Adaptive Wheel Control for Stair-Climbing Impact Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Moving bodies, such as vehicles with wheels, experience strong impacts when navigating obstacles like stairs due to rapid changes in angle and speed, leading to collisions and falls, which existing technologies fail to mitigate effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising dynamically shaped wheels with a controller that adjusts rotational speed based on angular velocity and angle with respect to the ground, using impact-absorbing members to reduce impact by changing wheel lengths and speeds accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the moving body maintains constant movement speed while going up the obstacle, then the movement efficiency is improved, but the front wheels collide with the next step causing strong impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the wheel shape changeable during operation. The wheel transitions from a circular shape to a deformed shape that can wrap around obstacles, allowing the moving body to adapt its wheel configuration based on the terrain. This dynamic shape adjustment enables the wheel to smoothly navigate steps and obstacles without collision, resolving the contradiction between maintaining constant speed and avoiding impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the wheel by deforming its shape. The wheel's radius and cross-sectional shape are modified to wrap around obstacles, changing the contact point and force distribution. This parameter change allows the wheel to maintain continuous contact with the ground while navigating obstacles, preventing collision and impact while maintaining movement efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the moving body travels rearward to go down the obstacle, then the ability to overcome the obstacle is improved, but the rear wheels fall down at high acceleration causing strong impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the wheel shape to deform and adapt during the downward movement process. As the rear wheels approach the obstacle edge, the wheel shape changes to wrap around the edge, controlling the descent and reducing acceleration. This dynamic adaptation prevents the rear wheels from falling down at high acceleration, resolving the contradiction between obstacle-crossing ability and impact reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by deforming the wheel shape in advance before the rear wheels contact the obstacle edge. The wheel预先 deforms to create a cushioning effect that absorbs the impact of falling, reducing the acceleration and force experienced by the rear wheels during descent.
3Ease of manufacture
If the wheel shape is fixed, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the ability to navigate obstacles without impact is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamically changeable wheel shape that can deform from a circular form to a wrapped configuration around obstacles. This dynamic capability allows the wheel to adapt to different terrains while maintaining a relatively simple base structure, balancing manufacturing simplicity with obstacle-navigating ability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible wheel structures that can deform and bend to wrap around obstacles. This flexibility allows the wheel to change shape dynamically while maintaining structural integrity, enabling obstacle navigation without impact while keeping the manufacturing process feasible through the use of flexible materials and designs.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus may comprise a plurality of wheels, a body coupled to the plurality of wheels, and a controller configured to determine an angular velocity of the body with respect to a ground surface, and control, based on the angular velocity, a rotational speed of the plurality of wheels.