Omnidirectional Wheel with Dual-Axis Rotation for Tight Turning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small-sized vehicles face limitations in reducing their turning radius due to the length of their body, making it difficult to change direction freely, especially when using typical wheels.
Innovation Solution
An omnidirectional wheel with a tire shaped like an open torus, featuring a main rotation unit and a circumferential rotation unit that allows the tire to rotate about both a main and a circumferential axis, enabling the vehicle to move in multiple directions without changing its main travel direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If typical wheels are used for a small-sized vehicle, then the vehicle structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the turning radius cannot be reduced sufficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is designed with two independent rotation capabilities: rotation about a main rotation axis (first rotational direction) and rotation about a circumferential axis (second rotational direction). This dynamic configuration allows the wheel to adapt its motion to different operational needs, enabling both straight movement and lateral movement, thereby reducing the turning radius while maintaining structural feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a circumferential rotation dimension to the traditional single-axis wheel rotation. By enabling rotation about both the main rotation axis and the circumferential axis, the wheel gains omnidirectional movement capability, allowing the vehicle to change direction more freely and reduce turning radius without proportionally increasing overall complexity
2Length of moving object
If the vehicle body length is reduced for sidewalk use, then the vehicle becomes more maneuverable in narrow spaces, but the turning radius is limited by the shortened wheelbase
Solution Approach 1:
The omnidirectional wheel's dual rotation capability compensates for the limited wheelbase by enabling lateral movement and direction changes without requiring the vehicle to pivot around a large radius. The wheel can rotate about its circumferential axis to move perpendicular to the main travel direction, effectively reducing the turning radius despite the short vehicle body length
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the motion parameters of the wheel from single-axis rotation to dual-axis rotation. By introducing rotation about the circumferential axis in addition to the main rotation axis, the system expands the vehicle's maneuverability envelope, allowing tight turning and frequent direction changes that would otherwise require a longer wheelbase
Data Source
AI summary
An omnidirectional wheel and a three-wheeled vehicle using the same are provided. The omnidirectional wheel includes a tire that is formed in the shape of an open torus having an open portion and a main rotation unit that is connected to the tire to rotate the tire about a main rotation axis passing through the center of an inner opening formed in a circular hole shape by the tire. A circumferential rotation unit connects opposite ends of the tire that form the open portion therebetween and rotates the tire about a circumferential axis formed in a circumferential direction of the tire to move the tire in a direction parallel to the main rotation axis.