propulsion device, comprising:
a frame;
a main wheel including an annular core member having a laterally extending central axial center line and a plurality of driven rollers each rotatably supported on the annular core member about a tangential line of the annular core member;
a support shaft supported by the frame and extending laterally across a hollow interior of the main wheel;
a pair of drive disks rotatably supported by the support shaft on either side of the main wheel, the drive disks being individually rotatable around a central axial line common to the support shaft; and
a plurality of drive rollers arranged along a peripheral part of each drive disk and each rotatably supported by the drive disk about a rotational center line at an angle with respect to both a tangential line of the drive disk and the rotational center line of the drive disk, at least part of the drive rollers engaging the driven rollers of the main wheel;
wherein a diameter of a drive side contact circle defined by points on the drive disk at which the drive rollers contact the driven rollers is smaller than a diameter of a driven side contact circle defined by the points on the main wheel at which the driven rollers contact the drive rollers, and the drive disks are vertically offset relative to the main wheel so that only those drive rollers adjoining the main wheel are in contact with the driven rollers.

2. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 1 , wherein the central axial line of the support shaft and a central axial line of the main wheel are parallel to each other, and imaginary planes containing the drive side contact circle and the driven side contact circle are parallel to each other.

3. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide member supported by the frame for engaging the driven rollers that are not in contact with the drive rollers against yaw and/or roll movement of the main wheel relative to the frame.

4. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes a plurality of guide members that engage the driven rollers located in a plurality of circumferentially separated parts of the main wheel.

5. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes a plurality of free rollers each configured to make a rolling contact with the driven rollers on the main wheel.

6. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes an hourglass shaped roller having a central axial line in parallel with a central axial line of the main wheel and engaging an inner peripheral part of the main wheel.

7. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes at least a pair of rollers each having a central axial line in parallel with a central axial line of the main wheel and engaging an inner peripheral part of the main wheel.

8. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes an arm rotatably supported by the support shaft or the frame around the central axial line of the support shaft and at least one free roller supported by the arm and making a rolling contact with the driven rollers on the main wheel.

9. The frictional propulsion device according to claim 8 , wherein the arm extends away from the central axial line of the support shaft in two opposite directions, and the at least one free roller is provided on each terminal end of the arm.

10. An omni-directional vehicle, comprising:
the frictional propulsion device according to claim 1 ; and
a drive unit supported by the frame and configured to rotationally drive the two drive disks individually.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshino Tsutomu
• Yada Wataru
• Inada Jun

Classifications

• B60B19/003 Primary

  Multidirectional wheels · CPC title

• B60B27/0005

  with ball bearings · CPC title

• B62K1/00 Primary

  Unicycles · CPC title

• B60B19/12

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

• B62D21/02

  comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members · CPC title