Debris Guard Spool and Tines for Wheel Axle Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wheeled devices, such as mobile robots, often accumulate debris like hair and thread around the axle, causing friction and potentially preventing the wheel from turning due to entanglement.
Innovation Solution
A wheel assembly with a debris guard featuring a spool and tines that guide debris away from the axle, allowing it to collect on the spool and prevent interference with the wheel's operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the wheel rotates to propel the device, then the wheel moves the device forward, but debris winds around the axle and prevents proper wheel turning
Solution Approach 1:
A debris guard is introduced as an intermediary component between the wheel and chassis. The guard includes a spool and tines that intercept debris before it can reach the axle. The spool acts as a collection point where debris is channeled and accumulated, preventing it from winding around the axle and interfering with wheel rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful element (debris) is extracted from the problematic location (axle area) and redirected to a designated collection zone (spool). The tines and spool configuration creates a pathway that removes debris from the wheel-axle interaction zone, isolating it from the rotating components.
2Reliability
If debris accumulates around the axle, then friction increases and wheel rotation is resisted, but adding protective structures may increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The debris guard is segmented into distinct functional components: tines for interception, a spool for collection, and a hub for mounting. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be integrated into the existing wheel assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris guard structure serves multiple functions: it protects the axle from debris, collects debris in a centralized location, and maintains wheel rotation freedom. The spool both acts as a structural support and a debris collection mechanism, combining protective and collection functions in a single component.
3Ease of manufacture
If the hub is recessed to accommodate the debris guard, then debris can be directed to the spool, but the gap between guard and hub may allow debris migration to the axle
Solution Approach 1:
The tines are positioned asymmetrically relative to the spool and hub, creating a one-way debris flow path. The tines intercept debris and guide it toward the spool, while the asymmetric configuration prevents debris from bypassing the guard and reaching the axle through the gap between the guard and hub.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel assembly with a debris guard is disclosed, the debris guard being configured to prevent hair and thread from winding around an axle and interfering with the operation of the wheel. The debris guard, which is mounted between the wheel and the robot chassis, comprises a spool and a plurality of tines. The spool is positioned between the wheel and chassis to collect debris that would otherwise wind around the axle. In the preferred embodiment, the tines are arrayed in proximity to a gap between the debris guard and the hub in order to inhibit debris from migrating to the axle exposed between the guard and wheel. The debris guard is intended for a wide variety of wheeled devices.