Wheel Assembly

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a wheel assembly is provided which is provided on the lower part of a moving body. The wheel assembly includes a main frame which connects a drive wheel and a steering wheel so that the drive wheel and the steering wheel are integrally formed; a support member which is disposed below the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is connected and is configured to surround at least a portion of the steering wheel above the steering wheel; and an elastic member which is disposed between the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is connected and the support member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] <Cross - reference to related applications> This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 448,864, filed on February 28, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a wheel assembly.

Background Art

[0003] With the development of robotics, there has been an increasing interest in and demand for not only industrial robots but also service robots. Service robots are applied in various fields of daily life, and among such service robots, there is also a known autonomous mobile serving robot that delivers food and drinks ordered by customers to the table in a restaurant or the like. Since service robots have the advantage of maximizing the operational efficiency of a restaurant and improving the quality of customer service, there has been a recent rapid increase in interest in them.

[0004] Generally, a wheel assembly for the movement of a robot can be provided at the lower part of a service robot. Such a wheel assembly can partially adopt a rocker - bogie structure, and the rocker - bogie structure can be configured to include drive wheels and steering wheels (or casters). However, a conventional wheel assembly adopting the rocker - bogie structure has had a problem that it is very vulnerable to foreign objects such as insects penetrating into the interior of the service robot through the steering wheels because it is difficult to maintain the airtightness between the steering wheels and the service robot body.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve all the problems of the above - described prior art.

[0006] Another objective of the present invention is to prevent foreign objects such as insects from penetrating the inside of the serving robot through the steering wheel by ensuring airtightness between the steering wheel and the serving robot body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above objective is as follows:

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a wheel assembly is provided which is provided at the lower part of a moving body, and includes a main frame that connects a drive wheel and a steering wheel so that the drive wheel and the steering wheel are integrally formed, a support member disposed below the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is joined and configured to surround at least a portion of the steering wheel above the steering wheel, and an elastic member disposed between the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is joined and the support member.

[0009] In addition, other wheel assemblies for embodying the present invention are further provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, by achieving airtightness between the steering wheel and the serving robot body, it is possible to prevent foreign objects such as insects from penetrating into the inside of the serving robot through the steering wheel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a drawing showing a wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a drawing of a wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front of a moving body. [Figure 3] This is a drawing showing a wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the right side of a moving body. [Figure 4]This is a drawing of a wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the bottom surface of a moving body. [Figure 5] This is a drawing showing a main frame according to one embodiment of the present invention rotated toward the front of the moving body. [Figure 6] This is a drawing showing a situation in which the main frame according to one embodiment of the present invention is rotated in the direction of the rear of the moving body. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The detailed description of the present invention described below will be accompanied by illustrations of specific embodiments in which the present invention may be carried out. Such embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can fully implement the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from each other but do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures and characteristics described herein can be embodied by modifying them from one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that the position or arrangement of individual components within each embodiment can also be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the detailed description described below is not intended to be restrictive, and the scope of the present invention should be understood to encompass the scope claimed in the claims and all equivalent scopes thereto. Similar reference numerals in the drawings indicate identical or similar components in various aspects.

[0013] In the following, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement the present invention.

[0014] Figure 1 is a drawing showing a wheel assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a drawing of the wheel assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front of the moving body. Figure 3 is a drawing of the wheel assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention viewed from the right side of the moving body. Figure 4 is a drawing of the wheel assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention viewed from the bottom of the moving body.

[0015] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, a wheel assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be provided on the underside of a mobile body and may include a variety of components for the movement of the mobile body. Here, a mobile body may mean an object that moves autonomously or heteronomously, and may include, for example, an autonomous mobile transport means that needs to move from one place to another, such as a serving robot.

[0016] Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel assembly 100 may include a drive wheel 110 and a steering wheel 120 as components for the movement of a moving body.

[0017] Here, the drive wheels 110 can be positioned on both the left and right sides of the lower part of the moving body, and can be connected to a motor and rotated by the motor's driving force. The moving body can move forward, backward, left and right by the rotational drive of these drive wheels 110.

[0018] And the steering wheel 120 can be disposed at a position closer to the front surface of the moving body than the drive wheel 110 and can be provided in the same number as the drive wheel 110. Such a steering wheel 120 is not directly connected to the motor, but can be configured to rotate together with the drive wheel 110 by the rotational drive of the drive wheel 110. The steering wheel 120 can perform a function of maintaining the balance of the moving body when the drive wheel 110 is rotationally driven, and accordingly, the running stability of the moving body can be further improved. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a wheel that performs the same function as the steering wheel 120 (for example, at a position closer to the rear surface of the moving body than the drive wheel 110) can be further disposed on one side of the lower part of the moving body. However, as described above in this specification, only the wheel disposed at a position closer to the front surface of the moving body than the drive wheel 110 will be referred to as the steering wheel 120.

[0019] On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the wheel assembly 100 can further include a main frame 130, a support member 140, and an elastic member 150 in addition to the drive wheel 110 and the steering wheel 120.

[0020] First, the main frame 130 can perform a function of connecting the drive wheel 110 and the steering wheel 120, and accordingly, the drive wheel 110 and the steering wheel 120 can be configured to be integrated. For example, the main frame 130 is composed of a pair, and one main frame 130 on one side connects the drive wheel 110 disposed on the left side of the lower part of the moving body and the steering wheel 120 disposed on the left side of the front surface of the lower part of the moving body so that the corresponding drive wheel 110 and the steering wheel 120 can be configured to be integrated. The main frame on the other side 130 can connect the drive wheel 110 disposed on the right side of the lower part of the moving body and the steering wheel 120 disposed on the right side of the front surface of the lower part of the moving body so that the corresponding drive wheel 110 and the steering wheel 120 can be configured to be integrated.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, each main frame 130 can include a portion to which the steering wheel 120 is coupled and a portion to which the drive wheel 110 is coupled, and a protrusion 131 can be formed between the portion to which the steering wheel 120 is coupled and the portion to which the drive wheel 110 is coupled. Such a protrusion 131 can protrude in a direction toward the ground when the wheel assembly 100 is disposed on a moving body, and a lower end portion of the protrusion 131 can be rotatably coupled to the main body of the moving body. Specifically, the main frame 130 can be configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range about a lower end portion of the protrusion 131. Here, the rotation of the main frame 130 can be performed on a plane parallel to the drive wheel 110 and can be within a range corresponding to the road surface conditions (for example, the inclination angle of the road surface, the size of obstacles present on the road surface, etc.).

[0022] On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a support member 140 can be disposed below a portion of the main frame 130 to which the steering wheel 120 is coupled. Such a support member 140 can be fixedly coupled in a state in which its lower portion is in close contact with the main body of the moving body, and accordingly, can be configured to surround at least a part of the steering wheel 120 above the steering wheel 120. Here, the support member 140 can be formed in a cup shape, and the cup shape can mean a shape in which a horizontal cross section is circular and a hollow is formed inside. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the steering wheel 120 can include a connecting rod 121, and such a connecting rod 121 can penetrate through the support member 140 formed in a cup shape and be coupled to the main frame 130.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the main frame 130 must be configured to be rotatable according to the road surface conditions as described above, the main frame 130 and the support member 140 must be spaced apart at a predetermined interval. In this case, foreign substances such as insects can easily penetrate into the interior of the moving body through the space formed between the main frame 130 and the support member 140. To solve this problem, in the present invention, an elastic member 150 is disposed between the main frame 130 (specifically, a portion of the main frame 130 to which the steering wheel 120 is coupled) and the support member 140.

[0024] Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member 150 may be formed at a height corresponding to the distance between the main frame 130 and the support member 140, and positioned between the main frame 130 and the support member 140. When the elastic member 150 is positioned between the main frame 130 and the support member 140, the lower part of the elastic member 150 may be configured to be in close contact with the support member 140, and the upper part of the elastic member 150 may be configured to be in close contact with the main frame 130.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member 150 can be formed in a cup shape, similar to the support member 140, but as mentioned above, a cup shape can mean a shape in which the horizontal cross-section is formed to be circular and a hollow space is formed inside. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting rod 121 of the steering wheel 120 can be connected to the main frame 130 by passing through the cup-shaped support member 140 and the elastic member 150 in sequence.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member 150 may be configured to have a restoring force. Specifically, the elastic member 150 may deform when an external force is applied due to the behavior of the main frame 130 (for example, rotation in the forward direction of the moving body), but it is configured to have a restoring force against shape deformation, similar to that of an elastic material such as silicone, polyurethane, or rubber, and can be restored to its original shape when the external force is removed.

[0027] On the other hand, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the lower part of the elastic member 150 is fixedly connected to the upper part of the support member 140 in close contact with each other, while the upper part of the elastic member 150 can be configured to be in close contact with the main frame 130 but not fixedly connected to each other.

[0028] Specifically, the portion of the main frame 130 to which the steering wheel 120 is connected is configured to be in close contact with the upper part of the elastic member 150, but it can be configured to be able to detach from the upper part of the elastic member 150 depending on the movement of the main frame 130. For example, if the main frame 130 rotates in the direction of the front of the moving body, the state in which the main frame 130 and the elastic member 150 are in close contact with each other will not be released (see Figure 5), but if the main frame 130 rotates in the direction of the rear of the moving body, the state in which the main frame 130 and the elastic member 150 are in close contact with each other can be released (see Figure 6). When the state in which the main frame 130 and the elastic member 150 are in close contact with each other is released in this way, the portion of the main frame 130 to which the steering wheel 120 is connected will detach from the upper part of the elastic member 150.

[0029] As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel assembly 100 includes an elastic member 150 between the main frame 130 and the support member 140, thereby ensuring airtightness between the steering wheel 120 and the main body of the mobile body while maintaining the running performance of the mobile body.

[0030] Although the present invention has been described above with specific details such as concrete components, and with limited embodiments and drawings, these are provided only to aid in a more general understanding of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. A person with ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains can attempt various modifications and changes from this description.

[0031] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described above, and it can be said that not only the claims described below, but also all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from these claims, fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wheel assembly provided at the bottom of a moving body, A main frame that connects the drive wheel and the steering wheel so that the drive wheel and the steering wheel are integrated into a single unit. A support member is positioned below the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is connected, and is configured to surround at least a portion of the steering wheel above it, and A wheel assembly including an elastic member disposed between the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is coupled and the support member.

2. The wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the support member and the elastic member are each formed in a cup shape.

3. The wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the support member and the elastic member are fixedly bonded to each other in close contact.

4. The wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the main frame to which the steering wheel is coupled is configured to be in close contact with the upper part of the elastic member, but is configured to be detachable from the upper part of the elastic member by the movement of the main frame.

5. The wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is configured to deform in shape as an external force is applied due to the behavior of the main frame and to have a restoring force against the deformation.

6. The wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the main frame includes a protrusion formed between the portion to which the steering wheel is connected and the portion to which the drive wheel is connected.

7. The wheel assembly according to claim 6, wherein the main frame is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the lower end of the protruding portion.

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