Robotic floor cleaning device with expandable wheels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic floor cleaning devices face challenges in selecting wheel size, as larger wheels enhance mobility but may compromise cleaning efficacy by increasing distance from the work surface, while smaller wheels improve navigation through tight spaces but reduce autonomy.
Innovation Solution
The development of expandable wheels with a main housing, inner shaft, spokes, linkages, and rollers that can be contracted or expanded by rotating the inner shaft, allowing the robotic device to adjust wheel size based on navigation needs, with sensors optionally controlling the expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If larger wheels are used, then mobility and ability to drive over obstacles is improved, but cleaning efficacy deteriorates due to increased distance from the work surface
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly incorporates a dynamic expansion mechanism where the inner shaft can rotate relative to the main housing, causing spokes and linkages to move the rollers between extended and retracted positions. This allows the wheel radius to be dynamically adjusted based on operational needs, resolving the contradiction between mobility (larger radius) and cleaning efficacy (smaller radius)
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of wheel radius by allowing the inner shaft to rotate, which alters the angular position of spokes and linkages. This mechanical parameter change enables the rollers to move radially, transforming the wheel from a fixed-size component to an adjustable-size component that can optimize both mobility and cleaning performance
2Ease of operation
If smaller wheels are used, then navigation through tight spaces is improved, but autonomy and ability to overcome obstacles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic expansion mechanism allows the wheel assembly to adapt its size in real-time. When navigating tight spaces, the rollers can be retracted to reduce wheel radius for better maneuverability. When encountering obstacles requiring greater autonomy, the rollers extend to increase wheel radius, thus resolving the contradiction between navigation ease and autonomy
3Speed
If wheels are expanded for obstacle navigation, then mobility is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel design nests the inner shaft with rotatable spokes and linkages within the main housing. The rollers are mounted on the linkages which are themselves attached to the spokes, creating a nested structure where multiple components are contained within each other. This nesting allows the complex expansion mechanism to be compact and integrated, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining mobility functionality
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a wheel including: a main housing with a series of apertures disposed radially thereabout; an inner shaft disposed within the main housing and rotatably coupled thereto; a set of spokes distributed radially around the inner shaft and attached thereto at a first end, each spoke positioned within one of the series of apertures in the main housing; a set of linkages distributed radially around the inner shaft and attached to a second end of the spokes, the linkages positioned within the apertures; and a set of rollers distributed radially around the inner shaft and mounted on the linkages; wherein the spokes, linkages, and rollers can be moved from a first, contracted position, to a second, expanded position.