Multi-piece universal wheel

Abstract

A multi-piece universal wheel (100) comprises a rim (1), a plurality of wheel pieces (2), and a plurality of wheel piece brackets (3), the wheel piece brackets (3) being circumferentially mounted on the outer circumference of the rim (1) with respect to the central axis of the rim (1), a first support shaft (31) protruding from one side of the wheel piece bracket (3), and a second support shaft (32) protruding from the side of the wheel piece bracket (3) opposite to the first support shaft (31), the first support shaft (31) of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets (3) being abutted against the second support shaft (32) of the other, the wheel pieces (2) being rotatably connected to adjacent first support shafts (31) and second support shafts (32), and the central axis of the wheel piece (2) being perpendicular to the central axis of the rim (1). The multi-piece universal wheel (100) has the advantages of flexible direction changes, simple construction, and convenient assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a universal wheel, and particularly to a multi-piece universal wheel.

Background Art

[0002] Conventional universal wheels achieve forward and backward and left and right rolling by assembling a plurality of roller groups to a rim. The roller group includes a bracket, a large roller, and a pair of small rollers. The large roller is pivotally connected to the bracket so as to be rotatable, and the two small rollers are respectively located on both sides of the large roller and pivotally connected to the bracket. In such a design, not only are there two different types of rollers in the same universal wheel, but it is also necessary to specifically design the shape of the bracket according to the shapes of the large roller and the small rollers. As a result, not only does the structure of the universal wheel become complicated, but the installation also becomes troublesome and the assembly becomes inconvenient.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The object of this application is to provide a multi-piece universal wheel with flexible direction change, simple structure, and convenient assembly.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To achieve the above objective, the multi-piece universal wheel according to the present application includes a rim, a plurality of wheel pieces, and a plurality of wheel piece brackets, wherein the wheel piece brackets are provided circumferentially on the outer circumference of the rim with respect to the central axis of the rim, a first support shaft protruding from one side of the wheel piece bracket, a second support shaft protruding from the side of the wheel piece bracket opposite to the first support shaft, the first support shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets abutting against the second support shaft of the other, the wheel pieces are rotatably connected to the adjacent first and second support shafts, and the central axis of the wheel piece is perpendicular to the central axis of the rim.

[0005] Compared to the prior art, the present invention provides a wheel piece bracket, mounts the wheel piece bracket on the rim, provides a first support shaft on one side of the wheel piece bracket and a second support shaft on the other side, and abuts the first support shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets against the second support shaft of the other, thereby enabling the wheel piece bracket to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim. Furthermore, wheel pieces are connected to the adjacent first and second support shafts so as to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim. Thus, these wheel pieces together form a wheel, achieving the objective that the entire universal wheel can roll back and forth around the central axis of the rim. Moreover, since each wheel piece can roll independently around the first and second support shafts, the objective that the universal wheel can roll left and right can be achieved. Therefore, the present invention enables multi-directional rolling, offers flexible direction changes, has a small number of parts, a simple and compact structure, and is very convenient to assemble.

[0006] Preferably, the central axis of the first support shaft and the central axis of the second support shaft of the same wheel piece bracket are arranged to intersect each other. In this way, after the wheel piece brackets are joined together, they can form a circle with respect to the central axis of the rim, thereby forming a universal wheel.

[0007] Preferably, the first support shaft of the wheel piece bracket is provided coaxially with the second support shaft of the adjacent wheel piece bracket. In this way, the wheel piece can be mounted between two adjacent first and second support shafts, ensuring that the wheel piece can operate stably and reliably after assembly.

[0008] Preferably, the end face of the first support shaft of the wheel piece bracket abuts against the end face of the second support shaft of the adjacent wheel piece bracket. In this way, the wheel piece brackets can be positioned relative to each other, preventing misalignment during operation, ensuring structural stability, simplifying the structure, and improving ease of assembly.

[0009] Preferably, a mounting piece is provided on the lower side of the wheel piece bracket, and a positioning groove is provided in the rim circumferentially with respect to its central axis, and the mounting piece is positioned within the positioning groove. By fixing the mounting piece within the positioning groove, the wheel piece bracket and wheel piece can be supported on the rim, and structural stability is ensured.

[0010] Specifically, a mounting groove is provided on the outer side of the rim, recessed in the circumferential direction, and the positioning groove is provided on the inner wall of the mounting groove. Since the mounting groove can accommodate the wheel piece bracket, the wheel piece bracket can be hidden, exposing only the wheel piece, improving the aesthetics of the universal wheel, reducing the overall volume of the universal wheel, and making the structure more compact and rational.

[0011] Preferably, the wheel piece includes an inner ring and an outer ring cover connected to and fixed to the outer circumference of the inner ring.

[0012] Preferably, the rim includes a left rim and a right rim that are fixedly connected coaxially. By constructing the rim by combining the left rim and the right rim, the machining of the rim can be facilitated, the wheel piece bracket can be conveniently attached, and the convenience of assembly is improved.

[0013] Preferably, the wheel piece is mounted between two adjacent wheel piece brackets via a shaft cover or bearing.

[0014] Preferably, the upper side of the wheel piece bracket is provided with a guide piece positioned between two adjacent wheel pieces, and the side edges of the guide piece near the rim are provided with guide slopes to guide the discharge of an object stuck between two adjacent wheel pieces. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded view of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a structural diagram of the multi-piece universal wheel with the rim removed. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the two wheel piece brackets of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention, which support the wheel pieces. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is an exploded view. [Figure 6] This is a radial cross-sectional view of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of the connection between two adjacent wheel piece brackets in Figure 6. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of the wheel piece bracket of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is an axial cross-sectional view of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The technical content, structural features, and effects realized of this application will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the multi-piece universal wheel 100 of the present invention includes a rim 1, a plurality of wheel pieces 2, and a plurality of wheel piece brackets 3. The rim 1 is circular, and the wheel piece brackets 3 are provided circumferentially on the outer circumference of the rim 1, with the central axis of the rim 1 as the center. A first support shaft 31 is provided protruding from one side of the wheel piece bracket 3, and a second support shaft 32 is provided protruding from the side of the wheel piece bracket 3 opposite to the first support shaft 31. The first support shaft 31 of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets 3 abuts against the second support shaft 32 of the other. Specifically, the end face of the first support shaft 31 of the wheel piece bracket 3 abuts against the end face of the second support shaft 32 of the adjacent wheel piece bracket 3. In this way, the wheel piece brackets 3 can be positioned axially relative to each other, preventing displacement during operation, ensuring structural stability, simplifying the structure, and improving ease of assembly. The central axis X of the first support shaft 31 and the central axis Y of the second support shaft 32 of the same wheel piece bracket 3 are positioned to intersect each other. In this way, each wheel piece bracket 3, after being joined together, can form a circle with respect to the central axis of the rim 1, thereby forming a universal wheel 100. The wheel piece 2 is rotatably connected to adjacent first support shafts 31 and second support shafts 32, and the central axis of the wheel piece 2 is perpendicular to the central axis of the rim 1. The cross-section of the wheel piece 2 is annular. In this embodiment, the number of wheel piece brackets 3 and wheel piece 2 is 48 each, and the central angle between two adjacent wheel piece 2 or two adjacent wheel piece brackets 3 is 7.5 degrees.Of course, the number of wheel pieces 2 or wheel piece brackets 3 may be less or more, and those skilled in the art can calculate the central angle between two adjacent wheel piece 2 assemblies based on the number of wheel pieces 2 or wheel piece brackets 3 and the radius of the universal wheel 100, thereby calculating the angle between the first support shaft 31 and the second support shaft 32, and the lengths of the first support shaft 31 and the second support shaft 32. Specific design parameters are not described in detail here.

[0018] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the first support shaft 31 of the wheel piece bracket 3 is provided coaxially with the second support shaft 32 of the adjacent wheel piece bracket 3. In this way, the wheel piece 2 can be mounted between two adjacent first support shafts 31 and second support shafts 32, ensuring that the wheel piece 2 can operate stably and reliably after assembly.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, there is an attachment piece 33 on the lower side of the wheel piece bracket 3. On the rim 1, a positioning groove 1a is provided in the circumferential direction around its central axis, and the number of the positioning grooves 1a is the same as the number of the wheel piece brackets 3. The plane where the positioning groove 1a is located is parallel to the central axis of the rim 1. The attachment piece 33 is positioned within the positioning groove 1a. The attachment piece 33 has an arc-shaped structure. By fixing the attachment piece 33 within the positioning groove 1a, the wheel piece bracket 3 and the wheel piece 2 can be supported by the rim 1, ensuring the structural stability. The wheel piece bracket 3 and the attachment piece 33 are integrally formed. In this way, the structure can be simplified and the convenience of assembly can be improved. Also, there is a hollow position 34 between the attachment piece 33 and the main body of the wheel piece bracket 3. The hollow position 34 can be used to accommodate a part of the wheel piece 2 when the wheel pieces 2 are distributed in the circumferential direction, making the overall structure of the universal wheel 100 more compact. Also, two opposite side surfaces of the wheel piece bracket 3 intersect to form an acute angle, and the thickness of the end close to the attachment piece 33 is thinner than the thickness of the end away from the attachment piece 33. The central axis of the first support shaft 31 is perpendicular to the side surface on the same side as it, and the central axis of the second support shaft 32 is perpendicular to the side surface on the same side as it.

[0020] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, on the outer side of the rim 1, an attachment groove 1b is recessed in the circumferential direction. The positioning groove 1a is provided on the inner wall of the attachment groove 1b and extends from one side to the opposite side of the inner wall of the attachment groove 1b. Since the attachment groove 1b can accommodate the wheel piece bracket 3, the wheel piece bracket 3 can be hidden and only the wheel piece 2 can be exposed, improving the aesthetics of the universal wheel 100, making the overall volume of the universal wheel 100 smaller, and making the structure more compact and reasonable.

[0021] Furthermore, referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, on the upper side of the wheel piece bracket 3, a guide piece 35 is provided between two adjacent wheel pieces 2. Guide slopes 351 are provided on both side edges of the guide piece 35 close to the rim 1. The width of the guide piece 35 gradually decreases from the end close to the center of the rim 1 to the end away from the center of the rim 1, and the upper side of the guide piece 35 is a flat edge. The entire guide piece 35 has a trapezoidal structure. Since the gap between two adjacent wheel pieces 2 gradually increases from the end close to the center of the rim 1 to the end away from the center of the rim 1, by providing the guide piece 35, when the two wheel pieces 2 rotate, an object (e.g., a small stone) sandwiched between two adjacent wheel pieces 2 can be moved outward, thereby fulfilling the function of guiding the discharge of the object.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the wheel piece 2 includes an inner ring 21 and an outer ring cover 22 connected and fixed to the outer periphery of the inner ring. The outer ring cover 22 can be manufactured from a slightly soft and wear-resistant material such as rubber material, and the inner ring 21 can be manufactured from a high-hardness material such as aluminum alloy. The wheel piece 2 is attached between two adjacent wheel piece brackets 3 via a shaft cover 3a or a bearing.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the rim 1 includes a left rim 11 and a right rim 12 coaxially fixed and connected by bolts. By configuring the rim 1 by combining the left rim 11 and the right rim 12, the processing of the rim 1 can be facilitated, and the wheel piece 2 assembly can be conveniently attached, improving the convenience of assembly.

[0024] Compared to the prior art, the present invention provides a wheel piece bracket 3, mounts the wheel piece bracket 3 on the rim 1, provides a first support shaft 31 on one side of the wheel piece bracket 3 and a second support shaft 32 on the other side, and abuts the first support shaft 31 of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets 3 against the second support shaft 32 of the other, thereby enabling the wheel piece bracket 3 to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim 1. Furthermore, wheel pieces 2 are connected to the adjacent first support shaft 31 and second support shaft 32 so as to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim 1. Therefore, these wheel pieces 2 as a whole form a wheel, achieving the objective that the entire universal wheel 100 can roll back and forth around the central axis of the rim 1. Moreover, since each wheel piece 2 can roll independently around the first support shaft 31 and the second support shaft 32, the objective that the universal wheel 100 can roll left and right can be achieved. Therefore, this invention enables multi-directional rolling, offers flexible direction changes, has a small number of parts, a simple and compact structure, and is very convenient to assemble.

[0025] The above disclosures are merely preferred examples of the present application and do not limit the scope of the claims of the present application; therefore, equivalent modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present application still fall within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. It is a multi-piece universal wheel, A multi-piece universal wheel comprising a rim, a plurality of wheel pieces, and a plurality of wheel piece brackets, wherein the wheel piece brackets are circumferentially provided on the outer circumference of the rim with respect to the central axis of the rim, a first support shaft protruding from one side of the wheel piece bracket, a second support shaft protruding from the side of the wheel piece bracket opposite to the first support shaft, the first support shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets abutting against the second support shaft of the other, the wheel pieces being rotatably connected to adjacent first and second support shafts, and the central axis of the wheel piece being perpendicular to the central axis of the rim.

2. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the central axis of the first support shaft and the central axis of the second support shaft of the same wheel piece bracket are provided to intersect each other.

3. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the first support shaft of the wheel piece bracket is provided coaxially with the second support shaft of an adjacent wheel piece bracket.

4. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the end face of the first support shaft of the wheel piece bracket abuts against the end face of the second support shaft of an adjacent wheel piece bracket.

5. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a mounting piece on the lower side of the wheel piece bracket, a positioning groove 1a is provided in the circumferential direction of the rim with respect to its central axis, and the mounting piece is positioned within the positioning groove.

6. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 5, characterized in that a mounting groove is provided on the outer side of the rim, recessed in the circumferential direction, and the positioning groove is provided on the inner wall of the mounting groove.

7. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel piece includes an inner ring and an outer ring cover connected to and fixed to the outer circumference of the inner ring.

8. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the rim includes a left rim and a right rim that are fixedly connected coaxially.

9. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel piece is mounted between two adjacent wheel piece brackets via a shaft cover or bearing.

10. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that a guide piece is provided on the upper side of the wheel piece bracket, positioned between two adjacent wheel pieces, and guide slopes are provided on both side edges of the guide piece near the rim for guiding the discharge of an object trapped between two adjacent wheel pieces.

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