Robot Cleaner Wheel with Segmented Structure for Obstacle Climbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot cleaner wheels have a limited obstacle climbing ability due to a small contact area with obstacles, causing the cleaner to stop operation when encountering obstacles of a certain height.
Innovation Solution
A wheel design featuring an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of spokes forming independent spaces, and ribs that limit the movement of the outer ring, enhancing the contact area with obstacles by allowing deformation and air passage through the spaces, thereby improving the robot cleaner's ability to traverse obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If a conventional solid wheel design is used, then the wheel structure is simple, but the contact area with obstacles is small, limiting obstacle climbing ability
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is divided into an outer ring, inner ring, and multiple spokes that create independent spaces. This segmentation allows the wheel to deform and expand its contact area with obstacles while maintaining structural integrity, directly resolving the contradiction between contact area and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel design incorporates radial expansion capability through the independent spaces between spokes, allowing the contact area to extend in the radial dimension when encountering obstacles. This dimensional change enables the wheel to adapt its contact area dynamically without increasing overall wheel size.
2Reliability
If the wheel deforms to increase contact area, then obstacle climbing ability improves, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel transitions from a static solid structure to a dynamic structure with independent spaces that can expand and contract. The spokes and ribs provide controlled flexibility, allowing the wheel to deform dynamically when encountering obstacles while maintaining structural stability during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the wheel have different structural properties - the outer ring and inner ring provide overall structural stability, while the spokes and independent spaces provide localized flexibility for deformation. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of stability and adaptability.
3Strength
If ribs are added to limit outer ring movement, then structural control improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ribs are integrated with the spokes to form a unified structural element, rather than being separate components. This merging reduces the number of parts and assembly steps, improving ease of manufacture while maintaining the structural control function of the ribs.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel for a robot cleaner includes an outer ring in contact with a surface to be cleaned, an inner ring which is disposed inside the outer ring and receives a driving force, a plurality of spokes which connect the outer ring and the inner ring, and form a plurality of independent spaces through which air passes, and a plurality of ribs disposed in the plurality of independent spaces, each of the plurality of ribs having a shorter length than a length of each of the plurality of spokes.