Deformable Wheel Structure for Fast Travel and Stair Climbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile robots face challenges in combining the advantages of foot-type and wheel-type robots, with foot-type robots being slow on flat surfaces and energy inefficient, and wheel-type robots struggling with obstacles like stairs, while current hybrid designs face issues of limited wheel size and joint durability or deformation limitations.
Innovation Solution
A deformable wheel design with a wheel frame unit, driving and walking power units, and extension regions that allow for both rotational and walking motions, enabling high-speed travel on flat surfaces and obstacle traversal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wheel is attached to a structure having a leg shape on a foot-type robot, then the robot can overcome obstacles, but the size of the wheel is limited and load is applied to the joint region which adversely affects durability
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel structure is made dynamically deformable with multiple peripheral regions that can change their relative positions. The walking power unit enables the wheel to transform from a rigid circular shape to a deformable configuration with extended peripheral regions, allowing it to adapt to obstacles without applying excessive load to fixed joint regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel is divided into multiple independent peripheral regions (first peripheral regions and second peripheral regions) that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows each region to independently respond to terrain conditions, distributing mechanical stress and avoiding concentration of load at single joint points.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the shape of the wheel is temporarily deformed to correspond to a shape of an obstacle such as stairs, then the robot can overcome the obstacle, but the robot cannot pass over an obstacle having a relatively large height
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel employs a dynamic deformation mechanism where the walking power unit activates only when obstacle detection is made. During normal flat ground operation, the wheel maintains its standard circular shape for high-speed rolling movement. When an obstacle is detected, the walking power unit drives the peripheral regions to deform the wheel shape to match the obstacle profile, enabling the robot to climb stairs and other obstacles of various heights.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the wheel is designed for high-speed movement on flat surfaces, then energy consumption efficiency is high, but driving performance significantly deteriorates in environments such as stairs or rugged areas
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel system dynamically adapts its configuration based on terrain conditions. On flat surfaces, it operates as a conventional wheel with fixed circular shape, achieving high energy efficiency through rolling motion. When encountering stairs or rugged terrain, the walking power unit activates to deform the wheel shape, enabling the robot to traverse obstacles while maintaining reasonable energy consumption by only activating the deformation mechanism when necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment wheel includes a wheel frame unit including a plurality of peripheral regions, a driving power unit disposed at a first side of the wheel frame unit and configured to provide a rotational force that allows the wheel frame unit to perform a rotational motion about a central axis, and a walking power unit disposed at the first side of the wheel frame unit and configured to provide power that changes relative positions between the plurality of peripheral regions.