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Omni-wheel based drive mechanism

a technology of drive mechanism and omni-wheel, which is applied in the direction of endless track vehicles, vehicle components, vehicles, etc., can solve the problems of inability to move smoothly when being used indoors, affecting the driving efficiency of the drive roller, and narrow paths available in the house for the robots. achieve good driving

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-09-30
CHUNG HUA UNIVERSITY
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an omni-wheel based drive mechanism that allows for good driving of a spherical wheel with multiple omni wheels. The omni wheels are positioned at a distance from each other in two directions, and each omni wheel includes a main wheel, guide rollers, and a drive axle. The guide rollers are pressed against the spherical wheel to ensure smooth rolling. The control circuit includes a processing unit, driving control unit, and driving units for the omni wheels. The omni wheels keep rotating in the same direction as the spherical wheel without becoming stuck, and the contact force between them is increased with the weight or load of the drive mechanism. The spherical wheel can be made of a rubber material similar to that for making automobile tyres and used on general road surfaces without being limited to roll only on a smooth floor. The technical effects of the invention include improved driving efficiency, enhanced balanced driving force, reduced possibility of undesired slipping, and reduced accumulated dust between the omni wheels and spherical wheel."

Problems solved by technology

Thus, while a robot with more wheels can be accepted for use outdoors, it fails to move smoothly when being used indoors, such as in a house, because the paths available in the house for the robot are usually narrow and complicated.
The high friction of the spherical wheel would, however, cause difficulty in slipping between the spherical wheel and the drive roller and the idler roller and accordingly, have adverse influence on the driving efficiency of the drive roller.
In conclusion, there are still many problems being encountered with in designing the drive mechanism for a robot.
A robot with three or more wheels can stably maintain balance, but it requires a relatively large space to turn around and is therefore not suitable for using indoors.
And, in the one-wheeled robot, the required friction between the spherical wheel and the drive rollers and idler rollers is different from the required friction between the spherical wheel and the floor, and it is impossible for the spherical wheel to have a high friction and a low friction at the same time.
As a result, the one-wheeled robot usually has relatively low driving efficiency.

Method used

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first embodiment

[0031]In the first embodiment, the first direction I1 and the second direction I2 are orthogonal to each other. The spherical wheel 1 is positioned among the first omni wheels 2, 3 and the second omni wheels 4, 5. Of course, the first and the second direction I1, I2 are not necessarily orthogonal to each other, but can contain other different angles between them, depending on actual design and intended use of the drive mechanism.

[0032]The control circuit 6 includes a processing unit 61, a driving control unit 62, a first driving unit 63, and a second driving unit 64. The driving control unit 62 is electrically connected to the processing unit 61; and both of the first and the second driving unit 63, 64 are electrically connected to the driving control unit 62. The first driving unit 63 is used to drive the first omni wheels 2, 3, to rotate and the second driving unit 64 is used to drive the second omni wheels 4, 5 to rotate. In the first embodiment, the first and the second driving ...

third embodiment

[0039]FIG. 7 is a side view showing an omni-wheel based drive mechanism 100a according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a fragmentary and enlarged side view of a link for a chain used in the omni-wheel based drive mechanism. The omni-wheel based drive mechanism 100a is generally structurally similar to the previous embodiments, and includes a plurality of omni wheels 8. Each of the omni wheels 8 includes a main wheel 81, a plurality of guide rollers 82a, 82b, and a drive axle 83.

[0040]The third embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in that the main wheel 81 of the omni wheel 8 includes a driving wheel 811, a guide rail 812, and a driving belt. The driving belt is wound around the driving wheel 811 and the guide rail 812. The guide rollers 82a, 82b are rotatably mounted on and spaced along the driving belt. When the driving wheel 811 brings the driving belt to move, the guide rollers 82a, 82b on the driving belt sequentially contact with the spherical face 11 of th...

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Abstract

An omni-wheel based driving mechanism includes a spherical wheel, a pair of first omni wheels, and a pair of second omni wheels. The first omni wheels are arranged at two sides of the spherical wheel to space from each other by a predetermined distance in a first direction, so that the spherical wheel is rollably positioned between the first omni wheels. The second omni wheels are arranged at another two sides of the spherical wheel to space from each other by a predetermined distance in a second direction, so that the spherical wheel is rollably positioned between the second omni wheels. Therefore, a good driving efficiency can be obtained between the spherical wheel and the-first omni wheels and the second omni wheels.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a drive mechanism, and more particularly to an omni-wheel based drive mechanism.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]With the constantly developed scientific technologies, the use of robots has become highly popular among different industrial and commercial fields. There are many different types of drive mechanisms designed for robots. One of the most common robots is a wheeled robot provided with one or more wheels. Usually, for the purpose of keeping static and dynamic balance, the conventional wheeled robots have three or more wheels each. In the case of having a large number of wheels, the robot usually requires a relatively large turning radius to move to another direction. Thus, while a robot with more wheels can be accepted for use outdoors, it fails to move smoothly when being used indoors, such as in a house, because the paths available in the house for the robot are usually narrow and complicated.[0003]To enable the ...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B62D57/00
CPCB60B19/14B60B19/003B62D57/00
Inventor WU, CHIA-WENHWANG, CHI-KUANG
Owner CHUNG HUA UNIVERSITY
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