Multi-piece universal wheel

Abstract

A multi-piece universal wheel (100) comprising a rim (1) and a plurality of wheel piece assemblies (2) circumferentially arranged on the outer circumference of the rim (1) with respect to the central axis of the rim (1), the wheel piece assemblies (2) comprising a wheel piece (21), a wheel piece bracket (22), and a bearing (23), wherein the wheel piece bracket (22) is provided on the rim (1) and has a mounting shaft (221) protruding from one side, and the tip of the mounting shaft (221) has a projection A protruding axle (222) is provided, and a recessed axle hole (223) is provided on the side of the wheel piece bracket (22) opposite to the axle (222). The axle (222) of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets (22) is fitted into the axle hole (223) of the other, and the wheel piece (21) is attached to the mounting shaft (221) via a bearing (23), and the central axis of the wheel piece (21) is perpendicular to the central axis of the rim (1). The multi-piece universal wheel (100) has the advantages of flexible direction changes, a simple structure, and convenient assembly.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventional universal wheels achieve rolling forward and backward and left and right by assembling multiple roller groups to the 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 rollable, 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 roller. 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 invention includes a rim and a plurality of wheel piece assemblies provided circumferentially on the outer circumference of the rim with respect to the central axis of the rim, the wheel piece assemblies including wheel pieces, wheel piece brackets, and bearings, the wheel piece bracket is provided on the rim and has a mounting shaft protruding from one side, a butt shaft protruding from the tip of the mounting shaft, a butt hole recessed on the side of the wheel piece bracket opposite to the butt shaft, the butt shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets is fitted into the butt hole of the other, the wheel piece is attached to the mounting shaft via the bearing, 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 mounting shaft and abutting shaft on one side of the wheel piece bracket, provides abutting hole on the other side, and fits the abutting shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets into the abutting hole of the other, thereby enabling the wheel piece bracket to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim. Furthermore, wheel pieces are provided on the wheel piece bracket in a one-to-one correspondence so as to be mounted circumferentially around the central axis of the rim, and therefore 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. In addition, since the wheel pieces are mounted on the wheel piece bracket using the bearings, each wheel piece can roll independently around the mounting shaft, thereby achieving the objective that the entire universal wheel can roll left and right. Therefore, the present invention enables multi-directional rolling, allows for flexible direction changes, and the wheel piece, bearing, and wheel piece bracket are assembled to form a wheel piece assembly. It only requires providing multiple wheel piece assemblies on the rim, resulting in a small number of parts, a simple and compact configuration, and extremely convenient assembly.

[0006] Preferably, the central axis of the abutting hole and the central axis of the abutting shaft intersect. In this way, the abutting shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets can be coaxially fitted into the abutting hole of the other, and at the same time, each wheel piece bracket, after being abutted, can form a circle with respect to the central axis of the rim, thereby forming a universal wheel.

[0007] Preferably, the wheel piece bracket has a mounting piece, and the rim is provided with a positioning groove in the circumferential direction 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 the wheel piece can be supported by the rim, and structural stability is ensured.

[0008] Specifically, the wheel piece bracket and the mounting piece are integrally molded. This simplifies the structure and improves ease of assembly.

[0009] 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.

[0010] Preferably, a limiting ring is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft closest to the wheel piece bracket, and a first housing groove for housing a first circlip is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft closest to the butt shaft, and the first circlip and the limiting ring limit the inner ring of the bearing.

[0011] Preferably, the first wall surface of the wheel piece bracket near the butt hole is inclined with respect to the second wall surface of the wheel piece bracket near the mounting shaft, the central axis of the butt hole is perpendicular to the first wall surface, and the mounting shaft and the butt shaft are perpendicular to the second wall surface. By providing it in this way, it becomes easier and more convenient to integrally mold and manufacture the butt hole, mounting shaft and butt shaft, which is advantageous for simplifying the structure and improving the convenience of assembly.

[0012] Preferably, a limiting edge is provided at one end of the inner wall of the wheel piece, and a second housing groove for accommodating a second circlip is provided at the other end, and the second circlip and the limiting edge limit the outer ring of the bearing. In this way, the convenience of assembly can be improved, and at the same time, the stability of the connection between the bearing and the wheel piece can be ensured.

[0013] Preferably, the wheel piece includes an inner ring and an outer ring sleeve that is externally contacted and fixed to the outer circumference of the inner ring.

[0014] Preferably, the rim includes a left rim and a right rim that are fixedly connected coaxially. By having the rim composed of a left rim and a right rim, the machining of the rim can be facilitated, the wheel piece assembly can be conveniently attached, and the convenience of assembly is improved. [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 a single wheel piece assembly of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an exploded view of a single wheel piece assembly of the multi-piece universal wheel of the present invention. [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 point between two adjacent wheel piece assemblies 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 9, the multi-piece universal wheel 100 of the present invention includes a circular rim 1 and a plurality of wheel piece assemblies 2 provided circumferentially on the outer circumference of the rim 1 with respect to the central axis of the rim 1. The wheel piece assemblies 2 include a wheel piece 21, a wheel piece bracket 22, and a bearing 23. The wheel piece bracket 22 is provided on the rim 1, with a mounting shaft 221 protruding from one side, and a butt shaft 222 protruding from the tip of the mounting shaft 221. The mounting shaft 221 and the butt shaft 222 are provided coaxially. A butt hole 223 is recessed on the side of the wheel piece bracket 22 opposite to the butt shaft 222, and the butt shaft 222 of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets 22 is fitted into the butt hole 223 of the other. The central axis X of the butt hole 223 and the central axis Y of the butt shaft 222 intersect. In this way, the abutting shaft 222 of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets 22 can be coaxially fitted into the abutting hole 223 of the other, and at the same time, each wheel piece bracket 22 can naturally form a circle around the central axis of the rim 1 after being abutted, thereby forming a universal wheel. The wheel piece 21 is attached to the mounting shaft 221 via the bearing 23, and the central axis of the wheel piece 21 is perpendicular to the central axis of the rim 1. The cross-section of the wheel piece 21 is annular, the inner ring of the bearing 23 is fixed and externally tangent to the mounting shaft 221, and the outer ring of the bearing 23 is fixed and fitted into the inner hole of the wheel piece 21. More specifically, in this embodiment, the number of wheel piece assemblies 2 is 48, and the central angle between two adjacent wheel piece assemblies 2 is 7.5 degrees.Of course, the number of wheel piece assemblies 2 may be less or more, and a person skilled in the art can calculate the central angle between two adjacent wheel piece assemblies 2 based on the number of wheel piece assemblies 2 and the radius of the universal wheel, and can also calculate the angle between the central axis of the abutting shaft 222 and the central axis of the abutting hole 223, the length of the abutting shaft 222, and the depth of the abutting hole 223, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0018] Referring to Figures 2, 5, and 7, the wheel piece bracket 22 has a mounting piece 224, and the rim 1 has positioning grooves 11 provided in the circumferential direction around its central axis, with the number of positioning grooves 11 being the same as the number of wheel piece brackets 22. The plane on which the positioning grooves 11 are located is parallel to the central axis of the rim 1. The mounting piece 224 is positioned within the positioning grooves 11. By fixing the mounting piece 224 within the positioning grooves 11, the wheel piece bracket 22 and the wheel piece 21 can be supported by the rim 1, ensuring structural stability. The wheel piece bracket 22 and the mounting piece 224 are integrally molded structures. In this way, the structure can be simplified and the convenience of assembly can be improved. Furthermore, there is a hollow space 229 between the mounting piece 224 and the body of the wheel piece bracket 22. This hollow space 229 can be used to accommodate a portion of the wheel piece of another adjacent wheel piece assembly 2 when the wheel piece assembly 2 is distributed in the circumferential direction, making the structure more compact. A limiting ring 225 is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft 221 closest to the wheel piece bracket 22, and a first housing groove 226 for accommodating the first circlip 24 is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft 221 closest to the abutting shaft 222. The first housing groove 226 is annular in shape. The first circlip 24 and the limiting ring 225 limit the inner ring of the bearing 23. The first wall surface 227 of the wheel piece bracket 22 closest to the abutment hole 223 is inclined with respect to the second wall surface 228 of the wheel piece bracket 22 closest to the mounting shaft 221, the central axis of the abutment hole 223 is perpendicular to the first wall surface 227, and the mounting shaft 221 and the abutment shaft 222 are perpendicular to the second wall surface 228. By providing it in this way, it becomes easier and more convenient to integrally mold and process the abutment hole 223, the mounting shaft 221, and the abutment shaft 222, which is advantageous for simplifying the structure and improving the convenience of assembly.

[0019] Also, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, on the outer side of the rim 1, a mounting groove 12 is recessed in the circumferential direction, and the positioning groove 11 is provided on the inner wall of the mounting groove 12. The wheel piece bracket 22 is accommodated in the mounting groove 12, and the wheel piece 21 extends outward from the mounting groove 12. Since the mounting groove 12 can accommodate the wheel piece bracket 22, the wheel piece bracket 22 can be hidden, and only the wheel piece 21 can be exposed, improving the aesthetics of the universal wheel, making the overall volume of the universal wheel smaller, and making the structure more compact and reasonable.

[0020] Also, referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, a limiting edge 21a is provided at one end of the inner wall of the wheel piece 21, and a second receiving groove 21b for accommodating the second circlip 25 is provided at the other end. The second circlip 25 and the limiting edge 21a limit the outer ring of the bearing 23. In this way, the convenience of assembly can be improved, and at the same time, the stability of the connection between the bearing 23 and the wheel piece 21 can be ensured. Specifically, the wheel piece 21 includes an inner ring 211 and an outer ring sleeve 212 that is externally connected and fixed to the outer periphery of the inner ring 211. The outer ring sleeve 212 can be manufactured from a slightly soft and wear-resistant material such as a rubber material, and the inner ring 211 can be manufactured from a high-hardness material such as an aluminum alloy. The limiting edge 21a and the second receiving groove 21b are both provided within the inner ring 211. More specifically, a positioning rib 211a is provided in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the surface of the inner ring 211, and an engaging groove 212a is provided in the circumferential direction on the inner wall of the outer ring sleeve 212. By engaging the engaging groove 212a with the positioning rib 211a, the outer ring sleeve 212 and the inner ring 211 can be relatively fixed, improving the stability of the connection.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the rim 1 includes a left rim 1a and a right rim 1b that are coaxially provided and fixedly connected by a plurality of bolts. Since the rim 1 is constituted by combining the left rim 1a and the right rim 1b, the processing of the rim 1 is facilitated, the wheel piece assembly 2 can be conveniently attached, and the convenience of assembly is improved.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application provides a wheel piece bracket 22, the wheel piece bracket 22 is provided on the rim 1, a mounting shaft 221 and a butting shaft 222 are provided on one side of the wheel piece bracket 22, and a butting hole 223 is provided on the other side. By fitting one of the butting shafts 222 of two adjacent wheel piece brackets 22 into the other butting hole 223, the wheel piece brackets 22 can be provided in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the rim 1. Further, on the wheel piece bracket 22, wheel pieces 21 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence so as to be provided in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the rim 1. Therefore, these wheel pieces 21 as a whole form a wheel, and the object that the entire universal wheel can roll back and forth around the central axis of the rim 1 can be achieved. Further, since the wheel piece 21 is provided on the wheel piece bracket 22 by using the bearing 23, each wheel piece 21 can independently roll around the mounting shaft 221, thereby realizing the object that the entire universal wheel can roll left and right. Therefore, the present application can realize multi-directional rolling, the direction change is flexible, and the wheel piece 21, the bearing 23, and the wheel piece bracket 22 are assembled into a wheel piece assembly 2, and it is only necessary to provide a plurality of wheel piece assemblies 2 on the rim 1. The number of parts is small, the structure is simple and compact, and the assembly is very convenient.

[0023] 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. A multi-piece universal wheel comprising a rim and a plurality of wheel piece assemblies circumferentially arranged on the outer circumference of the rim with respect to the central axis of the rim, wherein each wheel piece assembly comprises a wheel piece, a wheel piece bracket, and a bearing, the wheel piece bracket being provided on the rim, with a mounting shaft protruding from one side, a butt shaft protruding from the tip of the mounting shaft, a recessed butt hole provided on the side of the wheel piece bracket opposite to the butt shaft, the butt shaft of one of two adjacent wheel piece brackets being fitted into the butt hole of the other, the wheel piece being attached to the mounting shaft via the bearing, and the central axis of the wheel piece being perpendicular to the central axis of the rim, The wheel piece bracket has a mounting piece, and the rim has a positioning groove provided in the circumferential direction with respect to its central axis, and the mounting piece is positioned within the positioning groove. A multi-piece universal wheel characterized in that there is a hollow space between the mounting piece and the body of the wheel piece bracket, and the hollow space accommodates a portion of the wheel piece of another adjacent wheel piece assembly when the wheel piece assembly is distributed in the circumferential direction.

2. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the central axis of the abutting hole and the central axis of the abutting shaft intersect.

3. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel piece bracket and the mounting piece are integrally molded.

4. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, 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.

5. A limiting ring is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft closest to the wheel piece bracket, and a first housing groove for housing a first circlip is provided on the outer circumference of the end of the mounting shaft closest to the butt shaft, and the first circlip and the limiting ring limit the inner ring of the bearing, as described in claim 1.

6. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the first wall surface of the wheel piece bracket near the abutment hole is inclined with respect to the second wall surface of the wheel piece bracket near the mounting shaft, the central axis of the abutment hole is perpendicular to the first wall surface, and the mounting shaft and the abutment shaft are perpendicular to the second wall surface.

7. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that a limiting edge is provided at one end of the inner wall of the wheel piece, and a second housing groove for housing a second circlip is provided at the other end, and the second circlip and the limiting edge limit the outer ring of the bearing.

8. The multi-piece universal wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel piece includes an inner ring and an outer ring sleeve that is externally contacted and fixed to the outer circumference of the inner ring.

9. 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.

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