Flexible Spoke-Band Wheel Structure for Terrain Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheels and tracks tend to churn the terrain they move over, lacking the ability to adapt to varying terrain while maintaining stability and forward progress, and they can experience alignment issues due to free play motion.
Innovation Solution
A wheel design featuring a flexible rim and spoke band assembly with universal hinge joints and spoke band retention flanges, allowing for spoke lengths to shorten and elongate as the wheel moves over obstacles, enhancing adaptability and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wheels with fixed components are used, then alignment stability is maintained under torque, but the wheel cannot adapt to varying terrain and tends to churn the terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the spoke bands flexible and capable of changing length during wheel rotation. The spoke bands can elongate and shorten dynamically as they pass over diverters, allowing the wheel to adapt its shape to terrain variations while maintaining structural integrity and alignment stability through the controlled mechanical movement of the bands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible spoke bands instead of rigid spokes. These flexible bands can bend and change length as they move through the wheel structure, enabling the wheel to conform to irregular terrain surfaces while maintaining overall structural stability and preventing terrain churning through controlled flexibility rather than rigid adaptation.
2Ease of operation
If free play rotation is allowed, then the wheel can rotate independently, but alignment issues occur causing the wheel to rotate out of alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of spoke length dynamically during operation. As the wheel rotates, spoke bands elongate and shorten in response to terrain conditions, which maintains alignment precision by adjusting the effective length rather than allowing free play. This parameter change enables rotation freedom while preventing misalignment through active length adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fixed wheels are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but the wheel churs the terrain and lacks adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wheel structure into a hub assembly, flexible rim, and multiple independent spoke bands with diverters. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the spoke bands can independently elongate and shorten, the diverters can guide the bands, and the hub provides structural support - thereby achieving terrain adaptability without excessive overall complexity through modular design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wheel design improves terrain adaptation and stability by uniformly distributing load and maintaining consistent elevation, reducing friction and wear, and enhancing traction on irregular surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible rim, a spoke band assembly extending from the hub assembly to the flexible rim to form a plurality of single-band spokes
Implementation Method 2
contact of the flexible rim with an object as the wheel moves forward causes the spoke length of a number of the spokes to shorten and the spoke length of an equal number of the spokes to lengthen
Data Source
AI summary
A resilient wheel and a method for traversing an obstruction therewith are disclosed. The wheel comprises a hub assembly, a flexible rim, and a spoke band assembly extending from the hub assembly to the flexible rim to form spokes. Each spoke has a spoke length defined to be a distance along the spoke from a point of contact of the spoke on the flexible rim to a point of origin of the spoke at the hub assembly. The spoke band assembly is configured such that contact of the flexible rim with an object as the wheel moves forward causes the spoke length of a number of the spokes to shorten and the spoke length of an equal number of the spokes to lengthen.