Modular Electric Wheel Assembly With Quick-Change Wheels and Batteries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric wheel vehicles lack structural assemblies that allow for the replacement of wheels with different widths or diameters, and they do not support interchangeable riding platforms or parent vehicle structures, necessitating separate devices for each use, and they lack robust systems for removable and rechargeable batteries.
Innovation Solution
A modular hub motor assembly with a brushless DC motor featuring a hollow center that houses interchangeable energy sources and allows for quick attachment of various rotatable couplings, including wheels, tires, and riding platforms, through a robust mounting system that includes a first ring for rapid interchangeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed wheel structure is used in existing electric wheel vehicles, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the ability to replace wheels with different widths or diameters is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is divided into separate modular components: a universal hub motor unit and interchangeable wheel/tire assemblies. The hub motor features a standardized interface that accepts different wheel configurations, allowing users to swap wheels without replacing the entire wheel assembly. This segmentation enables adaptability while keeping the core structural components simple and reusable.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub motor assembly is designed with a universal mounting interface and standardized axle configuration that can accommodate multiple wheel types, sizes, and configurations. This universal design allows a single hub motor unit to serve multiple functions across different wheel configurations, enhancing versatility without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wheels and riding platforms are permanently mounted, then structural stability is ensured, but the ability to interchange riding platforms or parent vehicle structures is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The riding platform is separated from the hub motor assembly, with the platform mounted to a standardized interface on the hub motor or axle. This segmentation allows the platform to be independently interchanged while maintaining a reliable connection through the standardized mounting interface, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system transitions from a static permanent attachment to a dynamic reversible connection. Quick-release mechanisms and standardized interfaces enable the mounting system to adapt between securely fixed (during operation) and easily removable (for interchange) states, providing both reliability during use and adaptability for replacement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate electric wheel devices are purchased for each use, then specialized functionality is achieved, but cost and device quantity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hub motor assembly is designed as a universal platform that can be configured for multiple uses by simply changing wheels, tires, or attached platforms. A single hub motor unit can serve as a self-balancing wheel, a bicycle wheel, a skateboard wheel, or other configurations, eliminating the need to purchase separate specialized devices for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the motor, control systems, power management, and mounting interface into a single integrated hub motor assembly that serves as a universal base for multiple wheel configurations. This merging of core functional components into one adaptable unit reduces the total number of devices needed while maintaining specialized functionality through peripheral attachments.
4Ease of operation
If batteries are integrated into the wheel structure, then power supply is secured, but the ability to remove and externally charge or replace batteries is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the wheel/tire assembly and relocated to the hub motor housing or mounted separately on the axle. This extraction allows the battery to be independently removed, charged externally, or replaced without disassembling the wheel structure. The battery mounting system uses standardized interfaces that simplify the removal and installation process, offsetting the added complexity with ease of operation.
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
Enables versatile use of electric wheel assemblies across multiple applications by allowing interchangeable wheels, tires, and riding platforms, with a robust system for removable batteries, enhancing modularity and utility.
Implementation Method 1
a brushless DC motor with a hollow center
Data Source
AI summary
A modular electric wheel assembly. The assembly including a motor with a rotor in a rotary union with a stator. The motor of the brushless DC type and including a circular rotor rotating about a central axis and including a central hollow axle. The hollow axle configured for coupling with a removable energy source and/or an external energy source and including attachment structures for a plurality of attachments to enable riding by a user or configuration within a parent vehicle such as a bicycle or moped, or use as another machine type, such as a power tool or power generation machine. The rotor configured with a quick-change mechanism through a first ring configured to accept a plurality of removable wheel types and rotatable attachments, enabling a user to select a variety of unique wheel/tire types and configurations for a variety of applications.